Deuteronomy 6:1-9
1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
God’s chosen people, Israel, are standing on the precipice of the promised land. Moses will not be going with them. His era of leadership is coming to an end, and he is leaving the people with a road map and reminder for success. Simply put, if you obey God and do his will, you will succeed. In Chapter 6, Moses calls them to equally fear and love God. He makes specific references to the characteristics of a family fearing and loving the Lord and the impact on the children.
God is to be feared and loved.
Deuteronomy 6:2 “2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
A house without fear never repents, and a house without love never trusts. Repentance and obedience are the cornerstones to the blessing of God. Children should have a keen sense that their parents have a respect and reverence for the power of God. The illusion that parents are perfect will not instill a reverence in children.
Duet 6:4-5 is called the Shema; this is the heart of all the Law. Jesus used it as the answer when being questioned by a lawyer as to what the greatest commandment was.
Matthew 22:34–39 “34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
When reverence and love are combined, it produces a desire to obey - not simply an obligation.
Not Simply a Sunday Thing
Deuteronomy 6:6–9 “6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
The culture of the family was God centered: “shall be on your heart.” The parents were to embrace God as the center of their lives.
Deuteronomy 6:5 “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
The parents were to live out their calling in obedience to God as their creator and protector. The blessing of the family depended on it. This was not adding God to whatever they had determined to do with their lives but a consistent surrender to God. Would the culture and conversation of our families look and sound like Shema?
Teach them diligently - The parents bore the responsibility to diligently teach their children God’s ways and what God’s blessing looked like. The family was to be immersed in the fear and love of God.
On your way - What do your conversations consist of on the way? Make room for your children to communicate what they are dealing with and become good at listening. Ask questions. Dinner is key. Intentional dinner as a family offers time for your children to elaborate on their day and share success and struggles. Parents have the opportunity to contextualize the conversation in light of repentance, trust, and blessing. Make room for family dinners at home and make room for the conversations.
Morning and Evening
Pray at the beginning and end of the day. Pray with your children on the way out and before bed.
The Key to Blessing
Deuteronomy 6:1–3 “1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Obedience must be seen as the doorway to blessing. Never send mixed signals; grace is not a license to be disobedient and cannot replace obedience when it comes to blessing. No one is perfect, including your kids. An obedient spirit is not based on a single act but an attitude toward God and parents. Likewise, rebelliousness was never based on a single act but a mentality toward God. We must diligently teach our children that God’s blessing comes through obedience.
Moses is teaching that their very existence was dependent on them - keeping the commands God had given them. This was not simply do as I say or I will ruin you but God’s design to protect them from the destructive ways of the people around them.
God desires to protect your children from all that is destructive in our culture and he entrusted you to be the gatekeepers. Live an obedient life so your children reap the rewards and understand the correlation.
Never allow it to be just an ornament.
Deuteronomy 6:8–9 “8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
The problem with the religious leaders of Jesus’ time was that their fear and love for God had been reduced to ornaments that they hung on their clothes. There was an outward appearance of obedience but an inward rebellion.
Matthew 23:1–7 “1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.”
Never allow your walk with Christ to be an ornament only used to impress your children. Let what you say and what you do align for the benefit of your family.