FIRST THINGS FIRST

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FIRST THINGS FIRST

Jesus said it. That means I need to pay attention to it. And so do you. Red letter Jesus is a big deal. And… when Jesus says, “this is the most important”, and ,”if you do this, you will have fulfilled all of the other Commandments and Laws”, it calls for an all STOP. Stop everything. Figure out exactly what Jesus is saying, why He is saying it, and what we should do about it!

That is exactly what we are going to do - take a deep dive into Scripture and then life application. Are you with me? Let’s begin. Did you know that Jesus was actually quoting Scripture? He is! Jesus is quoting Moses who is teaching the children of Israel how to live when they cross into the Promised Land.

Let’s look back at this Scripture in order to understand the Love Commandments in historical context. In Deuteronomy chapter 5, Moses reminds the children of Israel of the Ten Commandments that God gave them. The purpose of Moses’ teaching is to equip them to be faithful with the calling and blessings God has given them. Moses says to the Israelites:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV

There is great emphasis on the importance of what is being said. “Hear, O Israel”…. This is the “Shema”. The word “shema”, in Hebrew, means “to hear”. It also means to obey and take action. The Shema is an affirmation that God alone is the one true God that we should love with all of our being.

In Deuteronomy chapter 11, the Love Commandment is repeated again. It is paired with the promise of God’s blessing for the obedient and a curse for the disobedient. The Commandment’s importance is emphasized again with the need for constant reminder of the Scripture and the necessity of teaching it to our children.

“And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.”

Deuteronomy 11:13-21 ESV

The context of Moses’ instruction is extremely important. The children of Israel, numbering well over two million men, women, and children, were delivered out of slavery in Egypt by God’s mighty hand. Once rescued from Pharaoh, it took over 40 years to travel what could have been a direct route of only 250 miles. Could the God who led them through the sea by parting the waters have delivered them directly into the Promised Land? Of course He could!

Yet, thousands of Israelites died in the desert. The ground opened up, swallowing entire families. They complained about food and water. The Israelites clamored for the creation of idols, even while they could see thunder, lightning, and clouds covering Mount Sinai while Moses met directly with God Himself. After receiving the Ten Commandments written by the very hand of God, they receiving a negative report of how fierce the enemies were between them and the Promised Land. They balked.

The descendants of Abraham, the chosen people of God, were beaten down by slavery. Many had forgotten their Godgiven identity and calling. God had good things to give His children. All He asked was that they love and obey Him.

LOVE REQUIRES KNOWING WHO GOD IS, UNDERSTANDING THAT HE IS WORTHY OF LOVE, AND DETERMINING THAT YOU CAN TRUST HIM.

For forty years the Israelites’ clothes did not wear out, their sandals did not give way, they did not die of starvation or perish from thirst. God faithfully provided, even though He knew their hearts. Despite miraculous deliverance from

Egypt, divine providence in the desert, and the overflowing bounty of the Promised Land, His children quickly became self-absorbed, self-focused, and disobedient. Instead of owning their God-given identity as His chosen people entrusted with a mission to be a light to the world, the majority chose self-imposed darkness of their own design. It’s why, in Deuteronomy chapter 30, Moses details what would happen when they turned away, and the steps they should take to return after they were unfaithful to the commandment to love the Lord with their heart and soul and might.

How quickly the children of Israel forgot the wonderful deliverance of God, His provision, and His blessing of the Promised Land. We can stand in judgment of them, or we can choose to learn from their trials and tribulations.

SCRIPTURAL INSIGHTS

WHO were the children of Israel when they were delivered out of Egypt? Describe how you believe 400 years of slavery could impact the faith of the Israelites.

WHY do you think the children of Israel struggled so deeply, despite their personal experience of God’s miracles, to believe and trust that He could take care of them?

WHAT key points about the character of God did the Israelites miss during their time in the desert?

PERSONAL APPLICATION

Does the recounting of this history help you understand WHY the Commandment to love the Lord with our heart, soul, mind and strength is first and most important? Why?

In what ways do you relate to the character and responses of the children of Israel? For example, does suffering cause you to question God’s goodness? Do long periods of trials and testing cause you to look for solutions outside of God’s provision? Are you quick to forget answered prayer, times when God specifically directs you, or clearly divine provision?

As the Holy Spirit directs you, seek forgiveness for where you have strayed from loving God completely. Journal it as a prayer of repentance and renewed commitment to God below.

“And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:1-17 ESV