🧎‍♂️ Deuteronomy 6:4-5 | Are you all in?

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📧 In today’s email…

• Putting together everything we learned this week 🧠 

• Back to the beginning ⬅️

• Next steps 🐾

 🧠 Memorize

_{see if you know what words go in the blanks}

Hear, _ ______: ___ ____ ___ ___, ___ ____ __ one.

___ shall ____ ___ ____ ____ God ___ ___ ____ _____ ___ with all ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ _____.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

A review of what we’ve learned 🤔 

We’ve covered a lot of ground this week!

We’ve learned:

• Moses is generally considered the author behind most of Deuteronomy, although there are some sections he clearly didn’t write (the account of his death, for example).

• The final form of Deuteronomy was written in likely either the 14^th or 7^th century BC to the people of Israel to remind them of the exclusive covenant relationship they had with the Lord.

Deuteronomy functions as the “founding constitution” for a new community loyal to God and God alone.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is known as the “Shema” - which means “hear” or “listen.”

• The word ‘shema’ means ‘hear’ or ‘listen.’ Not just a physical, literal listening - but to listen and respond to what you hear.

  • Shema = Listen + Respond

  • Listen + Respond = OBEY

It is one of the great historical creeds of both Judaism and Christianity.

By memorizing it this week, you join millions of people before, during, and after the time of Jesus who have memorized it!

Notice the repetition in our memory verse: God wants all of us.

And lastly, we remembered the rhythm of grace that we see from God over and over again throughout Scripture:

God saves.

Then he invites into a relationship.

He did it with the Israelites (he freed them from slavery in Egypt).

And he did it with us (Jesus’ life, death and resurrection).

Salvation is a free gift, and obedience is the expected and appropriate response to a sovereign (and personal) God who stopped at nothing to communicate his love for us!

Apply and Respond: All In 🛤️

Remember King Josiah?

He found the Book of the Law buried away, read it, realized he and his people were not following it, and then set about reforming the entire country.

Let that sink in.

What about you?

What is your next step?

• Do you need to remind yourself who God is?

• Do you need to start a regular pattern of reading the Bible?

• Do you need to start a regular pattern of obeying the Bible?

Whatever it is, write it down, commit to God and tell your faith community about it to help you follow through.

And remember to love the Lord God with everything you have!

Resources to help you dig deeper 🌿 

In case you missed it, here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into this week’s passage:

• 💻️ The Torah, Jesus, Paul, and the Role of Scripture Today, by Mark Wessner (link here)

• 📖 What is the Shema? (link here)

• 📚️ Deuteronomy: A 12-Week Study (link here)

• 📚️ Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves (link here)

• 📹️ The Bible Project on the Shema (link here)

• 📹️ The Bible Project on Deuteronomy (link here)

• 🗒️ No One Like Josiah by Mark Wessner (link here)

Answer key ✅ 

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

How did you do? 💡