The opening verses of Deuteronomy 6 state the basic principle underlying Israel's law. A principle of friendship; the commandments were and are seen as a gift from God. To follow them means the people will not make the mistakes so often made by nations. The Old Testament is mostly about the consequences of breaking, ignoring or forgetting these commandments.
The main commandment is known as the Shema (Hebrew for 'to hear', from its first word) and is found in verses 4-6:
Hear,O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. (NRSV)
In the following verses, the importance of remembering this commandment and passing it on to future generations is stressed. This parallels the first of the ten commandments, in its emphasis on the one God. Most people agree it is best to devote your life to what is right. The problem is how to identify what is right.
The closer we are to worshiping God, the more likely we are to deceive ourselves into believing our god is the God. It is this the Shema warns us against; the belief that we have understood God and so are absolutely correct. It is hard to know God, consequently the need for use of all our heart, soul and strength. We need to heed this warning when we choose to enforce our beliefs over the beliefs of others. No-one according to the Shema can be right; if you think you are right, you need to try harder. Hence the details in later verses of the need for constant reminders that all are prone to forget who God is.
The Shema appears again in Mark 12:28-34, where Jesus is asked by a scribe, which commandment is the greatest. Jesus quotes the Shema, subtly modified, and the scribe agrees with him. Jesus responds by telling him 'You are not far from the Kingdom of God'.
Why is the scribe 'not far' rather than 'there'? After a lifetime of study, the man is not far. Will he ever arrive? He must try harder! However small the distance he must travel, it is still significant as we shall see later.
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