Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:4–21; 6:4–9; 10:12–22
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Might; and these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thy Heart, Deut. 6. 6. Here now the Oneness of the Lord is made manifest, who hath sent his only begotten Son, not to destroy, but to fulfil this Law, which is one. And the Apostle saith, That he was alive without the Law; but when the Commandment came, Sin revived, and he died; and yet he was, touching the Law, blameless. —Margaret Fell
Questions: When you focus on worshiping God rightly, in what ways do your interpersonal relationships become healthier? This passage instructs us to teach our tradition’s stories and ethical behavior to our children. In what ways are you participating in that work or supporting those who are doing that work? Deuteronomy 10:12–22 instructs the Israelites to take care of those on the margins of society and says this is the way to show love to God. In what ways does this portion of the heart of the law challenge you? In what ways is your faith community already living this out? What do you think you could do better?
“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” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5).
The oneness of God and the singular focus of God’s people on the worship of God alone form the foundation of Christianity. Jesus refers to this passage, called The Shema for the first Hebrew word in Deuteronomy 6:4, “listen,” when he is asked what command he considers most important, the one by which he judges all other laws and commandments. When Jesus looked at the law and prophets, this is the thread he saw holding them all together.
I wonder: if we examine ourselves, what would our lives demonstrate as our greatest commandment? What is the rule by which we judge all else? It seems like a simple enough question, but when I look at myself I see conflicting commands:
Do everything perfectly.
Make everyone happy.
Meet every need.
Do no harm.
The list goes on, including my own injunctions to love my husband, love God, and live with my family in harmony, but these are the ones that compete for first place. It varies from day to day which command is foremost in my mind. Am I working on a project? Perfection. Am I organizing an event? People-pleasing. Am I hosting? Meeting needs. My priorities shift for each occasion.
My priorities have one thing in common, however, my own ego. How is it that by pursuing loving and serving God and others, I end up focusing on myself? More importantly, how do I get back on track?
The first word of The Shema is: “Hear!” It is a command in itself—Listen. Stop. Pay attention! Maybe what I need more than anything is to hear this call and remember that centering my life on the oneness of God and committing to love God and neighbor is enough.
Living with a kaleidoscope of priorities doesn’t feed my soul. It leaves me exhausted and feeling torn. Placing love of God at the center necessarily pushes my ego out of first place. By seeing God’s image in the mirror, I can hone my skills and rejoice in completed projects, even if they are not perfect. Recognizing God in others and loving the image of God I find reflected in their eyes allows me to serve without seeking applause. With God at the center, I am no longer responsible for meeting all the needs around me and can trust that God has other agents at work in the world who will pick up the slack.
–Charity Sandstrom in “Friendly Perspective” from Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Following God Together