Reading 28 • October 11
Today's Scripture
Deuteronomy 6:1–9
Now this is the commandment — the statutes and the ordinances — that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children’s children, may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
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. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (NRSV)
Reflection
Deuteronomy 6:4–5: 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.
Moses spoke those words to the weary Israelites, just before delivering them into Canaan, thus fulfilling the covenant God had made with Abraham, as it was written in Genesis. Canaan became the Land of Israel, and its people the Jewish people.
Moses tells them to always keep that commandment in their hearts, to pass the commandment on to their children, to repeat it at home, to be conscious of it when awake or when asleep. In other words, live into it.
In Judaism, those words compose the Shema, a declaration of faith in and to God, which is recited at morning and evening services.
As a believer, I place my trust and faith in God, and God alone, above and beyond anyone and anything. I know God is with me, just as I’m sure of the ground I walk on. The words help me to assess what I prioritize in my life.
Throughout the ages, God’s people go through tumultuous times; I believe we are chest-deep in tumultuous times now, in our own country, where metrics are manipulated and power and self-interest are seemingly valued by some over truth and decency and compassion. On the world stage there is fighting, famine, poverty, exploitation. It is overwhelming.
In Pastor Matt Helms’ September 24 Rhythm and Word address, he references Genesis 50, where Joseph tells his brothers that even though they intended to harm him, God intended it for good in order to preserve his people. Pastor Matt tells us that no matter the mistakes we make in life, even when we intend to do harm, God is still actively working for good, caring for all of creation in ways that are both seen and unseen.
Prayer
My God, I rest in your mercy and omniscience, knowing you are at work in my life and out in the world. May my faith, words, and acts support your kingdom building. Amen.
Written by Holly O’Mara, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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