From a religious as well as a literary perspective, this portion of the bible is one of the most meaningful. Here we get at the crux of Israelite faith - and the biblical story.
The Great Commandment: Deuteronomy 6.1-9
Moses, speaking the words of God, begins to deliver the commandments of God to the Israelites. Obedience by the Israelites (or "fear of God) will result in longevity of the people for generations. This promise invokes the ancestral covenant of land and progeny; if the Israelites follow this newly established covenant, "it may go well with you," and the Israelites will "multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey" as the Lord has promised.
The great commandment (after, of course, the ten big ones): The Lord alone is your God. The great corollary: Your entire life should acknowledge this fact. The commandment is dogma, the guiding principle of Israelite life. The corollary is praxis, the actual practice of the religion:
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, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.Dogma may guide the religion, but for this biblical author it is proper practice that ensures God's blessing. It is no wonder, therefore, that dialectical tensions feature so much in the bible - it is a story of God versus Israel, and Israel does not always wish to obey God. But if Israel obeys God, it will be blessed and kept by the Lord. Is it any wonder so much of the early books of the bible focuses on law? The author is very concerned with the fact that the Israelites, and later on the Hebrews, obeyed these laws in order to please God.
(Deut. 6.4-9)
As the next section will demonstrate, disobedience is
Caution Against Disobedience: Deuteronomy 6.10-25
Moses, speaking the word of God, commands obedience by putting the Israelites' situation into perspective. A covenant was established with these peoples' ancestors: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, before it was ever established with the Israelites. [Therefore obedience honors the past, in addition to protecting the future.] Furthermore, Israel is to receive the promised land filled with ammenities that they did no work for [except wandering in the desert, though really that was for the congregation's mistrust of the Lord]. The promised land comes complete with "large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant" (Deut 6.10-11). The Lord gives Israel a new home after years of enslavement in Egypt and wandering in the desert.
The people must not forget the Lord - and fear him and swear by him only. The Lord is a jealous God and as he has demonstrated is capable of blotting any human from the earth. Obedience will be rewarded and is in fact a requisite for thrusting Israel's enemies from the promised land.
The story and the requisite obedience are to be passed down for generations. The story of the Exodus is to survive through an oral tradition of parent to offspring. When children ask about the Lord's statutes, parents are to answer that the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt with a mighty hand that did great signs and wonders against Pharaoh and his household. The Lord then brought the Israelites into the promised land in fulfillment of the ancient covenant. Through proper practice the Israelites ensure their survival in the world:
"If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.”
(Deut. 6.25)
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