Deuteronomy 6: Loving and Fearing the Law Giver
WHILE KNOWLEDGE BEGINS with the fear of the Lord (Pr 1:7), it is not the end. Fearing God goes hand-in-hand with heartfelt love. Yet this fact often slips from our minds and hearts. What we need to fix in our minds as firmly as we can is that God loves us, and he wants us to love him. The Scriptures are the tool that he has given us to keep our hearts alive. They are to be logs on the hearth of hearts feeding the flame of devotion. As we read the record of his loving acts as recorded in Scripture, we are to be reminded that he is the God who saves us from our chains and provides abundantly for our needs.
Warming Up to God
God deserves our love. From the cross of Jesus Christ to the food that you have eaten today, make a record of things to be grateful for. Offer your praise to the Lord from that list. Ask him to breathe life into the embers of your heart. Sit with him and cultivate a quiet that is filled with heartfelt affection.
Read Deuteronomy 6. »
Discovering the Word
- How are both fear and love important motivations in these verses?
- How is love of the Lord to affect the way children are to be raised in the new land (vv. 4-9)?
- What is the difference between passing the law on out of obligationand passing it on out of love?
- What dangers will the Israelites face, and how will the fear of the Lord be helpful (vv. 10-19)?
- How will the law be an aid in keeping the memory of God's salvation fresh (vv. 20-25)?
Applying the Word
- Love for God was to be passed on from generation to generation. What attitudes have you picked up toward God from your parents? (If you are a parent, consider as well what attitudes toward God you are passing on to your children.)
- Consider your own motivations. In what areas do you live by God's law out of obligation and in what ways do you follow God's law because of your affection for him?
- The Israelites were to be careful not to take God's gift of the new land for granted. What do you tend to take for granted about God's saving work in your life?
Responding in Prayer
Ask God to help you grow in a love-filled faith. Pray that the members of your church would pass on a love for God from adults to children.
For Further Study
Embracing the Mysterious God by James Emery White