Deuteronomy 6:4-6 — Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

These verses are the start of the central prayer if Judaism, known as the “Shema”. It begins “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad” — ” Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord”. The whole prayer is composed of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (Vehayah) and Numbers 15:37-41 (Vaiyomer).

The Shema, or at least its opening, is not just central to Judaism. It should be a key part of every Christian’s faith. Jesus Himself puts it there …

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, 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 mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (Mark 12:28-30)

The Lord our God is one Lord. He is God alone, indivisible. That unity is one of God’s attributes — unity, wholeness, integrity … From that flows the notion that the law is one, and the notion that mixing unlike kinds of thing is wrong. The concept of mixing, and the associated concept of separation, are a good indication of sin and its consequences.

Thou shalt love the Lord with all your heart. Of course .. what other response would be appropriate? It’s not so much a command as a simple description of fact. God is God, the only God, the United God. Of course you will love Him with everything that is in you. You cannot reasonably do anything else.

These words shall be in your heart. The prescription for maintaining our love for the Lord. How shall we keep His words in our hearts? The completion of the first part of the Shema provides the instructions:

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

We must teach the words, talk about the words, place them all around us. Our lives must be full of scripture. Store God’s word in our hearts, the words will drive our love for God, because He is the only thing!