Deuteronomy 6:1-9 - Listen, Learn and then Teach
- Chad Werkhoven
- 38 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Your top priority must be hearing & reading God's Word.
Deuteronomy 6:1–9 (LSB)
1  “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments, which Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do it in the land where you are going over to possess it,
2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
3 “O Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4  “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!
5 “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes.
9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Perseverance
And, just as it has pleased God
to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel,
so he preserves, continues, and completes his work
by the hearing and reading of the gospel,
by meditation on it,
by its exhortations, threats, and promises,
and also by the use of the sacraments.
Summary
Today's Summary and Dig Deeper posts are a modified re-post from January 1, 2024.
What a perfect passage to read as a another year of reading through the Bible draws to a close! Moses spoke these words to Israel at the end of their exodus through the wilderness, just as they were about to cross the Jordan river to possess the Promised Land. In these words, God, speaking through Moses, gives His people (both Israel and us) the key to enjoying long life: that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
These promises of enjoying a long life in which things may be well and in which things may multiply greatly, clearly are made in general terms. Normally, blessings will follow obedience, but not in every specific situation. Sometimes faithful saints will experience long periods of frustration or even early death, while other times those who have no fear for God will seem to prosper.
What's really interesting about these words is that the key to enjoying the good life doesn't just involve blindly following commands, but rather the good life is rooted in theology. Truly successful people must fear God; that is, they must know both who and what God is, as well as how we as people relate to Him.
As we near the end of our year long study of how God's grace is stronger than we are, we're reminded of the basic truth that God's people have been reciting since they stood on the banks of the Jordan. It's called the Shema:
Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!
 Dig Deeper Â
You may not be on the cusp of settling into a new land, but we are close to beginning a new year, so it's a good time to take stock and reset your course where needed. Notice here that as Moses prepares Israel to move in that he mentions nothing about the hard work or logistics that will be needed to feed and house all of the people. Certainly these things are important and necessary - in fact, if you keep reading this passage, God promises to provide these things (v10-12) - but housing and food production are not the top priorities.
The priority God gives us, His people, is to first of all know Him (which is a lifelong endeavor). This priority is the one which must be on your hearts. The second priority then is to teach this theology to the subsequent generations. How will your new year reflect these top priorities?
The Canons of Dordt draw to a close with a very similar reminder for God's people today. Israelite children were not born with a comprehensive theological understanding; their fathers were commanded to impress this upon them. Israel's sad history show the dire implications that stem from their repeated failure to do this. As God's covenant people, you've been given this same mandate. Teach God's commandments diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
This week's penultimate article of the Canons of Dordt catalog the best ways for you to fulfill this obligation through which God preserves, continues, and completes His work in you and your children. At the top of the list is the hearing and reading of the gospel. As you finish out 2025 and prepare for 2026, make sure placing yourself in a Bible preaching church is at the top of your list as well.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Start your prayer with the Hebrew Shema - Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll hear God's Word often and subsequently love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 16
