Yeshua Explored
12th September 2022
Shema
What is the difference between hearing and obeying?
Previous articles are still available on the Premier Christian radio website – https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Blogs2/Yeshua-Explored – (until they finally pull the plug!)
Let’s return to the foot of Mount Sinai …
The Hebrews did something that we canny consumers wouldn’t dream of doing, they bought a set of goods sight unseen! Let’s remind ourselves:
Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, youwill be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. (Exodus 19:3-8)
Now read it again, carefully. God is selling them a concept, the idea of a covenant that they were to keep, but He wasn’t yet giving them the fine print. They didn’t yet know what was in the covenant, which rules they were going to have to obey in order to remain God’s treasured possession. Later on Moses did read out the fine print, all 613 laws in the Torah, including the “Ten Commandments”:
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” (Exodus 24:7)
The key word here is obey. There was no debate, no consideration of the minutiae, no deals or concessions over which laws should be prioritised, or which should be held back for further consideration! This was no 21st Century law court or debating chamber or political arena, these are a people listening and obeying, however strange many of the laws and regulations may have seemed to them at that time. There is a sense of this concept later on in the story, after Moses has read out the laws and summarised their importance to the Hebrews (and to all who were to come afterwards). There follows the most solemn and important prayer in Judaism, the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-5:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
The word Shema is the first word, usually translated as “hear”. It is interesting that the majority of Bibles translate this word as “hear”, but the One New Man Bible acknowledges that this word is far more powerful than it seems. It’s not a case of just hearing but the actions that proceed from that process. It is about obeying God, in fact that is another meaning for shema elsewhere in Scripture. Hebraic understanding has no truck with just hearing but what effects the Word of God has on you. If you are not moved to action, then you haven’t really heard.
These are a people who have pledged not just to listen or hear the words of the Law, including the “Ten Commandments”, but to obey them. These words were going to become their manual for life.
This is an extract from the book, Sinner’s Charter: Are the ten commandments for today?, available for £10 at https://www.sppublishing.com/the-sinners-charter-260-p.asp
