What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 6:6? These words • Moses has just declared the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One” and the greatest command: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). • “These words” covers every instruction the Lord has revealed—nothing is optional or expendable (Deuteronomy 4:2; Matthew 24:35). • Because Scripture is God-breathed and infallible, every syllable comes with His authority and reliability (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I am commanding you today • The living God speaks in the present tense; His commands are never obsolete. What He said that day in Moab still carries weight this very moment (Deuteronomy 11:1; John 14:15). • “Commanding” underscores that obedience is love in action, not a suggestion or mere ideal. • “Today” places the call into the believer’s current calendar. We respond now, not later (Hebrews 3:7-8). Are to be upon your hearts • God’s goal is more than external conformity; He wants His truth embedded deep within. – Internalized truth safeguards against sin (Psalm 119:11). – It produces willing, joyful obedience (Psalm 40:8). – It anticipates the new-covenant promise: “I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33; cf. James 1:21-22). • “Upon your hearts” pictures constant, conscious meditation—truth engraved where decisions are made (Joshua 1:8; Colossians 3:16). summary Deuteronomy 6:6 insists that God’s revealed words, spoken with present authority, must move from parchment to the very core of our being. When His commandments rest upon our hearts, obedience becomes a natural overflow, love for Him is deepened, and our lives reflect the unchanging truth of Scripture. |
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