Love: Day 19
To Hear God is to Obey God
By Dave Olsson
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘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 mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31 NIV
In Deuteronomy 6:4 we find perhaps the most essential prayer in all of Judaism — the Shema (sh’-mah), a daily recitation affirming God’s singularity and kingship. The name Shema comes from the first word of the verse, which means “hear” or “listen.”
She-ma yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai echad.
Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
To “hear” in English means to be aware of sound. In our culture, we can hear someone talking and either absorb and respond to it, or ignore what is said. Not so in Hebrew society. When they’re called “to hear,” it’s a call to act. Hearing and doing are the same thing. To hear God is to obey God.
Immediately following that declaration is what Jesus calls the first and greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” If the preceding is true about God — that He is the singular, only true God, and that He is our God — the first and foremost way of expressing our devotion to Him is by loving Him with everything that we’ve got.
And, says Jesus, the next greatest commandment has the same force as the first: love your neighbor as yourself. No commandment is more important than these two.
Love God. Love others.
In Hebrew culture, love isn’t just an emotion — it’s an active attachment. It means following through on our commitment. If we “hear” (sh’-mah) this command, it means we will faithfully respond out of obedience and loyalty to the Lord. Being commanded to love is a matter of doing, not just feeling.
This is the foundation of our redemption. Above everything else, God desires that we love Him completely and totally. That is the greatest commandment. That is why Jesus came. The purpose God had in saving us was that we might love Him based on His intrinsic worth as the one and only true God. Out of that, we love others.
The baby born in the manger expressed perfect obedience to these two commandments. He always did what pleased his Father (John 8:29) and he loved others to the fullest extent possible (John 13:1). He showed us what it meant to love God through his unwavering obedience to His commands. He showed us what it meant to love others by going to the cross on behalf of a lost world.
O believer, may you hear these words this Christmas!
Pray
Lord, You are the only true God. There is no other. Thank you for Jesus, who showed me how to love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Father, may I hear You — really hear You — this Christmas. Teach me how to act on what I’ve heard as I celebrate the birth of Your Son. Amen.
Act
Donate to a charity that ministers to suffering people.
Have a really great experience with someone in customer service? Contact their supervisor and acknowledge their exceptional work!
Volunteer to greet children as they come to church. Contact Kate at kate@thehopeco.com.
Family Application
Jesus’ name means “the Lord is salvation.” Share with each other what your name means (Google is your friend for this!) then share the story behind your name if you know it.