"וְהָי֞וּ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם עַל־לְבָבֶֽךָ"
"V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh asher anokhi m'tzva'kha hayom al l'vavekha"
"These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart;" (Deuteronomy 6:6 CJB)
In verse 6 of the Shema, Moses instructs the Jews to learn the commands of the Torah. The Jews were not to simply learn the Torah by rote, however; it was to be "on your heart." They were to live it out. Their obedience to the Torah did not save them; they were saved by faith. Their obedience was the result of their faith. Since they were God's children, they were to obey Him. We, too, are to obey Him.
The first step in the Jews' obedience was learning; they had to learn God's commands. So, they memorized the Torah. Memorization is important for us, too. Psalm 119:10-11 (CJB) says:
"10 I seek You with all my heart; don't let me stray from Your mitzvot (commands). 11 I treasure Your Word in my heart, so that I won't sin against You."
1 Peter 3:15 (CJB) says:
"But treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts; while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you - yet with humility and fear."
We must learn the Scripture so that we are ready to obey God's command to spread the Gospel and give "a reasoned answer." God's Word is to be "on our hearts."
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