וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽך
"v'ahavta adonai eloheika b'kol levavka uv'kol nepheshka uv'kol m'odka"
"And you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your resources." (Deuteronomy 6:5, CJB)
In verse 5 of the Shema, Moses changes the way he addresses the assembly. In verse 4, he uses the first person plural "our God." In verse 5, he uses the second person "you." Unlike English, Hebrew has plural forms of the second person. In this verse, however, although he addressing the entire assembly, Moses uses the singular form rather than the plural. My Hebrew teacher in college explained to me that this is to make the command personal. The entire nation was called to love and obey God, but Moses also commanded them as individuals to love and obey God. It was a personal choice. Each person had to make that choice. It is the same for us today. Being a member of church does not save us. We each must choose to follow God.
"For God so loved the world that he gave His only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in Him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed." (John 3:16, CJB)
This is a personal choice that we all must make. Jesus died for everyone. He offers salvation to all people. We each must choose whether or not to accept it.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Thursday, November 1, 2018
The Shema Yisrael - Part 1
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד
"Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad."
"Hear, Israel, Adonai our God, Adonai is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4 CJB)
The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) is a very important passage to the Jews. They recite it at least twice daily; morning and evening. Each verse is significant. Verse 4 begins with a command: "Shema." This is the imperative form of the verb "to hear." Moses is commanding the Jews to listen closely to what he is telling them. In this verse, he addresses the entire assembly and refers to God as "our God." God is for everyone. Anyone can come to him. Romans 10:8-13 (CJB) says:
8 "What, then, does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' - that is, the word about trust, which we proclaim, namely 9 that if you acknowledge publicly with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be delivered. 10 For with the heart one goes on trusting and thus continues toward righteousness, while with the mouth one keeps on making public acknowledgement and thus continues towards deliverance. 11 For the passage quoted says that everyone who rests his trust on Him will not be humiliated. 12 That means that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - Adonai is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on Him, 13 since everyone who calls on the name of Adonai will be delivered. "
"Adonai our God, Adonai is one." There is one God, and he is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles. "Everyone who calls on the name of Adonai will be delivered."
"Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad."
"Hear, Israel, Adonai our God, Adonai is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4 CJB)
The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) is a very important passage to the Jews. They recite it at least twice daily; morning and evening. Each verse is significant. Verse 4 begins with a command: "Shema." This is the imperative form of the verb "to hear." Moses is commanding the Jews to listen closely to what he is telling them. In this verse, he addresses the entire assembly and refers to God as "our God." God is for everyone. Anyone can come to him. Romans 10:8-13 (CJB) says:
8 "What, then, does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' - that is, the word about trust, which we proclaim, namely 9 that if you acknowledge publicly with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be delivered. 10 For with the heart one goes on trusting and thus continues toward righteousness, while with the mouth one keeps on making public acknowledgement and thus continues towards deliverance. 11 For the passage quoted says that everyone who rests his trust on Him will not be humiliated. 12 That means that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - Adonai is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on Him, 13 since everyone who calls on the name of Adonai will be delivered. "
"Adonai our God, Adonai is one." There is one God, and he is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles. "Everyone who calls on the name of Adonai will be delivered."
Introduction
I created this blog because of my interest in Judaism. I am Baptist, but I have been fascinated by Judaism for most of my life. I hope to teach Gentile Christians about the Jewish roots of Christianity. Many are unfamiliar with their roots. Many think that the Tanak (Old Testament) is no longer necessary or valid since the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is not the case. The Tanak constantly points us to the New Testament. There are fore-shadowings of Jesus all throughout the Tanak. The various holidays and observances may seem irrelevant to Gentiles, but they, too, are important. This is the purpose of this blog: to help Gentile Christians connect with the Jewish roots of their faith.
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