“Ten Words To Live By, Part 2”
Text: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Elpis Christian Church
November 1, 2009
They are ancient symbols of the faith – still in use, all over the world today. One is called a PHYLACTERY, the other, a MEZUHAH. Why are they still in use? One author puts it this way: God commanded the Jews to make reminders of his faithfulness and of his laws. Over the years, they came up with some unique ones. (The phylactery is) as plain as the nose on your face. . . .a small box-like bundle that (is) tied right to your face. Hebrew men (wear) them for morning and evening prayers, others just at morning time. There (are)actually two types: the second was tied onto the upper left arm near the elbow. (There are) four components inside, each containing a piece of parchment on which a scripture was written.” One of the scriptures is the one I just read from a few minutes ago. It is called the SHEMA – the word meaning “Hear” – and it is the fundamental statement of faith for the orthodox Jew.
What about the Mezuzah? Again, the explanation is simply that the Jews were taking God literally at his word. We just read it: “you shall write them (that is the scriptures) on the doorposts of your house.” A mezuzah is a small bit of parchment on which two key scriptures are written – “twenty lines of seven hundred thirteen letters and a certified scribe must write each letter properly. The parchment is then rolled from left to right so that the first word to appear when the mezuzah is opened is Shema – “Hear.” The roll goes into a protective case that is affixed to the upper third of the doorpost of the front door. This case is tilted so that the top slants toward the house. When coming and going through the door, the mezuzah is touched to show respect and to act as a reminder of God’s commands.”
Now – why all the fuss? Can’t we just remember God’s commands without tying little boxes of scripture to our foreheads and arms or posting boxes of them on our front doors? Sure we can. But isn’t it worth noting that for thousands of years the Jews have thought it a good idea to do just that. Why? Because they know how easy it is for everyday life to get in the way of faithful living.
Last week we looked at five of ten words that I want to suggest to you are the key to faithful living. They are the words and the attitudes of our minds and hearts if we are to keep at bay the day to day pressures under which we live. They are “touch points”, if you will, key things to keep in mind, to check on and make sure that they remain priorities for us in all we do. Otherwise the pressures of work and family life will surely squeeze them to the side. And that means real trouble.
So let’s review last week’s words first – see how many you remember. They are HEAR, LEARN, OBSERVE, REMEMBER and most important of all, LIVE. And here are the next five: LOVE, RECITE, TALK, BIND, AND KEEP.
1. LOVE.
The Hebrew word that here is translated love is ahab (Aw-hab) and it means to “desire, delight, and covet.” One commentator says it implies “an ardent and vehement inclination of the mind and a tenderness of affection at the same time.” The same word is used to describe the close attachment between parents and children, as well as the close ties of friendship.
Most of all, it’s used to describe God’s tender and compassionate love for us. And Jesus tells us we are to love God this way – above all else we do.
Now I’ll admit there’s a problem. God is just so far away – at least it seems that way. We can wrap our minds around loving our children or our spouse or a dear friend – they’re right here. How do you love the Creator of the Universe THAT way? Well, I suppose that is the great challenge of life. And yet, I wonder if it is really as difficult as we make it sometimes.
Let’s go back for a moment to that rather stuffy sounding definition: “an ardent and vehement inclination of the mind and a tenderness of affection at the same time.” This love is not just about a syrupy, sweet feeling. It’s about setting our minds and our hearts to a task and not allowing anything to deter us from that task. It’s what parents do every day – whether they feel like it or not. It’s how marriages stay together for fifty or sixty years – even when sometimes your spouse’s little habits drive you right up the wall. It’s about commitment and dedication. It is to love someone, warts and all, time and again, no matter how that person might fail us or let us down at times. That’s how we are to love God – the same way God loves us.
No wonder then, the next three words have to do with some very practical, specific things to do:
2. RECITE
3. TALK and
4. BIND.
That word recite, shanan (shaw-nan), literally means to “pierce through” or “sharpen” the way arrows are sharpened or used. It means to “teach diligently.” The word talk, dabar (daw-bawr), means to consult or converse. And the words put together that we translate as bind, is the instruction the orthodox Jews have taken seriously for thousands of years with their little phylacteries – keeping God’s words literally as close as their own foreheads and forearms twice a day.
These are all words of action – not mere sentiment. That is how we are instructed to live out a life of faith – day in, day out, sharpening it in our own minds and in the minds of our children, enthusiastically conversing and consulting with each other about it, and literally keeping it right in front of our eyes when we get up in the morning, all through the day, and when we finally close them at night. That’s how we are to love God. How much more there is to it than just fitting church into schedule as time allows.
By now you might think you’ve had enough word study to last you for awhile, and I can hardly blame you. And believe me – I don’t really care if Hebrew words come rolling off your tongue every other day. What I do care about, though, is that we grasp the idea that our faith isn’t part of our life – it IS our life. The same way you might say of someone you love deeply – your spouse, your Mom or Dad, your children – they aren’t just PART of your life – they are your life - part and parcel with it, inseparable from it, at the core of it. THAT is where God’s love for you and your love for God should be every day.
IT’s not about vocabulary and word study. It’s about how we spend each waking moment we draw breath. That’s what Moses wanted to desperately impress upon his people. That an intimate, loving relationship with God is what life is all about. And in the end – nothing else matters as much.
Ian Pitts-Watson talks about that kind of love this way. He says,
“There is a natural, logical kind of loving that loves lovely things and lovely people. That’s logical. But there is another kind of loving that doesn’t look for value in what it loves, but that “creates” value in what it loves. Like Rosemary’s rag doll.
When Rosemary, my youngest child, was three, she was given a little rag doll, which quickly became an inseparable companion. She had other toys that were intrinsically far more valuable, but none she loved like she loved the rag doll.
Soon, the rag doll became more and more rag and less and less doll. It also became more and more dirty. If you tried to clean the rag doll, it became more ragged still. And if you didn’t try to clean the rag doll, it became dirtier still.
The sensible thing to do was trash the rag doll. But that was unthinkable for anyone who loved my child. If you loved Rosemary, you loved the rag doll – it was part of the package.
‘If anyone says, ‘I love God’ yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar (1 John 4:20).
‘Love me, love my rag dolls,’ says God, ‘including the one you see when you look in the mirror. This is the finest and greatest commandment.’ “
God loves us so deeply - even when we can’t sense it, even when we can’t see it, even when we can’t believe it. God just does. And if we want to live life as life is meant to be lived – then we will try and love each other and ourselves with at least a fraction of that kind of devotion.
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
“Love me, love my rag dolls.”
AMEN.
Comments