Monday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
Posted on May 31, 2021 by under
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-15 (NKJV)
6:1 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
Devotion
Here in the writing of Moses we have one of the most potent confessional statements and catechetical tools in all the Scriptures. The wisdom and discipline of our Lord’s Words in these verses still apply to the Church of the New Testament, just as much as they did to His people in the Old Testament. God teaches us that every aspect of our lives should be focused on love and service in His Word, directed by faith throughout all things.
There are so many “other gods” and other teachings that seek control of our lives. Some people drift without any meaningful focus or discipline, while others are quite zealous and studious in unfaithful ways. Our Lord Jesus reaffirmed the wisdom of Deuteronomy 6 in His commission to the chosen Apostles in Matthew 28: “Go therefore and make disciples…, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (verses 19-20).
Right confession of the Divine Truth and faithful worship are to be the characteristics of our whole life, not just Sunday mornings. May the Lord keep us steadfast in that focus, and make us able to teach the same to our families, friends, and everyone else that we can according to the vocations that He gives us.
Prayer: Almighty and Everlasting God, who hast given unto us, Thy servants, grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity, we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst keep us steadfast in this faith and evermore defend us from all adversities. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
