Praying the Shema: Hearing and Obeying God’s Word

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5

Do you know what is God’s greatest commandment? Most Bible readers recall Jesus saying,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt 22:36)

But did you know that God first gave this command to Moses in Deuteronomy 6?

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Dt 6:5)

You may be familiar with these very well-known Bible quotes. But unless you are Jewish, you probably do not know what else God said to Moses in Deuteronomy 6.

It is a special call to prayer called the Shema.

What is Shema?

The Shema (pronounced “shmah”) is considered the most essential declaration of faith in all of Judaism. Reciting it daily with your eyes covered is even considered by devout Jews to be a biblical commandment.

The Shema is central to daily morning and evening prayers. Worshipers also speak it at the conclusion of Yom Kippur (Jewish New Year), during Shabbat (Sabbath) services, and when one is near death. Many parents also recite the Shema during bedtime prayers with their children. It is a very simple phrase.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut 6:4)

In Hebrew, it is “She-ma yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai echad.”

Reading from right to left in Hebrew, this first line looks like this:

 שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד

The Jewish faithful then repeat something that is not in the Torah or in the Christian Bible.

“Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.”

In Hebrew, it is “She-ma yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai echad.” Written, it is,

בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

The rest of Shema continues in Deuteronomy 6:5-9.

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

In Judaism, these six verses are repeated twice daily in fulfillment of rabbinical command. In Hebrew, they look like this:

וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽך

וְהָי֞וּ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם עַל־לְבָבֶֽךָ

וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם לְבָנֶ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖ בָּ֑ם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֙ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וּֽבְשָׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ

וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם לְא֖וֹת עַל־יָדֶ֑ךָ וְהָי֥וּ לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֶֽיךָ

וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזוּזֹ֥ת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ

Following this first part, there are two more “blessings” to recite (three parts total)- “Revelation” and “God Alone is the Eternal Redeemer.” Though a bit lengthy, all three parts create a beautiful prayer.

However, to get to the true heart of Shema, we will focus solely on Blessing One, found in Deuteronomy 6:4.

Blessing One: Hearing

“Hear, O Israel.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Blessing One begins with God using the Hebrew word for “hear.” Some translations use “listen.” But “hear” has a deeper meaning than what we have in the English language.

Most of us likely think God is using “hear” as the dictionary defines it: “to perceive by the ear.” However, in Hebrew, Shema means to listen intently, pay attention, understand, comprehend, obey, and respond with action.

In the New Testament, Jesus often uses the same word. Mark 4:9 provides one example.

 “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

A more practical translation is, “If you have ears that work and have heard Me, respond by obeying.” In this way, we are to be doers of the Word and not just listeners (James 1:22).

Unique and Triune

Following the command to hear (Shema), God reminds us of who He is.

“The LORD our God, the LORD is one!”

The Hebrew word for “one” is echad. It can also mean single, unique, or unified. The Hebrew translation is “alone:” “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” Why is this a big deal?

Replacing “one” with “alone” changes the entire meaning of the verse. Now, instead of simply proclaiming there is only one, singular God, He is telling us He alone is God and there is no other. His is unique. He alone is the one we should worship and serve.

Further, per the definition, God is unified. “The LORD is one” implies His triune nature. Recall the sixth day of creation, when God created man.

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” (Gen 1:26)

Later, after Adam and Eve ate the fruit, and God threw them out of the garden, He said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Gen 3:22).”

Jesus Himself also acknowledged His union with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

“I and My Father are one.” (Jn 10:30)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all the things that I said to you.” (Jn 14:26)

“The LORD is one” is a powerful statement. It outright declares His deity and identifies His character.

The God we serve is the one true God, whose deity stands alone. And He exists in the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each uniquely exhibiting His multi-faceted nature.

Shema is Love

Next, God tells the Israelites to “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” In Hebrew culture, love is not simply an emotion. It denotes an action or a response. In this case, love means faithfulness and commitment.

Remember, Shema means “listening and obeying.” When we put Shema with love, it indicates someone who listens and faithfully responds out of obedience and loyalty to the Lord.

When we seek Him, we long for God’s commands. We want to listen and respond. Not because we cannot think for ourselves, as some might argue, but because we know His ways are smarter, better, and have a more long-term perspective than ours. He not only calls us to believe in His oneness but also to respond by putting Him in the center of our lives because of our love and loyalty to Him.

In Lois Tverberg’s book, Walking in the Dust with Rabbi Jesus, she sums it up like this: “If the Lord alone is our God, and we worship no other gods, then we can love Him with all of our heart and soul and strength. The two sentences together become one commandment.”

How to Love God

In Deuteronomy 6:6, God then commands us to,

• Teach His words diligently to our children
• Talk about them when we sit down, go for a walk, lie down, and rise up
• Bind them as a sign on our hand
• Put them as frontlets between our eyes
• Write them on the doorposts and gates of our homes

Why does God tell us to do so much? Can’t we declare our loyalty without all the work? The answer is no.

Although God is speaking figuratively here (He does not necessarily expect us to do these things), He is emphasizing the importance of obedience and dedication. He is looking to see if we are outwardly putting Him first in our lives through our actions and not by words only. He is God, the creator of the universe, and He must be at the center of everything we say and do, all day, every day.

If we do not put God first, it becomes challenging to listen to and respond to Him, or to demonstrate our dedication. It may also mean that we have put something or someone else ahead of Him (idolatry). Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:32-33,

“Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

In Matthew 7, Jesus addresses those who do not put Him first.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-13)

It is essential for believers to keep God first in their lives and give Him the respect and honor He deserves if they want to enter His eternal kingdom.

Christians and the Shema

Should today’s Christian pray the Shema?

Some people might suggest or argue that it is not necessary, that it is purely a Jewish thing to do. But consider this:

Because of Christianity’s Jewish roots (Jesus was Jewish), there are many things the Jewish people do that Christians might also incorporate into their worship. Examples are observing the Spring and Fall feasts and keeping the Sabbath. The Shema is another.

Praying the Shema is more than just declaring the Lord’s greatness and sovereignty. It is about creating a daily habit of reminding ourselves of the Lord’s love, faithfulness, power, and mercy.

Many of us already pray every day. But how many of us use our prayer time to reaffirm our allegiance to God and nothing more? John 14:21 says,

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Why do we love the Lord? Because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)! This is why the Shema is so important. When we pray it, we acknowledge that God first loved us. From that place of love, we listen to His commands and serve Him faithfully, knowing His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Following God should always come from a heart full of gratefulness and humility for all He has done to save us from sin and death. Therefore, the Shema is simply an expression of our love for God.

Praying the Shema

If you are interested in incorporating the Shema into your daily prayer life, start with just a couple of sentences at a time. If memorizing proves to be difficult, keep your Bible handy. Though Jewish Temple priests expected everyone to memorize the Shema, God does not explicitly require it. He is more concerned with your attitude, your heart, and whether you will respond with action.

Why not open your Bible to Deuteronomy 6:4 and read it out loud to the Lord today? What a beautiful way to tell Him how much you love Him and that He truly is first in your life.

“The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Further Study

The Bible Project put together a very short, easy-to-understand animated video explaining the Shema. Take a look at it here.

I also LOVE Lois Tverberg’s book, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. She is a highly respected and world-renowned author and teacher of ancient Jewish culture. All her books provide amazing insight into what the Hebrew world was like when Jesus walked here. You can easily find it on Amazon and Christianbook.com.