Ashua
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- Jun 24, 2010
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And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5
When asked what was the greatest commandment, and how can one inherit eternal life, Christ quoted Deuteronomy for his answer. At the time, many scribes sought to ensnare him with hard questions to discredit, or otherwise accuse him such as the time he was asked about paying taxes to rome. (saying yes meant he was no better than a publican and saying no gave them ammunition to tell the romans he did not respect ceasar as a rebel) Another time they wanted to test him about the woman who had several dead husbands--whos wife will she be if there is such a resurrection? I do not know if this particular question was asked with that malicious intent or in good honesty.
At face value the reader says
Thats it??? I'm soooooo saved!!"
But when you step back and really LOOK at it, this is probably the most difficult commandment of all.
Its not enough to love God. You have to love him with ALL of your soul ALL of your heart and ALL of your might. I struggle to even grasp the fullness of the saying intellectually. What does it MEAN to love him with the totality of soul heart and might?
The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. You are to love God even more than that!
You have to love God more than your own life and your children and anything else ever created. The scriptures call us to deny ourselves and honor God and Christ. Can we honestly say we love God more than ourselves? Not say but MEAN it? I would like to think so, but when it comes down to it?... Is mankind truly capable of that extreme? "O wretched man that I am." Even Peter, the great apostle denied Christ three times in his most vulnerable time of need. Of course by the time of his death we know he was singing a different song.
HOW can we know that we love God with all of our souls hearts and might?
I cant help but think that by declaring this as the greatest commandment, and also the second greatest commandment, that it was just a very very very clever way say all of commandments wrapped in one.
(If you love God that much you wont blaspheme or take his name in vain or break the Sabbath day or profane a marriage through adultery as Joseph spoke out "How can I do this thing and sin against God?" when Pottifer's wife came in seduction-- not "How can I sin against pottifer" but that he did not want to offend God. To not commit other sexual sin such as homosexuality and the keeping of feast days and the kosher law and the wearing of tzi-tzis and not to commit any other detestable thing.) All of these things are done if you are consumed in the love of God. The Law of God was a "delight" to King David, a 'man after my own heart"
To love your neighbor as yourself as you love yourself you wouldnt want to be murdered therefore you do not murder nor adulterate or steal from another.Not to charge usary or speak ill of another man causing dissent. Not to bear false witness against your brother, or to put a stumbling stone before the blind or curse the deaf. To keep your oaths. To honor your parents and not to provoke to jealousy and injure feelings. To live peacefully in kindness to every man. to be there for the poor and sick and widows and bless one another in gentle encouragement: all of these things we wish on ourselves, therefore do them to another.
In short, everything contained in the Torah is DONE by us automatically IF we keep these two commandments. If we can truly love God and each other this much, then we do the things contained in the Torah by NATURE who's motivation is not after the letter' but of the spirit, in love unabridged.
Now, I am not saying gentiles should keep the Law as ancient Israel strived to (nor do I say they should not), but I cant help but shake the idea that this is the point Christ was making about the whole law fulfilled in truly loving him. as another scripture says" If you love me, you will keep my commandments." and another says "for so is the will of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous."
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.
When asked what was the greatest commandment, and how can one inherit eternal life, Christ quoted Deuteronomy for his answer. At the time, many scribes sought to ensnare him with hard questions to discredit, or otherwise accuse him such as the time he was asked about paying taxes to rome. (saying yes meant he was no better than a publican and saying no gave them ammunition to tell the romans he did not respect ceasar as a rebel) Another time they wanted to test him about the woman who had several dead husbands--whos wife will she be if there is such a resurrection? I do not know if this particular question was asked with that malicious intent or in good honesty.
At face value the reader says
Thats it??? I'm soooooo saved!!"
But when you step back and really LOOK at it, this is probably the most difficult commandment of all.
Its not enough to love God. You have to love him with ALL of your soul ALL of your heart and ALL of your might. I struggle to even grasp the fullness of the saying intellectually. What does it MEAN to love him with the totality of soul heart and might?
The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. You are to love God even more than that!
You have to love God more than your own life and your children and anything else ever created. The scriptures call us to deny ourselves and honor God and Christ. Can we honestly say we love God more than ourselves? Not say but MEAN it? I would like to think so, but when it comes down to it?... Is mankind truly capable of that extreme? "O wretched man that I am." Even Peter, the great apostle denied Christ three times in his most vulnerable time of need. Of course by the time of his death we know he was singing a different song.
HOW can we know that we love God with all of our souls hearts and might?
I cant help but think that by declaring this as the greatest commandment, and also the second greatest commandment, that it was just a very very very clever way say all of commandments wrapped in one.
(If you love God that much you wont blaspheme or take his name in vain or break the Sabbath day or profane a marriage through adultery as Joseph spoke out "How can I do this thing and sin against God?" when Pottifer's wife came in seduction-- not "How can I sin against pottifer" but that he did not want to offend God. To not commit other sexual sin such as homosexuality and the keeping of feast days and the kosher law and the wearing of tzi-tzis and not to commit any other detestable thing.) All of these things are done if you are consumed in the love of God. The Law of God was a "delight" to King David, a 'man after my own heart"
To love your neighbor as yourself as you love yourself you wouldnt want to be murdered therefore you do not murder nor adulterate or steal from another.Not to charge usary or speak ill of another man causing dissent. Not to bear false witness against your brother, or to put a stumbling stone before the blind or curse the deaf. To keep your oaths. To honor your parents and not to provoke to jealousy and injure feelings. To live peacefully in kindness to every man. to be there for the poor and sick and widows and bless one another in gentle encouragement: all of these things we wish on ourselves, therefore do them to another.
In short, everything contained in the Torah is DONE by us automatically IF we keep these two commandments. If we can truly love God and each other this much, then we do the things contained in the Torah by NATURE who's motivation is not after the letter' but of the spirit, in love unabridged.
Now, I am not saying gentiles should keep the Law as ancient Israel strived to (nor do I say they should not), but I cant help but shake the idea that this is the point Christ was making about the whole law fulfilled in truly loving him. as another scripture says" If you love me, you will keep my commandments." and another says "for so is the will of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous."
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.