Opening Summary
Deuteronomy 6 is one of the foundational chapters of the Old Testament. Moses is preparing Israel to enter the Promised Land, and he teaches them that covenant faithfulness involves much more than outward obedience. God desires a people who love Him with the whole heart, keep His Word before them continually, teach His commandments to their children, remember what He has done, and refuse to follow other gods.
At the center of the chapter stands the great confession of Israel:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
— Deuteronomy 6:4 KJV
Immediately following this confession comes the command:
“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 KJV
Everything else in the chapter flows from this truth.
God was not merely establishing regulations for Israel.
He was establishing a covenant people whose hearts belonged to Him.
Deuteronomy 6:1–3
Hear, Obey, and Teach
Moses begins:
“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you...”
— Deuteronomy 6:1 KJV
Notice the progression:
God commanded Moses.
Moses taught Israel.
Israel was expected to obey.
Israel would then teach the next generation.
Biblical truth was never intended to stop with one generation.
God's people were responsible for transmitting His Word to those who came after them.
Verse 2 specifically mentions:
“thou, and thy son, and thy son's son.”
That is three generations.
Faithfulness was meant to become a generational inheritance.
Not merely houses.
Not merely land.
Not merely possessions.
But the knowledge of God and His Word.
Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel”
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
This declaration is traditionally known as the Shema, from the Hebrew word shema, meaning hear.
But biblical hearing involves more than receiving sound with the ears.
The command carries the sense of hearing attentively with the expectation of responding.
God was not saying merely:
Listen to information about Me.
He was calling Israel to hear Him in a manner that produced covenant obedience.
“The LORD Our God Is One LORD”
Israel lived in a world filled with nations worshipping many gods.
But Israel's confession was radically different:
The LORD is one.
Israel belonged exclusively to Him.
This explains why idolatry becomes such a serious issue throughout Deuteronomy.
If the LORD alone is Israel's God, Israel cannot divide its allegiance among other gods.
Deuteronomy 6:5
Love God With Your Whole Being
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
God wanted more than external conformity.
He wanted love.
With all thy heart
The heart represents the inner person—thoughts, desires, intentions, and affections.
With all thy soul
Israel was to love God with the entirety of life.
With all thy might
Their devotion was to involve their strength, resources, and capacity.
The repeated word “all” is important.
God was not asking for partial devotion.
He was demanding undivided covenant loyalty.
Jesus later identified this command as the first and great commandment (Matthew 22:37–38).
Deuteronomy 6:6
The Word Must First Be in Your Heart
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.”
Before parents could effectively teach God's Word to their children, God's Word needed to dwell within their own hearts.
This establishes an important principle:
We cannot faithfully transmit what we ourselves do not treasure.
Teaching Scripture is not merely transferring information.
The teacher must first become a student.
The Word must enter us before it flows through us.
Deuteronomy 6:7
Teach Your Children Diligently
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children...”
This is one of Scripture's strongest passages concerning spiritual instruction within the home.
God did not place the entire responsibility for children's spiritual education upon religious leaders.
Parents were commanded to teach.
And notice when:
“when thou sittest in thine house”
“when thou walkest by the way”
“when thou liest down”
“when thou risest up.”
God's Word was to become part of ordinary daily life.
At home.
While traveling.
In the evening.
In the morning.
The home was to become a place of discipleship.
Children were to hear about God not only during formal worship but throughout everyday life.
Deuteronomy 6:8–9
Keep God's Word Before You
Israel was commanded to bind God's words upon their hands, place them as frontlets between their eyes, and write them upon the posts of their houses and gates.
The imagery communicates continual remembrance.
God's Word should influence:
What we do.
What we think.
How we live in our homes.
How we conduct our lives publicly.
God's truth was not intended to occupy one small compartment of Israel's existence.
It was to permeate everything.
Deuteronomy 6:10–12
Beware When God Blesses You
Moses then gives Israel an unexpected warning.
Israel would enter cities they had not built.
They would inhabit houses filled with good things they had not supplied.
They would drink from wells they had not dug.
They would enjoy vineyards and olive trees they had not planted.
Then Moses warns:
“Then beware lest thou forget the LORD.”
This teaches us something profound.
Sometimes adversity causes people to seek God.
But prosperity can cause people to forget Him.
When prayers are answered, circumstances improve, and blessings increase, we must remember the One who provided them.
The blessing must never become more important than the Blesser.
Deuteronomy 6:13
Fear, Serve, and Worship God Alone
“Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.”
This verse demands exclusive allegiance.
Jesus quoted from this portion of Deuteronomy when Satan tempted Him.
Jesus answered:
“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
— Matthew 4:10 KJV
Jesus demonstrated exactly what Deuteronomy required:
Undivided allegiance to God.
Deuteronomy 6:14–15
Do Not Follow Other Gods
“Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you.”
This prepares us for Deuteronomy 13.
Israel would constantly encounter other religious systems.
God knew the danger.
Therefore, He repeatedly warned:
Do not follow them.
Deuteronomy 6 establishes the principle.
Deuteronomy 13 later explains what Israel should do when a prophet, friend, spouse, child, or other person attempted to entice them toward other gods.
The foundation is already established here:
The LORD alone is God, and Israel's allegiance belongs to Him.
Deuteronomy 6:16
“Ye Shall Not Tempt the LORD”
“Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.”
Israel had tested God in the wilderness by questioning His presence and faithfulness.
Jesus quoted this verse when Satan tempted Him:
“Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
— Matthew 4:7 KJV
Again, Jesus responded to temptation with Deuteronomy.
This shows the importance of storing God's Word within the heart.
When temptation came, Jesus answered with Scripture.
Deuteronomy 6:17–19
Diligently Keep God's Commandments
Moses returns to obedience:
“Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God...”
Love for God and obedience to God are not presented as enemies.
They belong together.
Israel's covenant love was expected to produce covenant faithfulness.
God wanted His people to:
love Him,
remember Him,
serve Him,
obey Him,
and remain faithful to Him.
Deuteronomy 6:20
“What Mean These Testimonies?”
Moses anticipates a future child asking his father:
“What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?”
This is significant.
Children were expected to ask questions.
And parents were expected to have answers.
But notice how the parent was instructed to answer.
The response did not begin merely with rules.
It began with redemption.
Deuteronomy 6:21–23
Tell Your Children What God Has Done
The parent was to say:
“We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”
Before explaining the commandments, the father told the story of deliverance.
“We were slaves.”
“God delivered us.”
“God showed signs and wonders.”
“God brought us out.”
“God brought us in.”
This is powerful.
Israel's children were not merely to learn:
“Here are our religious rules.”
They were to understand:
“This is the God who redeemed us.”
Obedience was rooted in relationship with the God who had delivered them.
“He Brought Us Out, That He Might Bring Us In”
Deuteronomy 6:23 contains a beautiful statement:
“And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in...”
God did not merely bring Israel out of Egypt.
He intended to bring them into the promise.
Deliverance had a destination.
God brought them:
out of bondage
to bring them
into covenant inheritance.
This principle echoes throughout Scripture.
God's redemptive work does not merely deliver us from something.
He calls us unto Himself.
Deuteronomy 6:24–25
The Commandments Were for Their Good
Moses explains:
“And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always...”
God's commandments were not given to destroy Israel.
They were given “for our good always.”
The God who redeemed them also instructed them how to live as His covenant people.
This helps us understand biblical obedience.
God's commandments reveal His holiness and establish the covenant responsibilities of His people.
The Great Message of Deuteronomy 6
The chapter can be summarized through several interconnected commands:
Hear God.
Love God.
Keep His Word in your heart.
Teach His Word to your children.
Remember what He has done.
Do not forget Him when you prosper.
Do not follow other gods.
Serve Him alone.
Tell the next generation about His deliverance.
Deuteronomy 6 therefore provides the foundation for much of what follows.
Before God warns Israel about false prophets in Deuteronomy 13, He has already told them whom they must love.
Before He teaches them to test prophetic claims in Deuteronomy 18, He has already given them His Word.
This is crucial for discernment.
The best defense against deception is not merely learning everything about what is false.
It is knowing God and knowing what He has already spoken.
Personal Application
Deuteronomy 6 asks us several searching questions.
Is God's Word merely in my Bible, or is it in my heart?
Do I speak about God only in religious settings, or is His Word part of my everyday life?
Am I intentionally teaching the next generation?
Have God's blessings caused me to remember Him—or slowly become less dependent upon Him?
Is there anything competing with God for first place in my heart?
Can I explain to the next generation not only what I believe, but why I believe it and what God has done?
The chapter begins with hearing and moves toward teaching.
That order matters.
Hear first.
Receive the Word into your own heart.
Live it.
Then teach it diligently to those coming behind you.
The responsibility of one generation is not simply to enjoy what God has given.
It is to ensure that the next generation knows who God is, what God has said, and what God has done.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
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