So if you carefully obey the commandments I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, So if you carefully obeyThe phrase "carefully obey" in Hebrew is "shamar," which means to guard, keep, or observe. This implies a diligent and intentional effort to follow God's commandments. In the ancient Near Eastern context, obedience was not merely about following rules but about maintaining a covenant relationship. The Israelites were called to be vigilant in their adherence to God's laws, reflecting a heart posture of reverence and commitment. This careful obedience is a demonstration of faith and trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty. the commandments I am giving you today
The "commandments" refer to the laws and decrees that God provided through Moses. In Hebrew, "mitzvot" encompasses not just rules but divine instructions meant to guide the Israelites in living a life that is pleasing to God. The phrase "I am giving you today" emphasizes the immediacy and relevance of God's word. It suggests that God's instructions are not just historical artifacts but living words meant to be applied in the present moment. This highlights the timeless nature of God's commandments, which are as applicable today as they were in the time of Moses. to love the LORD your God
The Hebrew word for "love" is "ahav," which signifies a deep, covenantal love that goes beyond mere emotion. It involves loyalty, commitment, and action. Loving the LORD, "Yahweh," is central to the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), which is foundational to Jewish and Christian faith. This love is not passive but active, requiring the believer to prioritize God above all else. Historically, this command was radical, as it called the Israelites to exclusive devotion to Yahweh in a polytheistic world. It underscores the relational aspect of faith, where love for God is expressed through obedience and service. and to serve Him
The word "serve" in Hebrew is "avad," which can mean to work, worship, or serve. This service is comprehensive, involving every aspect of life. It is an act of worship that goes beyond ritual to encompass daily living. In the ancient context, serving God was a counter-cultural act, as it required the Israelites to reject the idolatry and practices of surrounding nations. This service is a response to God's grace and a reflection of His character. It is a call to live a life that honors God in every action and decision. with all your heart and with all your soul
The phrase "with all your heart and with all your soul" emphasizes total devotion. The Hebrew word for "heart," "lev," refers to the inner being, including mind, will, and emotions. "Soul," or "nephesh," encompasses the entire life and being of a person. Together, these terms call for complete and undivided allegiance to God. This holistic devotion is a recurring theme in Deuteronomy, urging believers to integrate their faith into every part of their lives. It challenges modern believers to examine their priorities and ensure that their love for God permeates every aspect of their existence. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's commandments to the Israelites. 2. IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, receiving the law as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. 3. Promised LandThe land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 4. Mount SinaiThe place where Moses received the Ten Commandments, foundational to the laws given in Deuteronomy. 5. CovenantThe agreement between God and Israel, where obedience to God's commandments is central. Teaching Points Obedience as an Act of LoveObedience to God's commandments is not merely a duty but an expression of love for Him. Our actions should reflect our devotion. Wholehearted ServiceServing God requires our entire being—heart and soul. This means prioritizing God's will in every aspect of our lives. Covenant RelationshipUnderstanding our relationship with God as a covenant helps us see the importance of faithfulness and commitment. Daily CommitmentThe call to obey and love God is a daily commitment, requiring intentionality and perseverance. Blessings of ObedienceWhile not explicitly stated in this verse, the broader context of Deuteronomy 11 highlights the blessings that follow obedience, encouraging us to trust in God's promises. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the command to love and serve God with all your heart and soul challenge your current priorities? 2. In what ways can you demonstrate your love for God through obedience in your daily life? 3. How does understanding the covenant relationship between God and Israel help you appreciate your relationship with God today? 4. What are some practical steps you can take to ensure that your service to God is wholehearted? 5. How do the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament reinforce the principles found in Deuteronomy 11:13? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 6:5This verse emphasizes the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and strength, forming a foundational principle repeated in Deuteronomy 11:13. Matthew 22:37-40Jesus cites the greatest commandment, which echoes the call to love God fully, as seen in Deuteronomy 11:13. John 14:15Jesus links love for Him with obedience to His commandments, reflecting the same principle found in Deuteronomy 11:13. Joshua 22:5Joshua reiterates the importance of loving and serving God wholeheartedly, similar to the exhortation in Deuteronomy 11:13. 1 John 5:3This verse connects love for God with keeping His commandments, aligning with the message of Deuteronomy 11:13. People Abiram, Canaanites, Dathan, Eliab, Moses, Pharaoh, ReubenPlaces Arabah, Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, Euphrates River, Gilgal, Jordan River, Lebanon, Moreh, Mount Ebal, Mount Gerizim, Red SeaTopics Command, Commanding, Commandments, Commands, Diligently, Ear, Faithfully, Giving, Hearken, Heart, Listen, Love, Loving, Obediently, Obey, Orders, Pass, Serve, Soul, To-day, Truly, WorshippingDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 11:13 5015 heart, and Holy Spirit
8208 commitment, to God
8251 faithfulness, to God Deuteronomy 11:8-17 7258 promised land, early history Deuteronomy 11:10-15 4854 weather, God's sovereignty
8472 respect, for environment Deuteronomy 11:11-15 4978 year Deuteronomy 11:13-14 4544 wine
4816 drought, physical
4970 seasons, of year Deuteronomy 11:13-15 4208 land, divine responsibility
4456 grain
8630 worship, results Deuteronomy 11:13-21 7410 phylactery Library Canaan on Earth
Many of you, my dear hearers, are really come out of Egypt; but you are still wandering about in the wilderness. "We that have believed do enter into rest;" but you, though you have eaten of Jesus, have not so believed on him as to have entered into the Canaan of rest. You are the Lord's people, but you have not come into the Canaan of assured faith, confidence, and hope, where we wrestle no longer with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus--when …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856The God of the Rain
(Fifth Sunday after Easter.) DEUT. xi. 11, 12. The land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven. A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year. I told you, when I spoke of the earthquakes of the Holy Land, that it seems as if God had meant specially to train that strange people the Jews, by putting them into a country where they …
Charles Kingsley—The Gospel of the Pentateuch Gilgal, in Deuteronomy 11:30 what the Place Was.
That which is said by Moses, that "Gerizim and Ebal were over-against Gilgal," Deuteronomy 11:30, is so obscure, that it is rendered into contrary significations by interpreters. Some take it in that sense, as if it were near to Gilgal: some far off from Gilgal: the Targumists read, "before Gilgal": while, as I think, they do not touch the difficulty; which lies not so much in the signification of the word Mul, as in the ambiguity of the word Gilgal. These do all seem to understand that Gilgal which …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. Elementary Schools, Schoolmasters, and School Arrangements.
If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most oppose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible has proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilisation. Every other bound has been successively passed and submerged by the rising tide; how deep only the student …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life In the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Cæsar and under the Pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas - a Voice in the Wilderness
THERE is something grand, even awful, in the almost absolute silence which lies upon the thirty years between the Birth and the first Messianic Manifestation of Jesus. In a narrative like that of the Gospels, this must have been designed; and, if so, affords presumptive evidence of the authenticity of what follows, and is intended to teach, that what had preceded concerned only the inner History of Jesus, and the preparation of the Christ. At last that solemn silence was broken by an appearance, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Worship of the Synagogue
One of the most difficult questions in Jewish history is that connected with the existence of a synagogue within the Temple. That such a "synagogue" existed, and that its meeting-place was in "the hall of hewn stones," at the south-eastern angle of the court of the priest, cannot be called in question, in face of the clear testimony of contemporary witnesses. Considering that "the hall of hew stones" was also the meeting-place for the great Sanhedrim, and that not only legal decisions, but lectures …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Among the People, and with the Pharisees
It would have been difficult to proceed far either in Galilee or in Judaea without coming into contact with an altogether peculiar and striking individuality, differing from all around, and which would at once arrest attention. This was the Pharisee. Courted or feared, shunned or flattered, reverently looked up to or laughed at, he was equally a power everywhere, both ecclesiastically and politically, as belonging to the most influential, the most zealous, and the most closely-connected religions …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Deuteronomy 11:13 NIVDeuteronomy 11:13 NLTDeuteronomy 11:13 ESVDeuteronomy 11:13 NASBDeuteronomy 11:13 KJV
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