DEUTERONOMY 6

I.   Verse 1,2 - The introduction to the way of peace and prosperity.

A.     Moses got his instructions from the Lord.

1.       All true leaders will lead their people from the Word of God.

2.       All true leaders will lead their people to study the Word of God for themselves.

B.     It is for the good of Israel if they will follow God's commands.

1.       Some think it is good to hear, but if all we do is hear, we will never obey and receive the blessings that come because of obeying.

2.       There is great contentment in obeying God's Word, especially when we see our children and grandchildren following in the right way.

3.       Satan promises much joy and pleasure in following his ways, but the end of those things is disease, a broken heart and sorrow.  Many parents and grandparents are filled with sorrow and shame when they see their children and grandchildren with no real understanding of eternal things, living on this earth for the pleasures of the moment and reaping the fruit of their wickedness.

II.   Verse 3-15 - How to receive the blessings of God.

A.     First, there must be hearing, then there must be an observing to do it.

1.       Hearing without observing to obey will yield nothing.

2.       It is impossible to observe to obey without first hearing.

B.     Verse 4-6 - The only command.

1.       There must be a knowledge that God is the only God.

2.       There must be a true love for God, not just an outward show.

a.      Loving God with all the heart is talking about loving God with the spiritual being of man.

b.      Loving God with all the soul is talking about loving God with all of his feelings.

c.      Loving God with all the might is talking about loving God with all the fleshly energies.

3.       Children must be taught to love the Lord God.

a.      The children will be taught as the parents and grandparents talk of God and His ways during their daily lives, as they go about their daily activities.

b.      One way Satan fools us into teaching our children the wrong thing is by separating religious teaching from the home.  We think that we teach our children about God only in church.  But children learn more about God by observing their parents and grandparents than they do in observing people in church where things sometimes get hypocritical.

C.     Verse 8,9 - The proper observance of this love.

1.       The Pharisees in Christs day would observe these things in a physical way.

a.      They would stand on the street corners, raising their hands in public prayer to God.  Jesus said they have their reward.  (They have been seen by men.)

b.      They would write scriptures on pieces of material and attach them to their heads, hands, and clothing.

c.      They would write scriptures on the door post and gate post of their houses.

2.       The proper way to observe the love of God.

a.      There is nothing wrong with public praying, but we must remember that it is more important that God hears our praying, and not that men hear it.  We ought to be more concerned with what God thinks of our praying than what men say about it.

b.      The scriptures should be in our heart to guide us into a true daily worshipping of God.  This type of worship will lead us into believing and knowing that God can and will help us in the daily troubles of this life.

c.      We should live in such a way that when people come into our homes, they will be exposed to our worship.  We should not be stuffy or formal in this worship and recognition that God is our leader, but in a very practical way, we should let it be known that God's will is the hope of our lives.

D.     Verse 10-12 - A warning about prosperity.

1.       It is easy to forget God when we are enjoying all the good things of this life.

2.       Sometimes God keeps us in "hot water" because we would forget Him if He didn't.

E.      Verse 13-15 - Don't study other religions.

1.       Sometimes people think they will be better able to win their friends who worship idols if they learn about their false religion.  But this isn't so.  We will end up merging the false religion with the true religion if we study the false religion.  It is much better if we teach the truth to those unbelievers, and let them be the one to study our religion.

2.       If we begin to merge false and true religion, we will have a very dangerous mixture which will stop God from blessing us.  When God stops blessings us, we won't know why, because our minds have been filled with a mixed faith instead of the true faith revealed in the Bible.

III.   Verse 16-19 - A recapitulation of the blessings of God.

A.     Moses reminds the people of the sin at Massah.  (Ex.  17:1-7)

1.       It was here that Israel doubted that God was able to give them water to drink.

2.       God gave them water, but not because they believed.

B.     If Israel will keep the commandments of God:

1.       God will give them the land of Canaan.

2.       He will make them to be prosperous in that land.

3.       He will continually cast out their enemies from that land and will keep other enemies from coming in to take the land away from them.

IV.   Verse 20-25 - How to answer your children's questions.

A.     Children raised properly will have the proper questions.

1.       When children observe their parents and grandparents living a certain way, they will want to know why they live that way.

2.       This is a perfect opportunity for parents to express their beliefs to their children.

B.     V.  21-25 - The parents have the opportunity to pass to the next generation that they ought to live according to the commands of God if they expect to receive the blessings of God like their parents have.

1.       One thing that is very wrong with this generation is that the children are teaching the parents, the parents are not teaching their children.

2.       The parents do not know how to live because they have not been taught the Bible by their parents.

3.       3.      Therefore, they are living their lives according to the way movies, T.  V., and their peers think is right.  The Bible has been forsaken, God's blessings no longer come, and people do not understand what has happened.      They refuse to listen to preachers because they are "old fashioned".

4.       Israel is to teach their children that God was very gracious in delivering them from Egypt and giving them the promised land to live in.

5.       Verse 25 - They are to teach their children that God will continue blessing them if they follow the commandments of the Lord.