The Knowledge of Love

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” - Deuteronomy 6:6-9

An integral part of loving God is knowing His Word. By “knowing” I don’t mean just an intellectual knowledge, but also a respect for Scripture and obedience to Scripture. A biblical love for God will result in obedience to His Word. This is why Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, obey My commands.” Love for God and obedience to God are inseparable.

The Jews of Moses’ time took God’s Word literally. In Deuteronomy 6:8-9 when He told them to, “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads,” they did. Devout Jews to this day still wear Phylacteryies, which are small black leather pouches containing the words of the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament). They tie Phylacteries to their wrists and foreheads and base this tradition on God’s words through Moses in Deuteronomy 6.

While Christians today do not take these verses quite so literally, there is still much to be gleaned from this passage. God may not have meant that we must literally wear Scripture on our bodies and write it on our doors. But, He did mean that Scripture should permeate our lives on every level. God’s Word should be laid up in our hearts. We should meditate, ponder, and memorize it (Psalm 1). It was Jesus who said, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34). We should also teach Scripture as a way of life. The discussions around our dinner tables, lunch breaks, phone calls, and routine duties with our children and family should be seasoned with God’s truth. Our speech should communicate a reverence and love for the plain truths about God.

To sum up, God’s Word should be regularly read in our homes so that it becomes familiar to us. We should be ready to share its truth on all occasions…not because we have taken a class at church, but because God’s Word is an integral part of life seven days a week – not just on Sunday.

Dear God, thank You for Your Word. I am humbled to think that millions of people have no access to a Bible in their languages. Please forgive me for taking Your Word for granted. Please deepen my desire to know You through Your Word. Help me to consistently read Your Word and obey what it says. In Jesus’ name, amen.