Deuteronomy 6 Summary

Deuteronomy was written during a monumental time in the Israelites lineage.

The Israelites had wandered for forty years in the desert, and the generation of people that had seen God’s provision firsthand and heard His laws had passed away. That left a new generation who had no memory of what happened in Egypt and only knew what they had heard from their parents or grandparents.

The original purpose and writing of Deuteronomy 6 was aimed at the audience of that time, to remind them of the law and to teach them how to apply it to their lives before they entered the Promised Land. The intent was to reiterate and confirm the covenant between God and Israel, by giving the new generation an opportunity to renew the covenant and to agree to live in obedience to God’s laws before entering the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy contains the words of Moses, the Israelite leader, on his deathbed. Consequently, Moses knew that due to his disobedience he would not enter the promised land with the people, so he used this as his last chance to remind the new generation of the intense journey God had led them on and of God’s astounding provision. In an effort to keep the people from experiencing the same things as their parents, Moses reminded the people of the importance of being obedient to God.

As any good teacher would, Moses was not just repeating the law, but rather taking the old/original law and applying it to the newness of the land they were about to go into. This would prepare the people to possess the promised land that was right in front of them.

The overall message of Deuteronomy is simply this, “because of what God has done, Israel should follow, listen, obey, and love Him completely.”

As a Christian, Deuteronomy 6 should be (more or less) a list of things we should doing our day to day lives.

The Word of God should be so imprinted on our hearts and so well memorized in our minds that we naturally talk about them throughout the day with our children, parents, friends, as well as with strangers we come across. However, in order for us to correctly and thoroughly teach God’s Word to others, we must first memorize it and fully believe it in our own hearts. When we deepen our love for the Lord and grow our knowledge of His Word, talking about the Bible with others and about the things the Lord has done will become easier and a normal habit.

“These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on 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 6:4-9