Deuteronomy 6:5 (NASB)
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Bible Commentary
Deuteronomy 6:5 is a Bible verse from the Old Testament, which is a very crucial instruction, to love the Lord with all their hearts, which is the greatest commandment in all the Bible. We see how important this commandment is from the words of Jesus in Mark 12:29-30,
Of course, we want to obey this command, and we might tell ourselves we do love the Lord our God with all our hearts as Deuteronomy 6:5 says. After all, we go to church and read the Bible. We can check this command off the list.
But do we really love God above everything else in our lives?
To reach the depth of the riches in God’s heart, we must examine the truth in our own hearts. We mustn’t be afraid to look at the truth. It can be life-changing.
Our Greatest Love
So let’s ask ourselves, what is our greatest desire and greatest love? What are we pursuing? What is our passion? It takes some quiet time and effort to explore the truth of our own ambitions.
It is critically important to get down to the truth, so we’re not fooling ourselves. Just because we want to obey doesn’t mean we are obeying.
We can’t correct a problem unless we recognize there is one. The rewards of keeping Deuteronomy 6:5 are far beyond what we could ever dream–rich and satisfying to say the least, but by disregarding it, there is much sorrow and heartache.
The first of the ten commandments states this command a different way, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
To obey means we must love the Lord over everything else in our lives. This is a very tall order, and it doesn’t just happen because we want it to. We can’t just snap our fingers and control our heart’s desires and feelings.
So then how in the world can we obey, you might ask?
Love the Lord
With our will, we have the opportunity to make very important decisions regardless of our feelings. Discipline comes before desire. It is difficult to love someone until we really know them. How well do you know God?
Let’s take a look at the word “love” in Deuteronomy 6:5. In Hebrew, it means: to have affection for (sexually or otherwise): – love, like, friend.
Does it seem strange that we are instructed to “have affection for” God? It is strange if we don’t know Him personally, or if we have a negative view of Him.
Who do you most have affection for in your life? If it is your spouse, when did you first begin to have affection for them, to love them? Were they just a friend at first?
Most likely, you spent time together, communicating, getting to know each other. The more you got to know him or her, the more your feelings grew for them, and as you began to see their affection and love grow for you, your heart was endeared to them even more.
It is no different with God. He desires to spend time alone with us, so we can hear Him and see Him in His Word, the Bible. He wants us to tell Him everything.
We are completely safe to share the deepest desires of our heart with Him. He created us and He knows exactly what is going on in our life and why, but when we trust Him enough to share it with Him, there is a peace, healing and freedom released into our heart (John 8:32).
Isn’t that how intimacy is established—when we trust someone with our deepest and most personal secrets? And they share theirs with us? A bond of trust is formed this way.
Our Secrets are Safe with God
But unlike a person, God is completely faithful and trustworthy with everything we tell Him and everything we give Him.
And as we continue to devote time alone with Him each day, we come to know Him more and more personally. Our hearts grow more and more attracted to Him and His unconditional love for us. We are drawn to the faithfulness and beauty of His heart. We can love Him because He first loved us.
As we grow closer to Him, His love bursts through in amazing ways. He delights to minister to us through normal, everyday occurrences. When we least expect it, He makes Himself known.
He loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. The least we can do is devote time alone with Him each day, to love on the Lord and receive His love in return. That’s what holy matrimony is and that’s what He desires of us.
Study the Bible verse of Deuteronomy 6:5, receive the love of God and love Him back with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.
