The Shema

The Shema

Every nation in the Ancient Near East acknowledged many gods—every
nation but one. In the face of the whole world, Israel declared that
theirs was the only true and living God. While others placated the
gods to avoid ruinous consequences, Israel refused, understanding that
their God was both the Creator of the cosmos and the One who called
them into existence. It was this stubborn faith that sustained the
Jewish people for millennia. Indeed, after all the greatest empires
were mere shipwrecks on the sea of history, their gods the flotsam and
jetsam of their ruin, Israel's faith stood firm. By the time of
Christ, the Jewish faith was known and respected throughout the
then-known world.
It is no wonder that when Jesus was asked to declare the greatest
commandment in the Law, He did not hesitate: "Hear O Israel, the LORD
our God is one LORD.…" (Mark 12:29). Jesus, of course, was not merely
referring to a single verse, but was by extension affirming a whole
set of Scriptures beginning in Deut. 6:4, known famously as the Shema.
While the English text begins, "Hear O Israel …," in Hebrew the
passage starts with the word shema (pronounced shmă), the word
translated "hear." Because Hebrew convention often names a larger set
of Scriptures by the first word in the passage, the verses that follow
are by extension also part of the Shema.
In truth, the English word "hear" doesn't quite contain all that the
word shema implies. Shema is a command to listen, to pay attention,
and to obey. The passage not only declares Israel's God to be uniquely
one; as a corollary, Israel is to love Him with all their heart, soul,
and strength (Deut. 6:5). Believing and responding cannot be
separated, for a real God deserves real commitment. Israelites were to
repeat this truth to their children when rising in the morning and
going to bed at night, while sitting in the house, and when going
about the business of life (Deut. 6:7). They were to write this down
and display it as a visible reminder of their commitment (Deut.
6:8–9).
The Shema is a declaration of God's name. The word LORD (in capital
letters) is actually the English representation of the Hebrew name of
God—one used thousands of times in the Old Testament. Though sometimes
pronounced "Jehovah," it should more properly be pronounced "Yahweh."
The Tanak (the Jewish translation from the Hebrew) accurately captures
the power of the declaration of Deut. 6:4: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD
is our God, the LORD alone." New Jerusalem Bible reads, "Listen,
Israel: Yahweh our God is the one, the only Yahweh."
Names are vitally important. Throughout all human history, the very
honor of the one named is contained in that name. God's name, Yahweh,
represents all His power and authority. It is this name that delivered
the people from Pharaoh and David from Goliath, the name that is the
very basis for Israel's existence. For the Jewish people, one thing
must be remembered above all else: Yahweh is God—Yahweh alone.
In recent years, attempts have been made to read new meaning into the
Shema, arguing that "one" (Heb. echad) should be thought of as a
"compound" one. Thus, just as "one" might describe one cluster of
grapes, say, or one senate, so inherent in the Hebrew word echad may
be a notion of plurality. In attempting to establish such a claim, a
corollary argument is that if "one" were meant to be exclusive,
another word (Heb. yachad) should have been utilized to describe
Yahweh. Such an interpretive turn is offered to make room in the Shema
for more than one person in the Godhead.
There are a number of reasons to reject this claim. The most important
one is that context determines meaning. Thus, while yachad may be used
to define singularity in Hebrew, so may echad. The Hebrew word "one"
(echad) is like the English word "one." Consider that when reading the
phrase "one book" or "one tree," no one would think there is an
implied plurality in "book" or "tree." This is because in this
context, "one" is meant to be intentionally specific. This is also
true in the Shema, where "one" is clearly a claim of exclusivity. In
fact, a number of modern translations translate echad in the passage
as demonstrating that only Yahweh is God (NLT, NRS, NJB). It would be
ironic indeed to conclude that the Shema demonstrates the very
opposite of what the Jewish people have professed it to mean for
thousands of years, that Yahweh is uniquely one. Nor does the Shema
stand alone. It is confirmed by hundreds of other verses in the Old
Testament that also affirm Yahweh's unique oneness.
By the time of Jesus, the established tradition of the Jewish people
was to quote the Shema daily as a prayer. A full twenty verses were
included in this prayer: Deut. 6:4–9; 11:13–21; Num. 15:37–41. These
same verses were also written on a small scroll and placed in a
decorative ornament (called a mezuzah) at the door of a home or
synagogue. A similar scroll was also inserted into a small leather box
and was worn as a wristband or as a headband (called a phylactery).
Because the entire Old Testament is built on the foundation of the
Shema, when Hebrew prophets proclaimed that Yahweh Himself would
personally redeem His people (Isa. 40:3–10), it was certain that
Yahweh alone was the subject of this prophetic word. Though this
prophecy was fulfilled in a number of ways, it was uniquely fulfilled
when an angel told Mary that the Spirit of God would overshadow her
and she would have a son (Luke 1:35). Importantly, the angel
instructed Joseph that this baby should be named Jesus (Heb. Yešû'āh;
Matt. 1:21).
The significance of the name of Jesus cannot be overstated, for it
literally means "Yahweh has become our salvation." While other Hebrew
infants were similarly named, Jesus' name proclaimed the fulfillment
of a redemptive promise—that Yahweh Himself had come to redeem. Jesus'
very name served as a reminder that God kept His word: in Jesus,
Yahweh saves. Matthew's Gospel affirms this understanding by citing
Isaiah's prophecy that the Messiah would be named "Immanuel," which
literally means, "God with us" (Matt. 1:23).
The New Testament celebrates the Shema in all of its fullness. While
the name Yahweh describes God in all of His redemptive potential, the
name of Jesus celebrates the name of Yahweh and builds on its
redemptive promise: Yahweh redeemed from the bondage of Egypt. Jesus
redeems from the bondage of sin. Yahweh gave water in the desert.
Jesus gives living water. Yahweh annually pardoned Israel's sins.
Jesus' single sacrifice is sufficient to effect pardon for the sins of
the whole world.
It would be wrong to suppose that the New Testament is in some way in
competition with the Old Testament. Jesus was very clear that He did
not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets but rather to fulfill
them (Matt. 5:17). The Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ
(Gal. 3:24). Peter rightly declared Jesus to be the saving name of
God, that there is no salvation in any other, "for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts
4:12). Yet, this is not contradictory to the Old Testament. We rightly
celebrate the Shema by understanding that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor. 5:19).
Every day, the Jewish people declared these words: "Hear O Israel, the
LORD our God is one LORD." Yet, this never became a meaningless
repetition. The Shema required two things: first, to truly embrace
that Yahweh alone was to be their God; second, to fully live a life of
worship in response to this knowledge. No less of a commitment will do
today. While we do not offer daily recitation of specific verses nor
display these verses on our wrists or forehead, we live out the Shema
in two ways: first, by knowing God in His fullness through the
redemptive work of Christ; second, by passionately living our lives
according to this truth.
We first begin our life in Christ with opportunities not available in
the Old Testament. John the Baptist clearly articulated such
privileges. While John could only baptize with water, the Messiah
would baptize with the Spirit. Now, in response to God's redemptive
call, we can be baptized in water in the name of Jesus and can as well
be baptized with the Spirit.
Second, because we know who the Savior is, we live our lives in
response to this redemptive knowledge. If New Covenant relationship
with God involves worship, and it does, then such worship requires our
whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. If the Shema teaches us
anything at all, then it informs us that abundant life in Christ
necessitates abundant commitment—lives lived in the passionate pursuit
of God's purpose. Indeed, nothing less will do.
—David Norris


Johnston, R., & Alexander, L. A. (Eds.). (2014). Apostolic Study
Bible: King James Version: Notes (Standard Edition, pp. 305–306).
Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.

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ADONAY ROJAS ORTIZ
Pastor Ordenado IPUC
http://adonayrojasortiz.blogspot.com