The Jewish confession of faith begins, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4). The complete Shema is founded in passages in the Old Testament.
- Numbers 15:37–41: Stresses the unity of God, loving, and obeying Him.
- Deuteronomy 6:4–9: Stresses the blessing or punishment related to obedience.
- Deuteronomy 11:13–31: Stresses the proper clothing to be worn to honor God.
The word shema (shu-MAH) means to hear, literally. “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them” (Prov. 30:3).
The word shema is also used to call people to hear, pay attention, and help. In distress the Psalmist cry, “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me” (Ps. 27:7).
To ask God to shema is to ask Him to act because He is aware of one’s situation. When Leah bore a second son, she called his name Simeon (Shimon; hearing) “Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also” (Gen. 29:33).
There is another action associated with the word shema and that is to obey. When the Law was given at Mt. Sinai, the people were to shema or hear the Commandments of God with a view to obeying them, which they vowed to do.
“And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear [shema]: but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (Ex. 20:18–19).
To listen is to keep the covenant. To keep the covenant is to obey. To obey is to carry out the wished and instruction of one who has authority to command. To break covenant is to refuse to listen to God and obey Him.
During the ministry of Jesus, He spoke in parables. When His disciples asked why, He told them plainly. Those who will not hear and obey the Word of God will come to a place they cannot hear and obey and be converted for judgment has come to them.
And Jesus said to the disciples,
“To you it has been given to know
the mystery of the kingdom of God;
but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
so that
‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’”~Mark 4:11–12
To shema or hear the commandments of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and keep them in holy fear is pleasing to the Lord. To shema or hear God speak and obey His voice is to show respect.
As we want the Lord God to shema (hear) us and act, so He wants us to shema (hear) Him, and obey.
