The Treasures of the Shema

The Shema is an ancient Jewish prayer. It is called the watchword of our faith. It is the common confession of all those who believe in the God of Israel. It is the morning and evening prayer of the observant. It is the command you must obey first to obey the commandments. It is the opening expression of the greatest commandment. It is full of meaning that speaks of great truths from the past and the blessed hope of the future. It is about God when He spoke from the mountain. It is about the Torah. It is about the Messiah and His kingdom. It also contains a hidden mystery and treasure about you and me.

Many years ago, the Lord gave me a renewed understanding about the Word of God. I used to view my life as walking along a path with many hills and valleys. My goal was always on the horizon. I discovered that no matter how many steps I took, the horizon remained at a distance and I was no closer to my goal than when I began. The pursuit of knowledge is like the horizon. The more you learn, you realize there is much more to learn. Finally, one day I confessed to the Lord that the path I was on was getting me nowhere. The Lord instructed me to look down at the path and asked me what I saw. I saw thousands of pebbles and pieces of gravel. He told me to pick up one of the pieces of gravel and dust it off. I did so and saw a precious stone far greater in value than anything I had ever seen. The path was full of them. I understood the path to be the Word of God and the gravel to be His words. I would like to share with you some of the precious stones of the path we have walked upon many times. Look with me at some pebbles from the Bible and see if there aren’t treasures to be found at your feet.

The Shema is an ancient Jewish prayer. It is called the watchword of our faith. It is the common confession of all those who believe in the God of Israel. It is the morning and evening prayer of the observant. It is the command you must obey first to obey the commandments. It is the opening expression of the greatest commandment. It is full of meaning that speaks of great truths from the past and the blessed hope of the future. It is about God when He spoke from the mountain. It is about the Torah. It is about the Messiah and His kingdom. It also contains a hidden mystery and treasure about you and me.

Shema Yisrael. Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad.

Hear O’Israel. The LORD our God, the LORD is One.

Ba-ruch shem ke-vod mal-chu-to le-o-lam va-ed.

Blessed be His name whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.

This is the traditional Shema prayed daily by the observant for more than two thousand years. However, in this generation Messianic believers have begun to add a final phrase to this very traditional prayer.

Yeshua Ha-Meshiach, Hu Adonai.

“Yeshua the Messiah, He is LORD!”

The Shema is called the watchword and common confession of our faith because of its origins. The phrase, “Hear O’Israel. The LORD our God, the LORD is One,” dates from Mount Sinai and the Torah. The expression is given in Deuteronomy 6:4. It is from the teaching of Moses that the expression came to be on the lips of the children of Israel. The children of Israel were the first people to “hear” the voice of God as He spoke from the mountain. Moses taught them that hearing the voice of God was crucial to knowing and obeying the Lord.

Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, 'Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.' You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the [very] heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, [that is,] the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. Deuteronomy 4:10-13

By praying the words, “Hear O’Israel,” we echo the teaching of the Torah and Moses. We remind ourselves to hear and participate with our ancestors in the event at the base of the mountain. We prepare our hearts to receive God’s instruction and to obey Him.

These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. You said, “Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says; then speak to us all that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.” Deuteronomy 5:22-27

The children of Israel put forth a proposal, which God accepted.

The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, “I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.” Deuteronomy 5:28

Once our ancestors heard the voice of God, they were terrified. They agreed to hear the instruction of God through Moses. We are bound by this agreement today. As the descendants of those who were at Mount Sinai with Moses, we have been bound to hear what God said at the mountain by His own voice and by what He instructed Moses to teach us. But the agreement goes further. God also said He would do something further than just use Moses.

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. This is according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.” The Lord said to me, “They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.” Deuteronomy 18:15-19

The Messiah is the prophet raised up among us who is like God. He is the One who has come from the mountain (heaven). He is the One whose words will be required of us. By saying the Shema, we are repeating the agreement made at Mount Sinai to hear God’s voice from the mountain, to hear the instruction given by Moses, and to hear the Messiah when He comes from the mountain to speak directly to us. We, as Messianic believers, are on good ground making the last statement concerning Yeshua following the traditional expression. “Yeshua the Messiah, He is Lord!” While this is deeply meaningful and is a treasure to our souls, this is not the mysterious part about us.

The Shema is referred to as the command that you must first obey to keep the commandments of the Lord. The action “hear” is required before you can learn any commandment or keep it. Thus, it is said that you must “hear” before you can obey. This is similar to Yeshua’s final seven exhortations to the last-day churches. Only those who have an ear to hear can obey God’s commands or Spirit.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22

It is said that the repetition of the Shema as a morning and evening prayer serves other purposes. First, it is taught that a person praying the Shema is acknowledging the rule of God and thus making himself a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, has put the sun, moon, and the earth in their proper orbits (rule). Each morning and evening, at the sunrise and sunset, we see the rule of God—the rule of the Heavens; therefore, it said that the Shema is the most personal form of bowing one’s mind and heart before God and His rule. By accepting the Rule of God, one could say it is the act of putting the yoke of Messiah on oneself. The Messiah also spoke of this act.

Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30

By praying the Shema, an exchange takes place between the believer and God. The believer takes on the yoke of Messiah and God accepts the burden of the believer. According to the Messiah, the Shema is easy and the load is light as compared with life’s burdens.

The transfer of yokes enables the believer to carry out the commandments of God (the rule of God). Therefore, it should not surprise anyone to discover that the words of the Shema introduce the greatest commandment of God. Messiah Yeshua was questioned on this point directly.

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Yeshua answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’” Mark 12:28-30

You cannot keep any commandment, especially the greatest commandment, until you submit yourself to the rule of God and lay aside your own rule of your life. Only then can your heart, soul, mind, and your strength be directed toward the Lord. While this is deeply meaningful and is a treasure to our souls, this is not the mysterious part about us.

It is also said that the Shema is the daily preparation to enter the Messiah’s kingdom. The prophet Zechariah speaks directly to the Shema in understanding the Messiah’s advent.

And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one. Zechariah 14:9

Zechariah explains the return of the Messiah in chapter 14. He further states a particular understanding that we will have upon entering the kingdom. We will know God is One. This is the understanding of the Shema. In fact, some sages teach that the only theology that we will carry into the kingdom will be the words of the Shema. A parallel teaching from another prophet is also considered in this thought.

Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. Isaiah 40:9-10

This passage is about the second coming of the Messiah. According to the sages of Israel, it is also tied to the Shema. The lifting of arms toward Jerusalem is the traditional way of saying the Shema. At the second coming, those who wait upon the Lord will also lift their arms and be faced toward Jerusalem. The expression, “Here is your God!” is synonymous with “The Lord our God!” in the Shema. While this is deeply meaningful and a treasure to our souls, this is not the mysterious part about you.

So what is the mysterious part? Before I answer, allow me to share a final point. The Shema is a reminder of a miracle that used to happen in the temple service.

Each morning in the temple service, a lot was cast to determine which priest would speak the blessing upon Israel from the porch of the temple. The priestly blessing is given in the Torah also.

The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

This is one of the few times in the temple that the unspeakable name of God would be spoken. The name is spelled Yod [י], Hey [ה], Vav [ו], Hey [ה] (YHVH). Some brethren pronounce this as Yahweh or Yahveh. The King James Bible pronounced it as Jehovah. Regardless of the pronunciation, something incredible would happen as the word “Lord” was said. All that heard the name of God spoken would fall on their faces and utter the following words, “Blessed be His name, whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.” The Shema contains these same words in honor of God’s name. The written name in the Shema is YHVH. In Hebrew, we speak the word Adonai. Adonai was the word Moses used when He addressed the Lord at the burning bush. The word Adonai is Lord.

By praying the second phrase of the Shema, we join with those in the past by honoring the name of God. We bless the name of the Lord, and proclaim the glory of His kingdom. The meaning of this point is very deep and profound! Baruch HaShem (Blessed be the Name!)

So, what is the mystery in the Shema about you and me?

It is found in the actual Torah scroll and the way Deuteronomy 6:4 is written. The first word “Shema” and the last word “Echad” in the expression have enlarged letters. In the word “Shema” the last letter is an Ayin [ע] and the last letter of the word “Echad” is a Dalet [ד]. Some scribes say that the Ayin is enlarged to prevent a scribe from ever accidentally misspelling Shema with an Aleph [א]. In that case, the Shema with an Aleph is the word “perhaps.” No scribe ever wants to mistakenly say, “Perhaps O’Israel. The Lord our God …” But more than this, the two letters Ayin and Dalet form another word out of the Shema. This word is “witness.” This is the mysterious part about you and me!

Any person who prays the Shema is a “witness” of God. The letter Ayin means “eye” while the letter Dalet means “door.” A witness is a person who stands at the door and looks out with his eyes. Have you ever heard of eye witnesses? A person who says the Shema is a witness of the Living God. By saying the Shema with others you confirm the truth of God by the evidence of two or three together.

Do you remember Yeshua giving instruction to the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit fell upon them? They became His witnesses. This was the same day in the year that God spoke to the children of Israel when they heard the voice of God. By praying the Shema, a believer identifies with the voice at the mountain and the gift of Yeshua (the Holy Spirit). As a result, we become His witnesses in Spirit and Truth.

but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.  Acts 1:8

As you can see, there are no idle words in the Torah, and the Messiah came to fill them up with meaning. The next time you pray the Shema, consider the depth and full meaning of your words. Then speak as one of the witnesses of the Messiah. Let your testimony be clear and specific.

The LORD is One ...

... in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3