Religious creeds and quotes have been used for millennia. For some people, these creeds helped them to understand basic Biblical truths and principles. For example, the Apostles’ creed gives an understanding of the things the church believes. Recitals are quite important for memorization and when we learn new Bible verses, we are encouraged to memorize them. The ancient Jewish culture relied extensively on recitals and memorization. People memorized books of the Bible and could effortlessly quote books without struggle. Definitely this is relevant because the Bible was not as common as we have now. But, in our day, not many believers have cultivated the culture of memorizing scriptures. We rely so much on print and electronic media more than memorization. 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. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) Among the Jews, the Shema is an important creed that must be quoted in the morning and the evening. The Shema is taken from Deuteronomy 6:4-5: 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.” The Shema is still an important aspect of the Jewish culture and religion. Why is it important to use Biblical quotes? In raising a godly home, it is necessary for the family to engage everyone with scriptures. None should be left out. Just like the way the Shema calls us to “Listen, Hear”, we should daily invite our household to hear scriptures. We should be intentional about investing into the family, the word of God and godly principles. These should reflect our way of life. Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, “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.” The way to impress God’s commandments on our hearts is to live with it. Moses commands the Israelites to impress the commandments onto their children. No one is too young to be left out. We are called to talk about God’s commands when we sit at home, when we are walking, when we lie down and when we get up… literally all the time. The commands are to be tied on the hand, on the foreheads, written on the door frames and the gates. How can you ever forget when you are all surrounded by God’s command. The Shema is a call to believers to hold forth God’s word in every facet of their lives. It is a call unto families to make the word of God accessible in their homes and to their children. The Shema reminds us of the unity of the Godhead: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. The Shema reminds us to to love the Lord with all our being: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. May God help us even as we raise godly homes and families.
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