The LORD is One

Deuteronomy 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

            The nations surrounding Israel worshiped a plethora (i.e., overabundance) of gods. Surrounding nations were polytheistic. For any given circumstance or situation, the cause was the direct result of some god of something being either pleased or displeased. There were times in history that a single man-made god was elevated in status to be favored by a particular ruler, but there were always other gods available to satisfy any whim.

            By contrast, Israel was called to be a monotheistic people. Time and again, The LORD God Almighty reminded Israel that they were to believe in ONE true and Holy God. Their attention was not to be divided amongst the many man-made and man-conceived gods. Only Yahweh was to be the sole object for Israel’s faith and obedience. In fact, backing up a few verses from today’s text we find the first commandment,  You shall have no other gods before me (5:7).

            When we go to church on Sunday we worship one God, the LORD God Almighty. But is the LORD we worship on Sunday the sole object for our faith and obedience during the week? Is our attention divided? How much of our weekly intake of advice comes from Facebook, TikTok, horoscopes, tabloids, and the like—rather than the Bible? It gives us cause for reflection.

 

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            You are One. You alone are the Creator and Sustainer of all. You have given us your written Word to guide and direct us, and you have provided the Holy Spirit within us to comfort, lead, and guide us. Forgive us when our attention is diverted to other sources. Thank you for the reminder that we are to have no other gods except You alone, for You are One.

            In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotional The LORD is One appeared first on Write From My Heart at  

https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com