The Greatest Commandment of All!

Deuteronomy 6:5 says you are to "...love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might"

Abundance

The Hebrew word translated "might", is (Meod, 3966, Strong's), from a root word meaning to "rake" together, as in a pile, so that there is an accumulation of things, "raked" together. The word is used adverbially, as an intensive, with the meaning of exceedingly; overwhelmingly; or completely, but of the 300 times it is used adverbially, only twice in all the Old Testament is the word used as a noun, [Deut. 6:5 and 2 Kings 23:25 (referring to Josiah, but quoting Deut. 6:5, expressing Josiah's extreme commitment to God)], meaning abundance; wealth; property; treasures of abundance; basically expressing, all your financial wealth and resources, even everything you produce or possess.

The First and Greatest Commandment

When you come into the New Testament, and Deuteronomy 6:5 is quoted, Jesus says, the first and greatest commandment is, "You SHALL [the strongest and most emphatic term of compelling exhortation!] LOVE [(agape), consider as most valuable and precious, above all else] the Lord your God IN your entire heart, and IN your entire soul, and IN your entire thought processes, or way of thinking [which is what eventually determines action; behavior; and productivity]" (Matt.22:37).

Here, rather than using the word "strength", Jesus is recorded as saying "mind", in the KJV, but (dianoia) [1271, Strong's], in the Greek, which means your thought processes or way of thinking. The understanding is that, how you think, or your way of thinking, determines your actions and behavior, or what you do.

The same commandment is quoted in Mark 12:30, by Jesus, [and also in Luke 10:27, as the response of the legal expert, as to what to do to inherit eternal life]. This is said to be the foremost, or most important, of all the commandments, that "You SHALL LOVE the Lord your God from OUT OF all your heart, and from OUT OF all your soul, and from OUT OF all your thought processes, or way of thinking, and from OUT OF all your strength" (Mk. 12:30). In this verse, both (dianoia) and (ischus), "strength", [2479, Strong's], are used to summarize the Hebrew word (meod), in as much as how you think, influences and controls behavior; action; and productivity, in your life, and "strength", is used to express that action or behavior. Rather than using (en), "in", as in Matthew 22:37, the scripture uses (ek), "out of", in Mark 12:30.

Obviously, if your love for God is IN all your heart, and IN all your soul, and IN all your thought processes, or way of thinking (Matt.22:37), then your love for God will flow OUT OF all your heart, and OUT OF all your soul, and OUT OF all your thought processes, or way of thinking, and OUT OF all your strength (Mk.12:30).

Hebrew Poetry

This repetition of related concepts, as found in Deuteronomy 6:5, and enumerated by the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church, is a technique of Hebrew poetry, used to emphasize similar ideas, in sequential order, for the purpose of bringing to a climax, related concepts, which culminate in a final element; but do so with increasing intensity and importance, so that the totality of thought being expressed, is finalized in the last words or concepts presented. In other words, the love for God in your heart, and in your soul, and in all your thought processes, or way of thinking (Matt.22:37), is that same love for God that will flow out of your heart, out of your soul, culminating in your love for God flowing out of all your thought processes, or way of thinking, and out of all your strength.

The finalized summation of thought is that to love God with all your way of thinking and strength, is really, to love God with all your resources; all your financial wealth; all your property; all your abundance; all that you have; all that you produce or possess! (Mk.12:30).

In Deuteronomy 6:5, only 3 elements are enumerated: (1) heart, (2) soul, and (3) strength. In the New Testament, (dianoia) [1271, Strong's], meaning your way of thinking, or thought process, is added, both individually, and together with (ischus), [translated "strength", 2479, Strong's]. The two words express the concept of (meod), which has the essential meaning that all your resources; all your financial wealth; all your property; all your abundance; all that you produce or possess, is to be an expression of love toward the Father God.

Covenant Love

In addition, in the New Testament, (quoting Deuteronomy 6:5), it is stated that you shall "love" [(agape), 25, Strong's], the Lord your God. Love, (agape), is the valuation of someone or something, as precious, and valuable, above all else, and this is the Greek word used to express the Hebrew thought. However, the Hebrew word used in Deuteronomy 6:5, translated "love", is the word (ahaz) [157, Strong's], which refers to not just valuing God above all other gods; persons; or possessions, but specifically, it refers to covenant loyalty, and the unquestioning observance of the terms of that covenant, that you have with your Father God. In other words, this is the way that you keep your covenant with God, your Father, that He has established with you, by "loving" the Lord, your God, out of your entire heart; out of your entire soul; and out of everything you are, out of everything you have, and out of everything you do.

Ancient Covenants

In the Ancient Near East, when a covenant was made, it meant that your resources belonged to your covenant partner, and their resources belonged to you; your enemies were their enemies, and their enemies were your enemies. Covenants were the method of individuals; families; or communities, maintaining security and increased prosperity, in a potentially hostile and violent culture. A practical illustration of this covenant connectiveness, was when Abraham heard that Lot was captured, and the scriptures say that he armed his 318 trained soldiers of his household, and pursued the captors (Gen.14:14). However, the verse before says that Abraham dwelt with Mamre; Eschol; and Aner, and these were confederate with Abraham (Gen.14:13), which literally reads that these were, "...possessors of the covenant with Abram" (14:13). In other words, all of them were connected by covenant. Later, even though they are not mentioned as going to battle initially, it is obvious, that Mamre; Eschol; and Aner, also armed their trained men and went to war against the enemies of Abraham too, since Abraham refers to them as, "...the men which went with me" (Gen.14:24). They were all connected in covenant.

God Alone

Many have waxed eloquently on interpreting the meaning of Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one God", attempting to understand what "one God" could mean. Perhaps a better translation, and more in keeping with the thought of the passage, are those translations that express the thought that God is the only God that Israel was in covenant with, among the potential myriad of other gods worshipped in the culture.

 "Listen, Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD alone" (Beck)

"Listen then, Israel; there is no Lord but the Lord our God" (Knox)

 "Hear, O Israel: Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone" (Rotherham).

The emphasis is not on God being "one", but rather on the fact that He alone is our God, and because He is our God, our loyalty to the covenant demands that out of all our heart; out of all our soul; and, in fact, out of everything we have; everything we possess; or everything we produce, we are 110% committed to Him, as He is unquestionably committed to us! This unwavering covenant loyalty is what is being expressed in Deuteronomy 6:5.

Throughout Israel's history, you would see them constantly wavering in their covenant commitment, in search of what they perceived was a better covenant, with better promises, by better gods, despite the Father God's unfailing loyalty to fulfill His covenant to them; and always, their unfaithfulness became their moral; social; and total economic failure, and ultimately, their total conquest and captivity.

Sign of the Covenant

When a covenant was made, there was the giving of tithes (10%), by the inferior party, or the less, to the superior party, the better, as an ongoing sign of the covenant, as an emphatic statement, that the inferior party, was under the protection and provision, of the superior party.

This element of the covenant is also seen in the story of Abraham, defeating the kings, and rescuing Lot, his nephew. (Gen.14:18-24). The scripture says that "...Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God" (Gen.14:18). The bread and wine were symbolic of the covenant meal, [which we still celebrate in reminder of the covenant ratified by the Lord Jesus Christ. We call it Communion, or the Lord's Supper]. "...he [Melchizedek] blessed him [Abraham], and said, 'Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the Most High God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand'".

The scripture also says, that, "...without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better" (Heb.7:7). Here, the inferior party, Abraham accepts that the Most High God, the superior, represented by the priestly king Melchizedek, is his provider [possessor of heaven and earth] and that He is his protector [who has delivered your enemies into your hand], and Abraham gave Melchizedek tithes of all.

Only Ten Percent

Giving the tithe, to the God that you worship, who is your protector and provider (Gen.14:17-24), is the sign, that you, the lessor, are in covenant relationship with Him, the greater. It is interesting that covenant loyalty is expressed out of all your heart; out of all your soul; out of all your thoughts [way of thinking, or thought processes]; and out of all your strength, or in summary, out of everything you are, and everything you have, culminating in the expression of giving all your resources; all your financial wealth; all that you produce or possess, for the use of your Father God, but even though covenant loyalty means that everything you are and everything you possess, belongs to God, who you are in covenant with, it is only the tithe (10%), that is required, to express this ultimate covenant commitment. God, your Father, owns it all, but it is only the sign of the covenant, the tithe (10%), that is required, the part representing the whole, of all you have.

Most Important

What is paramount to realize, is that this often quoted portion of scripture, both in Deuteronomy 6:5, and repeated 3 times in the New Testament (Matt 22:37; Mk.12:30), by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the legal expert in the law (Lk.10:27), is said to be THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT OF ALL, because it speaks of our obligation to the covenant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and God our Father, and the covenant commitment of paying the tithe, as the sign of that covenant. If we are not fulfilling the sign of the covenant, then we really are not in covenant with God, and like Israel of old, have gone after other gods that we are serving, because we do not acknowledge Him as our provider and protector with the tithe, the sign of the covenant, and we do not fulfill the most important commandment in all of scripture.

You Are God's Best and God's Best is Yours