August 17, 2025 • 54 mins
What does it mean to fear God, serve Him, and swear by His name? At first, these commands from Deuteronomy 6:13 may sound heavy—but in truth, they invite us into freedom and joy.
In this final episode of the God is One series, host Kate unpacks these three directives and shows how Jesus fulfilled them perfectly in the wilderness. Where Israel failed and where we struggle, Jesus stood firm—turning fear into worship, service into joy, and allegiance into freedom.
Through word studies, cross-references, and practical application, you’ll see how the Spirit makes these ancient commands real in our lives today. This episode also reflects on our whole 10-week journey through the Shema, revealing God’s heart for His people from beginning to end.
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Episode Transcript
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Kate (00:00):
Hey guys, this is Kate from Abitablecom and you're
listening to the AbitablePodcast.
I'm just a regular wife and momwho's had my life transformed
by learning to study the Bibleon my own.
If I can, you can.
On this show, I help you knowand love God more by abiding in
Him through His Word yourself.
(00:21):
Fear, serve, swear.
It is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear Him, you shallserve, and by His name you shall
swear.
What does that mean?
(00:41):
This is Deuteronomy 6.13,.
Our very last verse in our Godis One series.
We've been in this passage for10 weeks.
At the end of this episode, Iwill give you a brief recap of
each episode in the series so wecan together remember all that
God has taught us in thisspecial season together.
But first, if you're a big fanof the Abidable podcast, check
(01:04):
out the link in the showdescription to learn more about
partnering with us by buying usa coffee or by becoming a member
of our Abidable Plus community.
So, deuteronomy 6.13, fear God,serve God, swear by His name.
Today we're going to dosomething fun, simple and
straightforward.
We're going to take this versethrough the abidable process
(01:27):
that we teach in our how toStudy the Bible course.
So first we pray, lord God,open the eyes of our hearts to
see and understand what you havecommanded us to do in this
verse.
Holy Spirit, guide us into alltruth.
Let your word dwell in usrichly as we abide in you In
Jesus' name, amen.
(01:48):
We'd next do some saturationwith this verse, practicing it
so we can memorize it and hideit in our heart.
Perhaps this would look likewriting it on the window with a
window marker it is the Lord,your God.
You shall fear him, you shallserve, and by his name you shall
swear.
God, you shall fear him, youshall serve, and by his name you
shall swear.
You'd record it five times onyour phone's voice memo app it
(02:08):
is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear him, you shallserve, and by his name you shall
swear.
Maybe you'd letter it as weteach you, by taking the first
letter of each word in the verseand put it in scrabble tiles or
fridge magnets in your kitchen,in a place where you'd see it
repeatedly as you studied theverse.
It is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear Him, you shallserve, and by His name you shall
(02:30):
swear.
Repetition and involvingmultiple senses are your friends
when it comes to memorization,then we'd look at translation
comparison.
How do other versions of theBible handle Deuteronomy 6.13?
How do other versions of theBible handle Deuteronomy 6.13?
The NKJV, the NIV and the CSBall use the word oaths in God's
(02:51):
name instead of by his name.
You shall swear, like the ESV.
The NASB is similar to the ESVand says swear by his name.
Both the CSB and NASB sayworship him instead of serve him
, like the ESV.
So that gives us a little moreinformation, but we're still
(03:14):
wanting to work toward moreclarification of these terms
fear, serve and swear.
So next we'd move on to wordstudy, cross-references and
commentary.
Let's start with fear, thenwe'll move on to serve and swear
.
What does it mean to fear God?
The Hebrew word for fear isyareh and can mean to fear, be
afraid, stand in awe of, be awed.
(03:37):
Reverence, honor, respect,revere.
Our cross references do anamazing job of adding color and
meaning to this definition.
First, is fearing God optional?
Deuteronomy 10.12 shows us itis not.
And now Israel, what does theLord, your God, require of you
(03:58):
but to fear the Lord, your God,to walk in all His ways, to love
Him, to serve the Lord, yourGod, with all your heart and
with all your soul.
God requires that we fear himand Deuteronomy 5.29 tells us
why, oh that they had such aheart as this, always to fear me
and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with
(04:21):
them and with their descendantsforever.
When we fear God and keep Hiscommandments, we are blessed,
and so are all our descendantsforever.
What does it mean to fear theLord?
Psalm 33 8 tells us plainly Letall the earth fear the Lord.
Let all the inhabitants of theworld stand in awe of Him.
(04:41):
Inhabitants of the world, standin awe of Him.
To fear God is to stand in aweof Him.
What is promised to those whofear the Lord?
Psalm 34, verses 7 and 9, tellus the angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear Him anddelivers them.
O, fear the Lord, you, hissaints, for those who fear him
(05:05):
have no lack.
God himself surrounds andprotects those who fear him, and
they lack nothing.
How do you fear the Lord?
Deuteronomy 6, 2 is clear Fearthe Lord, your God, you and your
son and your son's son, bykeeping all his statutes and
commandments, which I commandyou all the days of your life,
(05:28):
and that your days may be long.
Fear God by obeying his wordand teaching it to future
generations.
Moving on to the commentarysection, david Guzik expounds on
this idea of fearing God bysaying when we fear God, the
idea is not of a shrinking fearfrom an angry God.
Instead, the idea of fear ismore in the concept of an
(05:50):
awe-filled respect, an innerrepulsion at the idea of
offending such a great, lovingGod who has done so much for us.
In summary, we can see that tofear God is to live in continual
awe of who he is, responding toHis greatness, goodness and
love with deep reverence,wholehearted obedience and a
(06:13):
desire to honor Him in everyarea of life.
It's not a paralyzing dread,but a posture of worship that
treasures His commands, trustsHis promises and hates the
thought of grieving him.
This kind of fear draws uscloser to him, brings blessing
to us and to future generations,and keeps our hearts anchored
(06:33):
in the joy and safety of hispresence.
Next, we have serve him.
We'll take this through thesame process.
The Hebrew word for serve isavad and can mean to labor, do
work, serve as subjects, bebondsmen, worship For
cross-references.
We have several places inDeuteronomy, like 10, 20, and 13
(06:57):
, 4, that say serve him and holdfast to him.
Cross-referencing arecross-references one of my
favorite things to do.
We see that serving isfrequently tied to this idea of
holding fast and cleaving to God, walking in all His ways,
loving Him, clinging to Him.
There's even a New Testamentcross-reference for Deuteronomy
(07:19):
10.20, which talks aboutremaining faithful to the Lord
with steadfast purpose, as aresponse to the grace of God.
This idea of bond-servant isunfamiliar to us, and so, if you
were doing this study and cameacross this word, what we teach
you to do in the course is todig further, and if you looked
up this word in a simple search,you'd find it frequently in the
(07:40):
New Testament.
In fact, at least five NewTestament authors Paul, james
the brother of Jesus, peter,jude and John all call
themselves slaves orbondservants of Christ.
This term in the Greek isdoulos and communicates deep
surrender, loyalty and willingservice to their master,
(08:02):
motivated not by compulsion butby love.
Note that on this list we havePeter, a three-time denier of
Christ.
Paul, a violent persecutor ofthe early church, and James, the
brother of Jesus, who wasinitially embarrassed by and
opposed to his brother'sministry.
These are the men introducingthemselves in their letters as
(08:25):
bond servants of Christ.
This is a shock to our systemand we'll need to come back to
this in a little bit.
So, in summary, to serve God isto give Him your whole heart,
to cling to Him in love, loyaltyand trust, walking in His ways
not because you have to butbecause you want to.
It's the posture of abondservant joyfully surrendered
(08:46):
to a good and gracious master.
This kind of service flows outof gratitude for his mercy and
grace and it's marked bysteadfast devotion that says I
am yours, lord, all that I am,all that I have, is for you.
Finally, we have this wordswear, and by his name you shall
(09:07):
swear.
What does that mean?
We know people today say Iswear to God, or things like
cross my heart and hope to die,or I swear on my grandmother's
grave.
Is that kind of what this means?
Digging into the definition,cross-references and examples
here is critical to ourunderstanding.
Remember, we can't read our ownmodern-day biases or
(09:28):
experiences into the historictext of this ancient book.
A verse in the Bible can nevermean something to us that it
didn't mean to the originalintended audience.
So let's start by looking atthe definition for this word
swear, which in the Hebrew isshava.
(09:48):
Here we get that samedefinition we got last week in
Deuteronomy 6, 12, where welearned that God swore to their
fathers that they would enterthe promised land.
This word means to take an oathto be complete to seven oneself.
And to swear by God's namemeans to take an oath in his
name which is connected to hisfame, reputation and glory.
This one was the most confusingto me.
(10:09):
I need cross-references andsome commentary to help me
understand this ancient practicemore clearly.
We have severalcross-references for taking an
oath Leviticus 19.12, whichwarns against profaning God's
name by swearing falsely.
Joshua 2.12, which shows anoath invoking the Lord as the
guarantee of protection.
(10:29):
Psalm 63.11, which linksswearing by God with rejoicing
in Him.
Isaiah 65.15, which contrastsGod's name with the names of
false gods.
And Jeremiah 5, verses 2 and 7,which lament those who swear
falsely, even while using God'sname.
Side note, if you want a listof the Hebrew words and
(10:52):
cross-references I'm mentioning,you can find the full
transcript for this episode inour new Abidable Plus membership
community.
So in the time of Moses andIsrael's entry into the promised
land, an oath was more thanjust a promise.
It was a public, bindingdeclaration made before God,
often in covenant agreements orlegal matters.
(11:13):
To swear by the name of theLord was to call on His
character as witness and judgeover your words.
Doing so invoked both Hisblessing for truth and his
judgment for falsehood.
In contrast, swearing by othergods was an act of allegiance to
them, which is why Israel wascommanded to swear only by
(11:33):
Yahweh.
David Guzik reminds us thatwhile Jesus warns against
careless oath-taking in Matthew5, 33-37, there is still a
permissible use of oaths amongGod's people, since God Himself
swore an oath in Hebrews 6, 13.
The instruction here is simpleyou are to swear an oath only in
(11:54):
the name of the Lord, not inthe name of any other God.
Matthew Henry adds swear by Himonly in all treaties and
covenants with the other nationsand do not compliment them so
far as to swear by their gods.
He also notes that swearing byGod's name can represent an open
profession of faith, as inIsaiah 45, 23,.
(12:16):
Every tongue shall swear,explained in Romans 14, 11 as
confessing God.
Jonathan Edwards clarifies thatpublic profession in this sense
includes both present faith andfuture commitment, your
declaration of belief and yourvow to live in light of it.
That's why, in scripture,swearing in God's name is often
(12:38):
shorthand for openly aligningyourself with Him and binding
yourself to live in faithfulobedience.
In short, for Israel, swearingby God's name was both a
declaration of allegiance and anact of worship.
It was never to be done lightly, never in the name of another
God, and always as an expressionof truth, loyalty and devotion
(13:01):
to Yahweh alone.
When we step back and take inall of Deuteronomy 6, 4-13, the
picture becomes beautifullyclear.
God alone is God, yahweh, theone true God, the only one
worthy of our worship.
He has proven this to us, notjust by declaring it, but by
(13:22):
revealing Himself through Hismighty works, his covenant
faithfulness and His steadfastlove for His people.
Because of who he is and allhe's done, we are called to
respond with our whole lives.
It's here that the commands tofear, serve and swear take on
their full weight.
To fear Him is to live incontinual awe, revering His
(13:45):
greatness and goodness,delighting to obey and hating
the thought of grieving the onewe love.
To serve Him is to joyfullysurrender as His beloved
bondservant, clinging to Him inlove and loyalty, offering every
part of our lives in gratitudefor His mercy.
To swear by His name is toopenly declare our allegiance,
(14:09):
living in truth and devotion andrefusing to give that loyalty
to any other.
Together, these commands form aposture of life that keeps our
hearts faithful, our worshippure and our daily walk anchored
in God's presence.
Our worship pure and our dailywalk anchored in God's presence.
But here's the challenge.
We live in the modern worldwith its constant noise,
(14:30):
distractions and temptationspulling at our devotion.
So what happens when ourculture, circumstances or even
our own hearts make it hard tofear, serve and swear by the
Lord alone?
That's what we're going to talkabout next.
If we're honest, the wordbondservant makes us flinch.
(14:54):
Earthly masters can be abusiveand untrustworthy, so total
surrender feels unsafe.
But God is not like that.
He is a good master, holy,faithful and kind.
If our hearts resist giving himeverything, it's usually
because we aren't seeing himrightly.
How do we see him rightly?
We abide in his word, we walkin community that reflects his
(15:16):
character back to us, andultimately we need new hearts
that love what he loves.
Hold that thought.
Our age also disciples us toself-rule, we're told.
Follow your heart, live yourtruth.
And famously, I am the masterof my fate, I am the captain of
(15:37):
my soul.
Autonomy sounds noble until itbecomes our functional God, then
even good gifts, achievement,image, safety, comfort start
calling the shots.
Here's the crisis when we won'tfear, serve and swear by the
Lord alone, we end up fearing,serving and swearing by
(15:58):
something else Reputation,success, approval.
Reputation success, approval,control and those masters never
love us.
Back Into that exact pressurecooker.
Jesus steps into the wilderness.
Every lie that lures us awayfrom fearing, serving and
swearing by the Lord meets Himthere and he answers with.
(16:21):
It is written.
We'll be right back after thismessage.
Kids are heading back to school,but what about you?
As we've walked throughDeuteronomy 6.13 together today,
you've seen the simple,repeatable steps I use to study
God's Word, and you can learnthem too in our how to Study the
(16:42):
Bible course.
This 20-lesson video coursewill help you better know and
love God by abiding in Himthrough His Word.
You'll learn not just why tostudy, but how, with practical
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and more.
It's rich enough for seasonedbelievers, yet clear enough for
(17:03):
beginners, and every lessoncomes with workbook pages to
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You'll get lifetime access foryour whole household, bonus
resources and even a coupon fora free, abidable digital study
when you finish.
So, while your kids are growingin the classroom.
You can be growing in the Word.
Start today by clicking thelink in this episode's
(17:23):
description.
And now back to the show.
Let's now look at how Jesusresponds to the very temptations
that pull at our devotion.
This is Matthew 4, verses 1-11.
Then Jesus was led up by theSpirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil and afterfasting forty days and forty
(17:47):
nights, he was hungry.
And the tempter came and saidto him If you are the Son of God
, command these stones to becomeloaves of bread.
But he answered it is writtenman shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word thatcomes from the mouth of God.
Shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes
(18:07):
from the mouth of God.
Then the devil took him up tothe holy city and set him on the
pinnacle of the temple and saidto him If you are the Son of
God, throw yourself down, for itis written he will command his
angels concerning you, and ontheir hands they will bear you
up lest you strike your footagainst a stone.
Their hands, they will bear youup lest you strike your foot
(18:28):
against a stone.
Jesus said to him Again it iswritten, you shall not put the
Lord, your God, to the test.
Again, the devil took him to avery high mountain and showed
him all the kingdoms of theworld and their glory, and he
said to him All these I willgive you if you will fall down
and worship me.
Then Jesus said to him Be gone,satan, for it is written you
(18:48):
shall worship the Lord, your God, and him only shall you serve.
Then the devil left him and,behold, angels came and were
ministering to him.
The three temptations Jesusfaced in the wilderness weren't
random.
They directly mirrored thestruggles Israel faced in the
wilderness.
And't random.
They directly mirrored thestruggles Israel faced in the
wilderness and the very commandswe've been studying in
(19:09):
Deuteronomy.
And every time, jesus respondedwith scripture from Deuteronomy
, perfectly living out what weso often fail to do.
The first temptation wasturning stones into bread.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8.3,which we read last week man
shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes
(19:29):
from the mouth of God.
Instead of doubting God'sprovision or grasping for
self-sufficiency, Jesus choosesfull dependence on the Father,
showing us what it really meansto fear Him in trust and
reverence.
The second temptation was tothrow himself from the temple to
prove God's care.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6.16,.
(19:51):
You shall not put the Lord, yourGod, to the test.
He refuses to manipulate God forproof or use his position for
selfish gain.
Here he embodies what it meansto swear by God's name in truth,
professing faith in hisgoodness without twisting it for
personal advantage.
The third temptation is to bowdown to Satan in exchange for
(20:14):
worldly kingdoms.
Jesus quotes our verse fromtoday, deuteronomy 6.13,.
You shall worship the Lord,your God, and Him only shall you
serve.
You shall worship the Lord,your God, and Him only shall you
serve.
In one decisive moment he doeswhat our wondering hearts resist
he fully serves God alone asthe rightful Master.
In every response, jesusperfectly reverses the failures
(20:41):
of Israel and ours too.
Where they grumbled, and us too, or doubted or tested or turned
aside, jesus feared, served andswore by the Lord alone.
If this passage in Matthew hasyour heart stirred, our brand
new study into the wilderness isthe perfect next step after God
is won.
In this new study, you'll stepinto the desert with Jesus and
(21:02):
see how much our salvationhinged on His victory over
temptation.
You'll learn to fight lies withtruth, understand why His
sinlessness here was essentialfor our salvation, strengthen
your foundation in God's Wordand discover how wilderness
seasons can draw you nearer toHim.
You'll also gain practicalBible study skills to help you
(21:24):
memorize and wield scripturewhen you need it most.
Whether you're in your ownwilderness, walking alongside
someone in theirs, or simplylonging to know Jesus more
deeply, this study will meet youthere and help you stand firm
in Him.
Learn more at the link in thisepisode's description.
Here's the staggering truth.
Jesus' flawless obedience inthe wilderness wasn't just an
(21:47):
inspiring example, it was asaving act.
He kept the law that we breakdaily.
He fulfilled the commandmentswe could never keep, so that his
victory over temptation couldbecome ours by grace.
And that is exactly how headdresses our deepest heart
issues the resistance tosurrender and the longing to be
(22:09):
our own master.
Here's the big idea.
Jesus did for us what we couldnever do for ourselves.
He perfectly feared the Father,served Him alone and professed
allegiance without compromise.
Deuteronomy 6.13 commands us tofear, serve and swear by the
Lord alone.
And if we're honest, that'swhere we come face to face with
(22:32):
our own limits.
On our own, we resist surrender.
We want to be our own masters.
But Jesus' victory overtemptation in the wilderness
didn't just prove who he was.
It purchased freedom for us tolive differently.
Because of Jesus, we are nolonger slaves to sin or self.
(22:53):
We are free to serve a good andgracious master in joy.
So what does life look likewhen we truly live in the
freedom and fullness Jesus wonfor us?
Let's envision it, because God'scommand in Deuteronomy 6.13
isn't just an ancient ideal.
It's a present reality forevery believer indwelt by His
(23:15):
Spirit.
This is where we get to see howthings can and should be
different because of Him.
Imagine a life where fearingGod is not a distant theological
concept but a daily heartbeat,where your awe of Him shapes
every decision, everyconversation, every thought.
Imagine serving Him not as areluctant obligation but as the
(23:38):
natural overflow of love for theone who rescued you.
Picture swearing by his namenot only in formal vows but in
the everyday profession of yourloyalty to him, through your
words, your integrity and yourunwavering faith.
Because of Jesus, you can beginliving Deuteronomy 6.13 today
(23:59):
in real, practical ways.
1.
Fear, which means see God,rightly Ask the Spirit to open
your eyes to His greatness,goodness and love.
When you see Him as he truly is, awe will replace apathy and
reverence will flow naturallyinto obedience.
(24:19):
Two serve, which meanssurrender joyfully.
Lay down the lie that servingGod is drudgery.
Instead, step into the freedomof belonging to a good and
gracious master who delights inyou.
Serve him not out of compulsionbut because you want to.
(24:40):
And three swear, which meansdeclare your allegiance.
Let your words, commitments anddaily integrity be an open
profession that you belong toJesus, whether in public or
private.
Live in a way that says I amhis and he is mine.
(25:05):
This is what life can look likeon the other side of the
wilderness, where fear becomesworship, service becomes joy and
allegiance becomes your naturalposture.
And because Jesus fulfilledevery command in our place, this
isn't just an ideal.
It's possible for you right nowBecause of Jesus.
This isn't wishful thinking.
His Spirit empowers us to seeGod rightly, to trust Him
(25:29):
completely and to delight in Hiscommands.
This is the kind of life Moseslonged for Israel to know and
the kind of life we actually canlive now, because Jesus
fulfilled every command in ourplace and placed His
righteousness on us, and that'sgood news.
I'm going to end this episodewith our final recap, for our
(25:50):
God is One series.
This is the joyful part of eachseries where we get to look
back at what God has taught us.
There is purpose in thispractice, so don't skip it.
Summarizing our learning is howwe move it into long-term
memory.
So I'm just super excited totake a few moments to recap each
episode for you.
Again.
(26:11):
All of this is included wordfor word in the transcripts
available to our Abitable Pluscommunity.
You can just print it out andtake word in the transcripts
available to our Abidable Pluscommunity.
You can just print it out andtake notes in the margins.
In our opening episode of theGod is One series, number 54, we
set the stage for our deep diveinto Deuteronomy 6, 4-13, the
Shema and the call to rememberwho God is, what he has done and
(26:33):
who we are because of Him.
We looked at why Deuteronomy issuch an important book, quoted
over 80 times in the NewTestament and beloved even by
Jesus Himself, who drew from it,as we just saw, three times
when resisting Satan in thewilderness.
Far from being a redundantsecond law, deuteronomy is
(26:53):
Moses' final farewell sermon toIsrael before they enter the
promised land.
It's a heartfelt plea to remainfaithful to the God who rescued
them.
To give context, we walkedthrough the Pentateuch, Genesis
through Deuteronomy, and saw howthese books reveal God's holy
nature, his invitation to liveset apart and his missional
(27:15):
heart for the nations.
We also took a fresh look atMoses, not as a flawless hero,
but as a weak and humble manwhom God equipped to lead his
people and to write the wordsthat still call us to
faithfulness today.
The law given in love was forIsrael's good, but they couldn't
keep it perfectly.
This pointed to our need for anew covenant, fulfilled in Jesus
(27:39):
, who writes God's law on ourhearts and becomes our
once-for-all sacrifice.
The big idea in episode 54 wasMoses in Deuteronomy calls out
to us remember, remember him.
Next in our series was episode56, which was part one of two on
Deuteronomy 6.4, hear, o Israel, the Lord, our God.
(28:02):
The Lord is one.
In this first episode on theShema, we explored what it
really means to hear this verse,not just as background noise,
but in the way scripture intendshearing that leads to obedience
.
Moses wasn't calling Israel topassive listening, but to an
active, lifelong response to thetruth that Yahweh alone is God.
(28:25):
We looked at the Hebrew behindthe words, learning that Shema
means hear and obey and that theLord is Yahweh, the personal
name God revealed to Moses atthe burning bush.
This name declares His eternalexistence, self-sufficiency and
faithfulness to His covenantpromises.
The word one here points toGod's exclusivity.
(28:48):
There is no other besides Him,and God didn't ask Israel to
trust this claim withoutevidence.
Through the exodus miracles andHis ongoing provision, he had
already proven again and againthat he alone is God.
We also face the culturaltension of declaring the Lord is
one today.
(29:08):
The Bible leaves no room formoral relativism or a many paths
to God approach.
Every worldview is exclusive insome way.
The real question is which onebest explains reality and is
supported by the unity ofscripture, history and evidence.
The big takeaway for episode 56was this isn't an arrogant or
(29:32):
unloving claim.
God's declaration that he aloneis God is an act of love, an
invitation to trust the only onewho can save, sustain and
satisfy.
And if this is true, it doesn'tjust require our agreement, it
calls for our allegiance.
In part 2 on Deuteronomy 6-4,which was episode 57, we asked
(29:55):
if Yahweh alone is God, howshould we live?
We went back to the Hebrew wordShema, hearing that leads to
obedience, and confronted a hardtruth Knowing that God is the
one true God isn't enough.
We must live like it.
Just like Israel was tempted bythe gods of Egypt behind them
(30:15):
and the gods of Canaan ahead ofthem, we too are tempted to
return to our old idols or blendour faith with the gods of our
culture comfort, approval,success, pleasure and
self-reliance.
We traced Israel's repeatedcycle of forgetting and
syncretism Yahweh, plussomething else, and saw that it
(30:38):
always ended in destruction.
The problem wasn't justbehavior, it was the heart, and
we have the same problem.
We need more than willpower, weneed new hearts, grace in
abundance and a Redeemer whosaves us from ourselves.
That's the story the Bibletells from the beginning to the
end the one true God revealinghimself through his acts of
(31:01):
salvation, culminating in Jesusthe great I Am, who made the
same exclusive claim as hisFather and proved it through his
perfect life, sacrificial deathand victorious resurrection.
Every other worldview says do.
Only Jesus says done.
(31:21):
The big idea in episode 57 wasYahweh is the one true God.
Worship Him alone.
When we know who God is,idolatry becomes absurd.
Like Peter, we can say Lord, towhom shall we go?
You have the words of eternallife.
If he alone is God, there isnowhere else to go, no one else
(31:44):
to trust and nothing left to dobut hear and obey.
Episode 58 was on Deuteronomy6.5.
This well-known verse calls usto love the Lord, your God, with
all your heart, with all yoursoul and with all your might.
But before we can respond toGod with that kind of love, we
have to clear away ourmisunderstandings of love shaped
(32:07):
by imperfect human examples andpast hurt.
I shared the story of ouradopted son, liam, who didn't
love us first.
We loved him first.
Over the years, that love hastransformed our son to look and
act more like and I talked aboutspecifically his dad.
The same is true for us and ourGod.
We love because he first lovedus.
(32:31):
The Hebrew word for love here isachava, not just a feeling but
an action rooted in God's owncharacter.
He set his love on us notbecause we earned it, but
because of his grace.
Our love for him is meant to bean active response to his love
for us To love God with all ofour heart.
Levav means from the center ofour whole existence, mind,
(32:55):
emotions, desires and decisions,with all of our soul.
Nefesh means with our entirephysical being in life and with
all of our might.
Me'od means with our muchness,every opportunity, capacity and
resource.
Yes, it sounds impossible.
Until we remember this, the keyto loving God has nothing to do
(33:18):
with our own ability.
He loved us first and HisSpirit empowers us to keep
loving Him.
That's why this command isn'tburdensome.
In fact, jesus says His yoke iseasy and His burden is light,
in Matthew 11, 28-30.
Here's the big idea we arecommanded to love God with all
our heart, soul and might, andthis is not a burden.
(33:41):
It's the most natural responseto his everlasting love for us.
When we truly know who he isand what he's done, and who we
are in him, loving him becomesjoy, and the more time we spend
with him, the more we love him,the more we look like him and
the more we want to live for him.
Next is episode 59 onDeuteronomy 6, 6, which says
(34:05):
these words that I command youtoday shall be on your heart.
In Israel's history, god's wordwas precious, sometimes
literally kept behind thecurtain in the tabernacle.
Yet over time, entiregenerations lost it.
During the judges' and Josiah'sreign, and even after the exile
, the law was forgotten untilsomeone rediscovered it and
(34:25):
revival followed.
Psalm 119, likely written inthe post-exile return, reflects
the psalmist's desperate longingto have God's word deep in the
heart, not just the mind.
Today we have unprecedentedaccess to scripture, yet it so
often goes unopened.
The real problem isn't access,it's our resistance to God's
(34:47):
authority and our tendency toapproach his commands casually.
Deuteronomy 6.6 calls forsomething far deeper letting His
words dwell in us so fully thatthey shape, guard and guide us
from the inside out.
Through word study and crossreferences, we see that on your
heart means actively placing,storing, treasuring, guarding,
(35:11):
writing and holding fast toGod's Word, welcoming it to
dwell in the very center of whowe are.
But here's the hope God neverintended for us to do this in
our own strength.
Chaya shall be in.
This verse carries both acommand and a promise.
Under the new covenant, godhimself writes his law on our
(35:32):
hearts that's Jeremiah 31-33,through his spirit.
Writes His law on our heartsthat's Jeremiah 31-33, through
His Spirit.
This transforms Deuteronomy 6-6from a crushing obligation into
a grace-filled reality.
Yes, we actively study,meditate and obey, but our
effort is a Spirit-empoweredresponse to God's initiating
grace.
As Calvin said, the Spirit usesthe Word to make it effective.
(35:56):
The big idea in episode 59, itis God who puts His Word on your
heart and our study is a joyful, grace-driven response to that
work.
When we engage in the Bible, wearen't just reading another
book.
We're partnering with God inthe very process.
He promised writing His truthinto the deepest part of who we
(36:17):
are, so that we might truly live.
Next is episode 60 andDeuteronomy 6-7, which says you
shall teach them diligently toyour children and shall talk of
them when you sit in your house,when you walk by the way, when
you lie down and when you rise.
This isn't a call toperformance or a crushing burden
(36:37):
.
It's the natural overflow of alife saturated with God's word.
We saw that when his word isengraved on our hearts, it will
inevitably spill out into everypart of our lives, and Moses
shows us where that overflowlands in the next generation.
From Genesis to the Gospels,god's heart beats for
(36:58):
generational faithfulness.
He commands His people to passHis truth on, not just in formal
teaching but in everydaymoments.
The Hebrew word for teachdiligently is shanan, meaning to
sharpen like a blade.
This isn't casual instruction.
It's intentional, repeated,precise work to equip those who
(37:20):
follow us to stand firm, fightlies and know their God.
We see this beautifully inGod's design for the Passover,
where children are present, askquestions and receive answers
grounded in personal testimony.
This is what the Lord did forme when he brought me out of
Egypt.
That's the pattern Life storyand scripture woven together so
(37:44):
the next generation knows notjust the law of God, but the God
of the law.
The gospel reminds us.
Our children, like us, cannotobey perfectly.
They need Christ to transformtheir hearts.
Our goal isn't tidy morality,but pointing them to the cross
again and again, in discipline,in joy and in ordinary
(38:08):
conversations.
The big idea for episode 60 wasoverflowing with scripture into
the lives of your children andeveryone you influence will be
as natural as breathing when youabide in him.
Practically, this meansstarting with your own heart,
sharing what you're learning inreal time, seizing everyday
moments, asking spirit-ledquestions and modeling
(38:31):
repentance.
It's not about perfection butsaturation, letting God's word
dwell richly in you so that itflows through you to the next
generation.
Episode 61 was based onDeuteronomy 6, verses 8 and 9.
You shall bind them as a signon your hand and they shall be
(38:51):
as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on thedoorposts of your house and on
your gates.
We unpacked what it truly meansto bind God's word to our hands,
foreheads and even ourdoorposts, and questioned
whether Moses intended thisliterally or metaphorically.
Rather than being a legalisticritual, we saw that these
commands are invitations tocultivate a life wholly shaped
(39:15):
by love for God.
Scripture isn't meant for dustyshelves or church services only
.
It's meant to saturate everyrealm of our lives our habits,
homes, hearts and even our dailyrhythms.
Drawing on examples fromancient Israel and modern-day
practice, we learned how evenone quiet moment under the
(39:35):
covers with the word can renewour perspective.
The inner narrative of I haveto do this can be replaced with
the liberating truth of I get todo this because responding to
God's commands flows from love,not obligation.
The big idea in episode 61 wasGod's word isn't meant to stay
(39:55):
inside a book.
It's meant to shape our wholelives.
When we bind it to our hands,hearts and homes, it becomes a
daily expression of love, notlegalism, and transforms routine
moments into sacred ones.
For our next episode, number 62,we looked at the first part of
Deuteronomy, 6.10, which saysand when the Lord, your God,
(40:18):
brings you into the land that heswore to your fathers, to
Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob,to give you.
This verse shifts our focusfrom commands to promises.
Up to now, moses has beenreminding Israel how to love God
with all their heart, soul andmight, to keep his words on
their heart and to teach themdiligently.
(40:38):
Now he points them forward towhat God will do.
The first thing we see is thatit's the Lord, your God, who
brings them in.
They're not walking into thepromised land because of their
strength, numbers or strategy.
This is His work, his timing,his covenant promise.
Unfolding the land is a gift,not anything they've earned.
(41:01):
Moses anchors this in God'sfaithfulness to Abraham, isaac
and Jacob.
These are promises centuriesold, yet God is about to fulfill
them exactly as he said.
This is a reminder for us too.
Every blessing we receive inChrist is grounded in God's
unchanging character andcovenant love, not our
(41:23):
performance.
There's also a subtle butpowerful encouragement here God
is not just the promise maker,he's the promise keeper, what he
says he will do.
The Israelites could look backat the exodus, the wilderness
and His provision and see theevidence.
We can look back at all thattoo, as well as the cross and
(41:47):
the empty tomb.
The big idea of episode 62 wasGod's promises are certain
because they rest on Hisfaithfulness, not our
faithfulness, and when he bringsus into His blessings.
It's always a gift of grace.
This opening phrase inDeuteronomy 6.10 reminds us that
the God who began the work willbring it into completion.
(42:10):
Our role is to trust Him, walkwith Him and remember that every
promised land moment in ourlives is a testament to His
glory, not ours.
And before we close withDeuteronomy 6.13 from today,
last week we bundled the rest ofDeuteronomy 6.10 with verses 11
(42:31):
and 12 for episode 63.
These verses talk about thepromised land with great and
good cities that you did notbuild and houses full of all
good things that you did notfill, and cisterns that you did
not dig, and vineyards and olivetrees that you did not plant.
And when you eat and are full,then take care lest you forget
(42:51):
the Lord, who brought you out ofthe land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery.
We saw that Moses paints avivid picture of grace.
Israel is about to step intobuilt cities, stocked houses,
dug cisterns and maturevineyards that they didn't labor
for.
But the abundance comes with awarning take care lest you
(43:12):
forget the Lord.
This isn't theoretical forMoses.
The same man urging Israel toremember is the man who himself
failed at Meribah, striking therock instead of speaking to it.
He writes his own failures intoscripture, not as a flawless
hero, but as a friend of God wholearned the grief of
(43:32):
forgetfulness and the mercy ofGod.
We traced Israel's story to showwhy forgetting is so tempting.
Slavery in Egypt meant no restand no ownership.
The wilderness was full oftents, manna and daily
dependents, and thenacknowledged their sudden shift
to security and plenty in Canaan.
(43:53):
Prosperity brings a uniquedanger pride and amnesia.
We named our two recurringproblems.
One we tell God how he ought togive his gifts.
Israel was bored with the manna, a golden calf they could
manage.
Achan's upgrade at Jericho andour own modern.
(44:14):
I'll trust you when it looks myway.
And two after receiving, we tryto take the credit.
Full cupboards trick us intobelieving we were the ones who
filled them.
Scripture presses back what doyou have that you did not
receive?
And we learn that forgetting inDeuteronomy isn't a memory
(44:34):
lapse.
It's a moral choice, a heartturning from the giver to the
gifts.
The law can warn, guide andconvict, but it can't change the
heart.
It can't save us.
That's why the story leansforward to Jesus.
The striking twist in thisepisode, though Moses never
(44:55):
entered the land in his lifetime.
He stands spiritually orphysically in the land with
Jesus at the transfiguration.
What the law could not do,grace did.
The real promised land is God'spresence and Jesus brings us in
that moment, shouts the gospelto us.
(45:15):
The story of Deuteronomy 6doesn't end in our striving.
It ends in His sufficiency.
The big idea of episode 63,moses isn't the hero of the
story, israel isn't the hero ofthe story.
You're not the hero of thestory.
Jesus is the hero of the story.
(45:36):
I closed by calling us to live,like that's true, in seasons of
fullness.
Remember the giver, letgratitude replace pride, point
every blessing back to the onewho brought us out of the house
of slavery and into a grace.
We did not earn Cities, wedidn't build Wells, we didn't
(45:57):
dig fruit, we didn't grow allbecause of Jesus.
Well, friends, what a joy it'sbeen to walk through Deuteronomy
6, 4-13 with you.
Week after week, we've pressedinto what it means to love the
Lord with all our heart, souland might, to keep His word on
our hearts, to teach itdiligently, to remember the
(46:18):
giver in seasons of abundanceand to see Jesus as the hero of
the story from start to finish.
I pray these truths don't juststay in your notes or in your
headphones.
I pray they're saturating youreveryday life.
Now I have some news.
I'm going to be taking a breakfrom the podcast for surgery and
(46:38):
an unknown recovery time.
I don't know yet how long I'llbe out, but I do know this.
I'll be keeping you updatedthrough our email newsletter, so
if you're not alreadysubscribed, take two seconds and
do that now.
There's a link right in theepisode description.
That's where I'll share anyupdates, new resources and when
I'm ready to come back to themic and before I step away for
(47:01):
this break, I have to circleback to tell you more of the
story of a study that wasn't onmy radar at all until yesterday.
I woke up with no plans to startsomething new, but God had
other plans.
In the quiet, he brought meback to Matthew 4, 1-11, the
passage he used years ago todraw me back to himself when I
(47:22):
was out of church, out of hisword and wandering in my own
wilderness, the one that made merealize that Jesus answered
every single temptation withscripture.
So if the Son of God believedGod's word was that important,
how could I not?
That realization years ago sentme on a 40-day crazy
(47:44):
read-through-the-Bible journey,which brought me back to Him and
eventually became thefoundation for everything here
at Abitable.
And yesterday it became thefoundation for something else a
brand new study called Into theWilderness.
As I faced this surgery and anunknown recovery, I kept
thinking I don't want to take abreak from studying God's word
(48:07):
and I don't want to leave youwithout something to dig into.
So in just a few hours, thestudy came together.
Jason and I will be workingthrough it during this season
and if you feel so led, you cantoo.
Again, here's what it's allabout.
We will step into the desertwith Jesus and discover just how
much our salvation hinged onHis victory over temptation.
(48:31):
We'll see how every wordmattered, how he fought lies
with truth, why his sinlessnesshere was essential for our
salvation and how the same wordthat sustained him is the word
that sustains us.
This is a study for the one inthe wilderness, the one longing
(48:51):
for victory over temptation orthe one who simply wants to know
Jesus more deeply.
You can grab your copy today.
The link's in the description.
Whether it makes it to thepodcast someday or stays a
special study we do in thisunique season.
I can't wait to see what Goddoes with it.
Before I sign off for a bit, Ihave to say thank you to my
(49:14):
buddy, ian, who is a full-timeworking dad of five, who's had
some crazy personal things goingon in this season and yet has
continued to faithfully edit myepisodes over the last year for
free, and also a massive thanksto his wife, kelsey, for sharing
his time with our ministry.
They have been such a gift tome and to all of you because,
(49:36):
trust me, you don't want to hearwhat this podcast sounds like
before Ian gets his hands on it.
So pray blessing over them,would you.
When I return, it will be withJason for our Ask Us Anything
series.
So if you haven't submittedyour anonymous question yet, the
link to do that is in thisepisode description.
And while I'm away, you canhelp keep the Abitable podcast
(49:59):
alive and keep my download statsfrom flatlining by going back
to listen to episodes you maybehaven't gotten to hear yet.
Think of it as watering theplants while I'm gone, thank you
.
Thank you for being here withme, for praying for me and
encouraging me for loving God'sWord and for walking through it
with me, for praying for me andencouraging me for loving God's
word and for walking through itwith me.
(50:21):
I love you all so dearly, andthat's it for this episode and
this series.
If you know someone who wouldbe blessed by what you just
heard, please share the AbidablePodcast with them.
Keep spreading the word so wecan make much of the word.
Drop us a review, tell us whatyou love and what you're
(50:42):
learning.
Check out the link to learnmore about partnering with us by
buying us a coffee one time orby becoming an Abitable Plus
member.
For those of you looking for anew study, I hope you'll pick up
the Into the Wilderness onethat just launched.
Or visit Abitablecom and checkout any of our learning products
, including our 20-lesson how toStudy the Bible course.
(51:03):
I will pray for us and thenclose us out with our memory
work for our entire passage.
Lord, you are one.
There is no other God besidesyou.
You alone are worthy of all ourheart, all our soul, all our
might.
We praise you as the promisekeeper, the God who brought
(51:26):
Israel into the land that youswore to Abraham, isaac and
Jacob, and the same God who hasbrought us out of the house of
slavery through the blood ofJesus.
We thank you that every gift wehave, from the breath in our
lungs to the homes we live in,is grace upon grace from your
hand.
Forgive us, lord, for the timesthat we have forgotten you in
(51:49):
our abundance, when we've turnedour hearts from the giver to
the gifts.
Forgive us for when we havebeen casual with your word, slow
to teach it and quick to trustin ourselves.
Forgive us for loving you withonly part of our hearts, holding
back our soul or offering youonly what is convenient instead
(52:11):
of our whole might.
Write your word deeply on ourhearts.
Let it be on our lips when werise and when we lie down, when
we sit at home and when we walkalong the way.
Help us to remember you inevery season, in wilderness and
in abundance, and to point thenext generation to you with joy
(52:34):
and urgency.
Keep us from forgetting, keepus abiding and let our lives
tell the truth that Jesus is thehero of the story, forever and
always.
In his name we pray amen.
Let's close by doing our memorywork together.
I'm going to say all ofDeuteronomy 6, 4-13.
(52:57):
One time, say it out loud withme or quietly to yourself Hear O
Israel, the Lord, our God.
The Lord is one.
You shall love the Lord, yourGod, with all your heart and
with all your soul and with allyour might.
And these words that I commandyou today shall be on your heart
(53:18):
.
You shall teach them diligentlyto your children and shall talk
of them when you sit in yourhouse and when you walk by the
way, and when you lie down andwhen you rise.
You shall bind them as a signon your hand and they shall be
as frontlets between your eyes.
(53:38):
You shall write them on thedoorposts of your house and on
your gates.
And when the Lord, your God,brings you into the land that he
swore to your fathers, toAbraham, to Isaac and to Jacob,
to give you, with great and goodcities that you did not build
and houses full of all goodthings that you did not fill,
(54:01):
and cisterns that you did notdig, and vineyards and olive
trees that you did not plant,and when you eat and are full,
then take care lest you forgetthe Lord who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of thehouse of slavery.
It is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear him, you shallserve, and by his name you shall
(54:24):
swear.
Deuteronomy 6, 4-13.
Hey friend, great job.
No matter whether you got someof it or all of it, keep going.
Keep working on it andpracticing so that this
beautifully powerful passagewill be hidden in your heart
forever.
And remember you are able toabide in the Bible.
(54:47):
We'll see you next time.
Until then, let's abide.
Hey guys, this is Kate from Abitablecom and you're
listening to the AbitablePodcast.
I'm just a regular wife and momwho's had my life transformed
by learning to study the Bibleon my own.
If I can, you can.
On this show, I help you knowand love God more by abiding in
Him through His Word yourself.
(00:21):
Fear, serve, swear.
It is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear Him, you shallserve, and by His name you shall
swear.
What does that mean?
(00:41):
This is Deuteronomy 6.13,.
Our very last verse in our Godis One series.
We've been in this passage for10 weeks.
At the end of this episode, Iwill give you a brief recap of
each episode in the series so wecan together remember all that
God has taught us in thisspecial season together.
But first, if you're a big fanof the Abidable podcast, check
(01:04):
out the link in the showdescription to learn more about
partnering with us by buying usa coffee or by becoming a member
of our Abidable Plus community.
So, deuteronomy 6.13, fear God,serve God, swear by His name.
Today we're going to dosomething fun, simple and
straightforward.
We're going to take this versethrough the abidable process
(01:27):
that we teach in our how toStudy the Bible course.
So first we pray, lord God,open the eyes of our hearts to
see and understand what you havecommanded us to do in this
verse.
Holy Spirit, guide us into alltruth.
Let your word dwell in usrichly as we abide in you In
Jesus' name, amen.
(01:48):
We'd next do some saturationwith this verse, practicing it
so we can memorize it and hideit in our heart.
Perhaps this would look likewriting it on the window with a
window marker it is the Lord,your God.
You shall fear him, you shallserve, and by his name you shall
swear.
God, you shall fear him, youshall serve, and by his name you
shall swear.
You'd record it five times onyour phone's voice memo app it
(02:08):
is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear him, you shallserve, and by his name you shall
swear.
Maybe you'd letter it as weteach you, by taking the first
letter of each word in the verseand put it in scrabble tiles or
fridge magnets in your kitchen,in a place where you'd see it
repeatedly as you studied theverse.
It is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear Him, you shallserve, and by His name you shall
(02:30):
swear.
Repetition and involvingmultiple senses are your friends
when it comes to memorization,then we'd look at translation
comparison.
How do other versions of theBible handle Deuteronomy 6.13?
How do other versions of theBible handle Deuteronomy 6.13?
The NKJV, the NIV and the CSBall use the word oaths in God's
(02:51):
name instead of by his name.
You shall swear, like the ESV.
The NASB is similar to the ESVand says swear by his name.
Both the CSB and NASB sayworship him instead of serve him
, like the ESV.
So that gives us a little moreinformation, but we're still
(03:14):
wanting to work toward moreclarification of these terms
fear, serve and swear.
So next we'd move on to wordstudy, cross-references and
commentary.
Let's start with fear, thenwe'll move on to serve and swear
.
What does it mean to fear God?
The Hebrew word for fear isyareh and can mean to fear, be
afraid, stand in awe of, be awed.
(03:37):
Reverence, honor, respect,revere.
Our cross references do anamazing job of adding color and
meaning to this definition.
First, is fearing God optional?
Deuteronomy 10.12 shows us itis not.
And now Israel, what does theLord, your God, require of you
(03:58):
but to fear the Lord, your God,to walk in all His ways, to love
Him, to serve the Lord, yourGod, with all your heart and
with all your soul.
God requires that we fear himand Deuteronomy 5.29 tells us
why, oh that they had such aheart as this, always to fear me
and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with
(04:21):
them and with their descendantsforever.
When we fear God and keep Hiscommandments, we are blessed,
and so are all our descendantsforever.
What does it mean to fear theLord?
Psalm 33 8 tells us plainly Letall the earth fear the Lord.
Let all the inhabitants of theworld stand in awe of Him.
(04:41):
Inhabitants of the world, standin awe of Him.
To fear God is to stand in aweof Him.
What is promised to those whofear the Lord?
Psalm 34, verses 7 and 9, tellus the angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear Him anddelivers them.
O, fear the Lord, you, hissaints, for those who fear him
(05:05):
have no lack.
God himself surrounds andprotects those who fear him, and
they lack nothing.
How do you fear the Lord?
Deuteronomy 6, 2 is clear Fearthe Lord, your God, you and your
son and your son's son, bykeeping all his statutes and
commandments, which I commandyou all the days of your life,
(05:28):
and that your days may be long.
Fear God by obeying his wordand teaching it to future
generations.
Moving on to the commentarysection, david Guzik expounds on
this idea of fearing God bysaying when we fear God, the
idea is not of a shrinking fearfrom an angry God.
Instead, the idea of fear ismore in the concept of an
(05:50):
awe-filled respect, an innerrepulsion at the idea of
offending such a great, lovingGod who has done so much for us.
In summary, we can see that tofear God is to live in continual
awe of who he is, responding toHis greatness, goodness and
love with deep reverence,wholehearted obedience and a
(06:13):
desire to honor Him in everyarea of life.
It's not a paralyzing dread,but a posture of worship that
treasures His commands, trustsHis promises and hates the
thought of grieving him.
This kind of fear draws uscloser to him, brings blessing
to us and to future generations,and keeps our hearts anchored
(06:33):
in the joy and safety of hispresence.
Next, we have serve him.
We'll take this through thesame process.
The Hebrew word for serve isavad and can mean to labor, do
work, serve as subjects, bebondsmen, worship For
cross-references.
We have several places inDeuteronomy, like 10, 20, and 13
(06:57):
, 4, that say serve him and holdfast to him.
Cross-referencing arecross-references one of my
favorite things to do.
We see that serving isfrequently tied to this idea of
holding fast and cleaving to God, walking in all His ways,
loving Him, clinging to Him.
There's even a New Testamentcross-reference for Deuteronomy
(07:19):
10.20, which talks aboutremaining faithful to the Lord
with steadfast purpose, as aresponse to the grace of God.
This idea of bond-servant isunfamiliar to us, and so, if you
were doing this study and cameacross this word, what we teach
you to do in the course is todig further, and if you looked
up this word in a simple search,you'd find it frequently in the
(07:40):
New Testament.
In fact, at least five NewTestament authors Paul, james
the brother of Jesus, peter,jude and John all call
themselves slaves orbondservants of Christ.
This term in the Greek isdoulos and communicates deep
surrender, loyalty and willingservice to their master,
(08:02):
motivated not by compulsion butby love.
Note that on this list we havePeter, a three-time denier of
Christ.
Paul, a violent persecutor ofthe early church, and James, the
brother of Jesus, who wasinitially embarrassed by and
opposed to his brother'sministry.
These are the men introducingthemselves in their letters as
(08:25):
bond servants of Christ.
This is a shock to our systemand we'll need to come back to
this in a little bit.
So, in summary, to serve God isto give Him your whole heart,
to cling to Him in love, loyaltyand trust, walking in His ways
not because you have to butbecause you want to.
It's the posture of abondservant joyfully surrendered
(08:46):
to a good and gracious master.
This kind of service flows outof gratitude for his mercy and
grace and it's marked bysteadfast devotion that says I
am yours, lord, all that I am,all that I have, is for you.
Finally, we have this wordswear, and by his name you shall
(09:07):
swear.
What does that mean?
We know people today say Iswear to God, or things like
cross my heart and hope to die,or I swear on my grandmother's
grave.
Is that kind of what this means?
Digging into the definition,cross-references and examples
here is critical to ourunderstanding.
Remember, we can't read our ownmodern-day biases or
(09:28):
experiences into the historictext of this ancient book.
A verse in the Bible can nevermean something to us that it
didn't mean to the originalintended audience.
So let's start by looking atthe definition for this word
swear, which in the Hebrew isshava.
(09:48):
Here we get that samedefinition we got last week in
Deuteronomy 6, 12, where welearned that God swore to their
fathers that they would enterthe promised land.
This word means to take an oathto be complete to seven oneself.
And to swear by God's namemeans to take an oath in his
name which is connected to hisfame, reputation and glory.
This one was the most confusingto me.
(10:09):
I need cross-references andsome commentary to help me
understand this ancient practicemore clearly.
We have severalcross-references for taking an
oath Leviticus 19.12, whichwarns against profaning God's
name by swearing falsely.
Joshua 2.12, which shows anoath invoking the Lord as the
guarantee of protection.
(10:29):
Psalm 63.11, which linksswearing by God with rejoicing
in Him.
Isaiah 65.15, which contrastsGod's name with the names of
false gods.
And Jeremiah 5, verses 2 and 7,which lament those who swear
falsely, even while using God'sname.
Side note, if you want a listof the Hebrew words and
(10:52):
cross-references I'm mentioning,you can find the full
transcript for this episode inour new Abidable Plus membership
community.
So in the time of Moses andIsrael's entry into the promised
land, an oath was more thanjust a promise.
It was a public, bindingdeclaration made before God,
often in covenant agreements orlegal matters.
(11:13):
To swear by the name of theLord was to call on His
character as witness and judgeover your words.
Doing so invoked both Hisblessing for truth and his
judgment for falsehood.
In contrast, swearing by othergods was an act of allegiance to
them, which is why Israel wascommanded to swear only by
(11:33):
Yahweh.
David Guzik reminds us thatwhile Jesus warns against
careless oath-taking in Matthew5, 33-37, there is still a
permissible use of oaths amongGod's people, since God Himself
swore an oath in Hebrews 6, 13.
The instruction here is simpleyou are to swear an oath only in
(11:54):
the name of the Lord, not inthe name of any other God.
Matthew Henry adds swear by Himonly in all treaties and
covenants with the other nationsand do not compliment them so
far as to swear by their gods.
He also notes that swearing byGod's name can represent an open
profession of faith, as inIsaiah 45, 23,.
(12:16):
Every tongue shall swear,explained in Romans 14, 11 as
confessing God.
Jonathan Edwards clarifies thatpublic profession in this sense
includes both present faith andfuture commitment, your
declaration of belief and yourvow to live in light of it.
That's why, in scripture,swearing in God's name is often
(12:38):
shorthand for openly aligningyourself with Him and binding
yourself to live in faithfulobedience.
In short, for Israel, swearingby God's name was both a
declaration of allegiance and anact of worship.
It was never to be done lightly, never in the name of another
God, and always as an expressionof truth, loyalty and devotion
(13:01):
to Yahweh alone.
When we step back and take inall of Deuteronomy 6, 4-13, the
picture becomes beautifullyclear.
God alone is God, yahweh, theone true God, the only one
worthy of our worship.
He has proven this to us, notjust by declaring it, but by
(13:22):
revealing Himself through Hismighty works, his covenant
faithfulness and His steadfastlove for His people.
Because of who he is and allhe's done, we are called to
respond with our whole lives.
It's here that the commands tofear, serve and swear take on
their full weight.
To fear Him is to live incontinual awe, revering His
(13:45):
greatness and goodness,delighting to obey and hating
the thought of grieving the onewe love.
To serve Him is to joyfullysurrender as His beloved
bondservant, clinging to Him inlove and loyalty, offering every
part of our lives in gratitudefor His mercy.
To swear by His name is toopenly declare our allegiance,
(14:09):
living in truth and devotion andrefusing to give that loyalty
to any other.
Together, these commands form aposture of life that keeps our
hearts faithful, our worshippure and our daily walk anchored
in God's presence.
Our worship pure and our dailywalk anchored in God's presence.
But here's the challenge.
We live in the modern worldwith its constant noise,
(14:30):
distractions and temptationspulling at our devotion.
So what happens when ourculture, circumstances or even
our own hearts make it hard tofear, serve and swear by the
Lord alone?
That's what we're going to talkabout next.
If we're honest, the wordbondservant makes us flinch.
(14:54):
Earthly masters can be abusiveand untrustworthy, so total
surrender feels unsafe.
But God is not like that.
He is a good master, holy,faithful and kind.
If our hearts resist giving himeverything, it's usually
because we aren't seeing himrightly.
How do we see him rightly?
We abide in his word, we walkin community that reflects his
(15:16):
character back to us, andultimately we need new hearts
that love what he loves.
Hold that thought.
Our age also disciples us toself-rule, we're told.
Follow your heart, live yourtruth.
And famously, I am the masterof my fate, I am the captain of
(15:37):
my soul.
Autonomy sounds noble until itbecomes our functional God, then
even good gifts, achievement,image, safety, comfort start
calling the shots.
Here's the crisis when we won'tfear, serve and swear by the
Lord alone, we end up fearing,serving and swearing by
(15:58):
something else Reputation,success, approval.
Reputation success, approval,control and those masters never
love us.
Back Into that exact pressurecooker.
Jesus steps into the wilderness.
Every lie that lures us awayfrom fearing, serving and
swearing by the Lord meets Himthere and he answers with.
(16:21):
It is written.
We'll be right back after thismessage.
Kids are heading back to school,but what about you?
As we've walked throughDeuteronomy 6.13 together today,
you've seen the simple,repeatable steps I use to study
God's Word, and you can learnthem too in our how to Study the
(16:42):
Bible course.
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love God by abiding in Himthrough His Word.
You'll learn not just why tostudy, but how, with practical
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(17:03):
beginners, and every lessoncomes with workbook pages to
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when you finish.
So, while your kids are growingin the classroom.
You can be growing in the Word.
Start today by clicking thelink in this episode's
(17:23):
description.
And now back to the show.
Let's now look at how Jesusresponds to the very temptations
that pull at our devotion.
This is Matthew 4, verses 1-11.
Then Jesus was led up by theSpirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil and afterfasting forty days and forty
(17:47):
nights, he was hungry.
And the tempter came and saidto him If you are the Son of God
, command these stones to becomeloaves of bread.
But he answered it is writtenman shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word thatcomes from the mouth of God.
Shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes
(18:07):
from the mouth of God.
Then the devil took him up tothe holy city and set him on the
pinnacle of the temple and saidto him If you are the Son of
God, throw yourself down, for itis written he will command his
angels concerning you, and ontheir hands they will bear you
up lest you strike your footagainst a stone.
Their hands, they will bear youup lest you strike your foot
(18:28):
against a stone.
Jesus said to him Again it iswritten, you shall not put the
Lord, your God, to the test.
Again, the devil took him to avery high mountain and showed
him all the kingdoms of theworld and their glory, and he
said to him All these I willgive you if you will fall down
and worship me.
Then Jesus said to him Be gone,satan, for it is written you
(18:48):
shall worship the Lord, your God, and him only shall you serve.
Then the devil left him and,behold, angels came and were
ministering to him.
The three temptations Jesusfaced in the wilderness weren't
random.
They directly mirrored thestruggles Israel faced in the
wilderness.
And't random.
They directly mirrored thestruggles Israel faced in the
wilderness and the very commandswe've been studying in
(19:09):
Deuteronomy.
And every time, jesus respondedwith scripture from Deuteronomy
, perfectly living out what weso often fail to do.
The first temptation wasturning stones into bread.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8.3,which we read last week man
shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes
(19:29):
from the mouth of God.
Instead of doubting God'sprovision or grasping for
self-sufficiency, Jesus choosesfull dependence on the Father,
showing us what it really meansto fear Him in trust and
reverence.
The second temptation was tothrow himself from the temple to
prove God's care.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6.16,.
(19:51):
You shall not put the Lord, yourGod, to the test.
He refuses to manipulate God forproof or use his position for
selfish gain.
Here he embodies what it meansto swear by God's name in truth,
professing faith in hisgoodness without twisting it for
personal advantage.
The third temptation is to bowdown to Satan in exchange for
(20:14):
worldly kingdoms.
Jesus quotes our verse fromtoday, deuteronomy 6.13,.
You shall worship the Lord,your God, and Him only shall you
serve.
You shall worship the Lord,your God, and Him only shall you
serve.
In one decisive moment he doeswhat our wondering hearts resist
he fully serves God alone asthe rightful Master.
In every response, jesusperfectly reverses the failures
(20:41):
of Israel and ours too.
Where they grumbled, and us too, or doubted or tested or turned
aside, jesus feared, served andswore by the Lord alone.
If this passage in Matthew hasyour heart stirred, our brand
new study into the wilderness isthe perfect next step after God
is won.
In this new study, you'll stepinto the desert with Jesus and
(21:02):
see how much our salvationhinged on His victory over
temptation.
You'll learn to fight lies withtruth, understand why His
sinlessness here was essentialfor our salvation, strengthen
your foundation in God's Wordand discover how wilderness
seasons can draw you nearer toHim.
You'll also gain practicalBible study skills to help you
(21:24):
memorize and wield scripturewhen you need it most.
Whether you're in your ownwilderness, walking alongside
someone in theirs, or simplylonging to know Jesus more
deeply, this study will meet youthere and help you stand firm
in Him.
Learn more at the link in thisepisode's description.
Here's the staggering truth.
Jesus' flawless obedience inthe wilderness wasn't just an
(21:47):
inspiring example, it was asaving act.
He kept the law that we breakdaily.
He fulfilled the commandmentswe could never keep, so that his
victory over temptation couldbecome ours by grace.
And that is exactly how headdresses our deepest heart
issues the resistance tosurrender and the longing to be
(22:09):
our own master.
Here's the big idea.
Jesus did for us what we couldnever do for ourselves.
He perfectly feared the Father,served Him alone and professed
allegiance without compromise.
Deuteronomy 6.13 commands us tofear, serve and swear by the
Lord alone.
And if we're honest, that'swhere we come face to face with
(22:32):
our own limits.
On our own, we resist surrender.
We want to be our own masters.
But Jesus' victory overtemptation in the wilderness
didn't just prove who he was.
It purchased freedom for us tolive differently.
Because of Jesus, we are nolonger slaves to sin or self.
(22:53):
We are free to serve a good andgracious master in joy.
So what does life look likewhen we truly live in the
freedom and fullness Jesus wonfor us?
Let's envision it, because God'scommand in Deuteronomy 6.13
isn't just an ancient ideal.
It's a present reality forevery believer indwelt by His
(23:15):
Spirit.
This is where we get to see howthings can and should be
different because of Him.
Imagine a life where fearingGod is not a distant theological
concept but a daily heartbeat,where your awe of Him shapes
every decision, everyconversation, every thought.
Imagine serving Him not as areluctant obligation but as the
(23:38):
natural overflow of love for theone who rescued you.
Picture swearing by his namenot only in formal vows but in
the everyday profession of yourloyalty to him, through your
words, your integrity and yourunwavering faith.
Because of Jesus, you can beginliving Deuteronomy 6.13 today
(23:59):
in real, practical ways.
1.
Fear, which means see God,rightly Ask the Spirit to open
your eyes to His greatness,goodness and love.
When you see Him as he truly is, awe will replace apathy and
reverence will flow naturallyinto obedience.
(24:19):
Two serve, which meanssurrender joyfully.
Lay down the lie that servingGod is drudgery.
Instead, step into the freedomof belonging to a good and
gracious master who delights inyou.
Serve him not out of compulsionbut because you want to.
(24:40):
And three swear, which meansdeclare your allegiance.
Let your words, commitments anddaily integrity be an open
profession that you belong toJesus, whether in public or
private.
Live in a way that says I amhis and he is mine.
(25:05):
This is what life can look likeon the other side of the
wilderness, where fear becomesworship, service becomes joy and
allegiance becomes your naturalposture.
And because Jesus fulfilledevery command in our place, this
isn't just an ideal.
It's possible for you right nowBecause of Jesus.
This isn't wishful thinking.
His Spirit empowers us to seeGod rightly, to trust Him
(25:29):
completely and to delight in Hiscommands.
This is the kind of life Moseslonged for Israel to know and
the kind of life we actually canlive now, because Jesus
fulfilled every command in ourplace and placed His
righteousness on us, and that'sgood news.
I'm going to end this episodewith our final recap, for our
(25:50):
God is One series.
This is the joyful part of eachseries where we get to look
back at what God has taught us.
There is purpose in thispractice, so don't skip it.
Summarizing our learning is howwe move it into long-term
memory.
So I'm just super excited totake a few moments to recap each
episode for you.
Again.
(26:11):
All of this is included wordfor word in the transcripts
available to our Abitable Pluscommunity.
You can just print it out andtake word in the transcripts
available to our Abidable Pluscommunity.
You can just print it out andtake notes in the margins.
In our opening episode of theGod is One series, number 54, we
set the stage for our deep diveinto Deuteronomy 6, 4-13, the
Shema and the call to rememberwho God is, what he has done and
(26:33):
who we are because of Him.
We looked at why Deuteronomy issuch an important book, quoted
over 80 times in the NewTestament and beloved even by
Jesus Himself, who drew from it,as we just saw, three times
when resisting Satan in thewilderness.
Far from being a redundantsecond law, deuteronomy is
(26:53):
Moses' final farewell sermon toIsrael before they enter the
promised land.
It's a heartfelt plea to remainfaithful to the God who rescued
them.
To give context, we walkedthrough the Pentateuch, Genesis
through Deuteronomy, and saw howthese books reveal God's holy
nature, his invitation to liveset apart and his missional
(27:15):
heart for the nations.
We also took a fresh look atMoses, not as a flawless hero,
but as a weak and humble manwhom God equipped to lead his
people and to write the wordsthat still call us to
faithfulness today.
The law given in love was forIsrael's good, but they couldn't
keep it perfectly.
This pointed to our need for anew covenant, fulfilled in Jesus
(27:39):
, who writes God's law on ourhearts and becomes our
once-for-all sacrifice.
The big idea in episode 54 wasMoses in Deuteronomy calls out
to us remember, remember him.
Next in our series was episode56, which was part one of two on
Deuteronomy 6.4, hear, o Israel, the Lord, our God.
(28:02):
The Lord is one.
In this first episode on theShema, we explored what it
really means to hear this verse,not just as background noise,
but in the way scripture intendshearing that leads to obedience
.
Moses wasn't calling Israel topassive listening, but to an
active, lifelong response to thetruth that Yahweh alone is God.
(28:25):
We looked at the Hebrew behindthe words, learning that Shema
means hear and obey and that theLord is Yahweh, the personal
name God revealed to Moses atthe burning bush.
This name declares His eternalexistence, self-sufficiency and
faithfulness to His covenantpromises.
The word one here points toGod's exclusivity.
(28:48):
There is no other besides Him,and God didn't ask Israel to
trust this claim withoutevidence.
Through the exodus miracles andHis ongoing provision, he had
already proven again and againthat he alone is God.
We also face the culturaltension of declaring the Lord is
one today.
(29:08):
The Bible leaves no room formoral relativism or a many paths
to God approach.
Every worldview is exclusive insome way.
The real question is which onebest explains reality and is
supported by the unity ofscripture, history and evidence.
The big takeaway for episode 56was this isn't an arrogant or
(29:32):
unloving claim.
God's declaration that he aloneis God is an act of love, an
invitation to trust the only onewho can save, sustain and
satisfy.
And if this is true, it doesn'tjust require our agreement, it
calls for our allegiance.
In part 2 on Deuteronomy 6-4,which was episode 57, we asked
(29:55):
if Yahweh alone is God, howshould we live?
We went back to the Hebrew wordShema, hearing that leads to
obedience, and confronted a hardtruth Knowing that God is the
one true God isn't enough.
We must live like it.
Just like Israel was tempted bythe gods of Egypt behind them
(30:15):
and the gods of Canaan ahead ofthem, we too are tempted to
return to our old idols or blendour faith with the gods of our
culture comfort, approval,success, pleasure and
self-reliance.
We traced Israel's repeatedcycle of forgetting and
syncretism Yahweh, plussomething else, and saw that it
(30:38):
always ended in destruction.
The problem wasn't justbehavior, it was the heart, and
we have the same problem.
We need more than willpower, weneed new hearts, grace in
abundance and a Redeemer whosaves us from ourselves.
That's the story the Bibletells from the beginning to the
end the one true God revealinghimself through his acts of
(31:01):
salvation, culminating in Jesusthe great I Am, who made the
same exclusive claim as hisFather and proved it through his
perfect life, sacrificial deathand victorious resurrection.
Every other worldview says do.
Only Jesus says done.
(31:21):
The big idea in episode 57 wasYahweh is the one true God.
Worship Him alone.
When we know who God is,idolatry becomes absurd.
Like Peter, we can say Lord, towhom shall we go?
You have the words of eternallife.
If he alone is God, there isnowhere else to go, no one else
(31:44):
to trust and nothing left to dobut hear and obey.
Episode 58 was on Deuteronomy6.5.
This well-known verse calls usto love the Lord, your God, with
all your heart, with all yoursoul and with all your might.
But before we can respond toGod with that kind of love, we
have to clear away ourmisunderstandings of love shaped
(32:07):
by imperfect human examples andpast hurt.
I shared the story of ouradopted son, liam, who didn't
love us first.
We loved him first.
Over the years, that love hastransformed our son to look and
act more like and I talked aboutspecifically his dad.
The same is true for us and ourGod.
We love because he first lovedus.
(32:31):
The Hebrew word for love here isachava, not just a feeling but
an action rooted in God's owncharacter.
He set his love on us notbecause we earned it, but
because of his grace.
Our love for him is meant to bean active response to his love
for us To love God with all ofour heart.
Levav means from the center ofour whole existence, mind,
(32:55):
emotions, desires and decisions,with all of our soul.
Nefesh means with our entirephysical being in life and with
all of our might.
Me'od means with our muchness,every opportunity, capacity and
resource.
Yes, it sounds impossible.
Until we remember this, the keyto loving God has nothing to do
(33:18):
with our own ability.
He loved us first and HisSpirit empowers us to keep
loving Him.
That's why this command isn'tburdensome.
In fact, jesus says His yoke iseasy and His burden is light,
in Matthew 11, 28-30.
Here's the big idea we arecommanded to love God with all
our heart, soul and might, andthis is not a burden.
(33:41):
It's the most natural responseto his everlasting love for us.
When we truly know who he isand what he's done, and who we
are in him, loving him becomesjoy, and the more time we spend
with him, the more we love him,the more we look like him and
the more we want to live for him.
Next is episode 59 onDeuteronomy 6, 6, which says
(34:05):
these words that I command youtoday shall be on your heart.
In Israel's history, god's wordwas precious, sometimes
literally kept behind thecurtain in the tabernacle.
Yet over time, entiregenerations lost it.
During the judges' and Josiah'sreign, and even after the exile
, the law was forgotten untilsomeone rediscovered it and
(34:25):
revival followed.
Psalm 119, likely written inthe post-exile return, reflects
the psalmist's desperate longingto have God's word deep in the
heart, not just the mind.
Today we have unprecedentedaccess to scripture, yet it so
often goes unopened.
The real problem isn't access,it's our resistance to God's
(34:47):
authority and our tendency toapproach his commands casually.
Deuteronomy 6.6 calls forsomething far deeper letting His
words dwell in us so fully thatthey shape, guard and guide us
from the inside out.
Through word study and crossreferences, we see that on your
heart means actively placing,storing, treasuring, guarding,
(35:11):
writing and holding fast toGod's Word, welcoming it to
dwell in the very center of whowe are.
But here's the hope God neverintended for us to do this in
our own strength.
Chaya shall be in.
This verse carries both acommand and a promise.
Under the new covenant, godhimself writes his law on our
(35:32):
hearts that's Jeremiah 31-33,through his spirit.
Writes His law on our heartsthat's Jeremiah 31-33, through
His Spirit.
This transforms Deuteronomy 6-6from a crushing obligation into
a grace-filled reality.
Yes, we actively study,meditate and obey, but our
effort is a Spirit-empoweredresponse to God's initiating
grace.
As Calvin said, the Spirit usesthe Word to make it effective.
(35:56):
The big idea in episode 59, itis God who puts His Word on your
heart and our study is a joyful, grace-driven response to that
work.
When we engage in the Bible, wearen't just reading another
book.
We're partnering with God inthe very process.
He promised writing His truthinto the deepest part of who we
(36:17):
are, so that we might truly live.
Next is episode 60 andDeuteronomy 6-7, which says you
shall teach them diligently toyour children and shall talk of
them when you sit in your house,when you walk by the way, when
you lie down and when you rise.
This isn't a call toperformance or a crushing burden
(36:37):
.
It's the natural overflow of alife saturated with God's word.
We saw that when his word isengraved on our hearts, it will
inevitably spill out into everypart of our lives, and Moses
shows us where that overflowlands in the next generation.
From Genesis to the Gospels,god's heart beats for
(36:58):
generational faithfulness.
He commands His people to passHis truth on, not just in formal
teaching but in everydaymoments.
The Hebrew word for teachdiligently is shanan, meaning to
sharpen like a blade.
This isn't casual instruction.
It's intentional, repeated,precise work to equip those who
(37:20):
follow us to stand firm, fightlies and know their God.
We see this beautifully inGod's design for the Passover,
where children are present, askquestions and receive answers
grounded in personal testimony.
This is what the Lord did forme when he brought me out of
Egypt.
That's the pattern Life storyand scripture woven together so
(37:44):
the next generation knows notjust the law of God, but the God
of the law.
The gospel reminds us.
Our children, like us, cannotobey perfectly.
They need Christ to transformtheir hearts.
Our goal isn't tidy morality,but pointing them to the cross
again and again, in discipline,in joy and in ordinary
(38:08):
conversations.
The big idea for episode 60 wasoverflowing with scripture into
the lives of your children andeveryone you influence will be
as natural as breathing when youabide in him.
Practically, this meansstarting with your own heart,
sharing what you're learning inreal time, seizing everyday
moments, asking spirit-ledquestions and modeling
(38:31):
repentance.
It's not about perfection butsaturation, letting God's word
dwell richly in you so that itflows through you to the next
generation.
Episode 61 was based onDeuteronomy 6, verses 8 and 9.
You shall bind them as a signon your hand and they shall be
(38:51):
as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on thedoorposts of your house and on
your gates.
We unpacked what it truly meansto bind God's word to our hands,
foreheads and even ourdoorposts, and questioned
whether Moses intended thisliterally or metaphorically.
Rather than being a legalisticritual, we saw that these
commands are invitations tocultivate a life wholly shaped
(39:15):
by love for God.
Scripture isn't meant for dustyshelves or church services only
.
It's meant to saturate everyrealm of our lives our habits,
homes, hearts and even our dailyrhythms.
Drawing on examples fromancient Israel and modern-day
practice, we learned how evenone quiet moment under the
(39:35):
covers with the word can renewour perspective.
The inner narrative of I haveto do this can be replaced with
the liberating truth of I get todo this because responding to
God's commands flows from love,not obligation.
The big idea in episode 61 wasGod's word isn't meant to stay
(39:55):
inside a book.
It's meant to shape our wholelives.
When we bind it to our hands,hearts and homes, it becomes a
daily expression of love, notlegalism, and transforms routine
moments into sacred ones.
For our next episode, number 62,we looked at the first part of
Deuteronomy, 6.10, which saysand when the Lord, your God,
(40:18):
brings you into the land that heswore to your fathers, to
Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob,to give you.
This verse shifts our focusfrom commands to promises.
Up to now, moses has beenreminding Israel how to love God
with all their heart, soul andmight, to keep his words on
their heart and to teach themdiligently.
(40:38):
Now he points them forward towhat God will do.
The first thing we see is thatit's the Lord, your God, who
brings them in.
They're not walking into thepromised land because of their
strength, numbers or strategy.
This is His work, his timing,his covenant promise.
Unfolding the land is a gift,not anything they've earned.
(41:01):
Moses anchors this in God'sfaithfulness to Abraham, isaac
and Jacob.
These are promises centuriesold, yet God is about to fulfill
them exactly as he said.
This is a reminder for us too.
Every blessing we receive inChrist is grounded in God's
unchanging character andcovenant love, not our
(41:23):
performance.
There's also a subtle butpowerful encouragement here God
is not just the promise maker,he's the promise keeper, what he
says he will do.
The Israelites could look backat the exodus, the wilderness
and His provision and see theevidence.
We can look back at all thattoo, as well as the cross and
(41:47):
the empty tomb.
The big idea of episode 62 wasGod's promises are certain
because they rest on Hisfaithfulness, not our
faithfulness, and when he bringsus into His blessings.
It's always a gift of grace.
This opening phrase inDeuteronomy 6.10 reminds us that
the God who began the work willbring it into completion.
(42:10):
Our role is to trust Him, walkwith Him and remember that every
promised land moment in ourlives is a testament to His
glory, not ours.
And before we close withDeuteronomy 6.13 from today,
last week we bundled the rest ofDeuteronomy 6.10 with verses 11
(42:31):
and 12 for episode 63.
These verses talk about thepromised land with great and
good cities that you did notbuild and houses full of all
good things that you did notfill, and cisterns that you did
not dig, and vineyards and olivetrees that you did not plant.
And when you eat and are full,then take care lest you forget
(42:51):
the Lord, who brought you out ofthe land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery.
We saw that Moses paints avivid picture of grace.
Israel is about to step intobuilt cities, stocked houses,
dug cisterns and maturevineyards that they didn't labor
for.
But the abundance comes with awarning take care lest you
(43:12):
forget the Lord.
This isn't theoretical forMoses.
The same man urging Israel toremember is the man who himself
failed at Meribah, striking therock instead of speaking to it.
He writes his own failures intoscripture, not as a flawless
hero, but as a friend of God wholearned the grief of
(43:32):
forgetfulness and the mercy ofGod.
We traced Israel's story to showwhy forgetting is so tempting.
Slavery in Egypt meant no restand no ownership.
The wilderness was full oftents, manna and daily
dependents, and thenacknowledged their sudden shift
to security and plenty in Canaan.
(43:53):
Prosperity brings a uniquedanger pride and amnesia.
We named our two recurringproblems.
One we tell God how he ought togive his gifts.
Israel was bored with the manna, a golden calf they could
manage.
Achan's upgrade at Jericho andour own modern.
(44:14):
I'll trust you when it looks myway.
And two after receiving, we tryto take the credit.
Full cupboards trick us intobelieving we were the ones who
filled them.
Scripture presses back what doyou have that you did not
receive?
And we learn that forgetting inDeuteronomy isn't a memory
(44:34):
lapse.
It's a moral choice, a heartturning from the giver to the
gifts.
The law can warn, guide andconvict, but it can't change the
heart.
It can't save us.
That's why the story leansforward to Jesus.
The striking twist in thisepisode, though Moses never
(44:55):
entered the land in his lifetime.
He stands spiritually orphysically in the land with
Jesus at the transfiguration.
What the law could not do,grace did.
The real promised land is God'spresence and Jesus brings us in
that moment, shouts the gospelto us.
(45:15):
The story of Deuteronomy 6doesn't end in our striving.
It ends in His sufficiency.
The big idea of episode 63,moses isn't the hero of the
story, israel isn't the hero ofthe story.
You're not the hero of thestory.
Jesus is the hero of the story.
(45:36):
I closed by calling us to live,like that's true, in seasons of
fullness.
Remember the giver, letgratitude replace pride, point
every blessing back to the onewho brought us out of the house
of slavery and into a grace.
We did not earn Cities, wedidn't build Wells, we didn't
(45:57):
dig fruit, we didn't grow allbecause of Jesus.
Well, friends, what a joy it'sbeen to walk through Deuteronomy
6, 4-13 with you.
Week after week, we've pressedinto what it means to love the
Lord with all our heart, souland might, to keep His word on
our hearts, to teach itdiligently, to remember the
(46:18):
giver in seasons of abundanceand to see Jesus as the hero of
the story from start to finish.
I pray these truths don't juststay in your notes or in your
headphones.
I pray they're saturating youreveryday life.
Now I have some news.
I'm going to be taking a breakfrom the podcast for surgery and
(46:38):
an unknown recovery time.
I don't know yet how long I'llbe out, but I do know this.
I'll be keeping you updatedthrough our email newsletter, so
if you're not alreadysubscribed, take two seconds and
do that now.
There's a link right in theepisode description.
That's where I'll share anyupdates, new resources and when
I'm ready to come back to themic and before I step away for
(47:01):
this break, I have to circleback to tell you more of the
story of a study that wasn't onmy radar at all until yesterday.
I woke up with no plans to startsomething new, but God had
other plans.
In the quiet, he brought meback to Matthew 4, 1-11, the
passage he used years ago todraw me back to himself when I
(47:22):
was out of church, out of hisword and wandering in my own
wilderness, the one that made merealize that Jesus answered
every single temptation withscripture.
So if the Son of God believedGod's word was that important,
how could I not?
That realization years ago sentme on a 40-day crazy
(47:44):
read-through-the-Bible journey,which brought me back to Him and
eventually became thefoundation for everything here
at Abitable.
And yesterday it became thefoundation for something else a
brand new study called Into theWilderness.
As I faced this surgery and anunknown recovery, I kept
thinking I don't want to take abreak from studying God's word
(48:07):
and I don't want to leave youwithout something to dig into.
So in just a few hours, thestudy came together.
Jason and I will be workingthrough it during this season
and if you feel so led, you cantoo.
Again, here's what it's allabout.
We will step into the desertwith Jesus and discover just how
much our salvation hinged onHis victory over temptation.
(48:31):
We'll see how every wordmattered, how he fought lies
with truth, why his sinlessnesshere was essential for our
salvation and how the same wordthat sustained him is the word
that sustains us.
This is a study for the one inthe wilderness, the one longing
(48:51):
for victory over temptation orthe one who simply wants to know
Jesus more deeply.
You can grab your copy today.
The link's in the description.
Whether it makes it to thepodcast someday or stays a
special study we do in thisunique season.
I can't wait to see what Goddoes with it.
Before I sign off for a bit, Ihave to say thank you to my
(49:14):
buddy, ian, who is a full-timeworking dad of five, who's had
some crazy personal things goingon in this season and yet has
continued to faithfully edit myepisodes over the last year for
free, and also a massive thanksto his wife, kelsey, for sharing
his time with our ministry.
They have been such a gift tome and to all of you because,
(49:36):
trust me, you don't want to hearwhat this podcast sounds like
before Ian gets his hands on it.
So pray blessing over them,would you.
When I return, it will be withJason for our Ask Us Anything
series.
So if you haven't submittedyour anonymous question yet, the
link to do that is in thisepisode description.
And while I'm away, you canhelp keep the Abitable podcast
(49:59):
alive and keep my download statsfrom flatlining by going back
to listen to episodes you maybehaven't gotten to hear yet.
Think of it as watering theplants while I'm gone, thank you
.
Thank you for being here withme, for praying for me and
encouraging me for loving God'sWord and for walking through it
with me, for praying for me andencouraging me for loving God's
word and for walking through itwith me.
(50:21):
I love you all so dearly, andthat's it for this episode and
this series.
If you know someone who wouldbe blessed by what you just
heard, please share the AbidablePodcast with them.
Keep spreading the word so wecan make much of the word.
Drop us a review, tell us whatyou love and what you're
(50:42):
learning.
Check out the link to learnmore about partnering with us by
buying us a coffee one time orby becoming an Abitable Plus
member.
For those of you looking for anew study, I hope you'll pick up
the Into the Wilderness onethat just launched.
Or visit Abitablecom and checkout any of our learning products
, including our 20-lesson how toStudy the Bible course.
(51:03):
I will pray for us and thenclose us out with our memory
work for our entire passage.
Lord, you are one.
There is no other God besidesyou.
You alone are worthy of all ourheart, all our soul, all our
might.
We praise you as the promisekeeper, the God who brought
(51:26):
Israel into the land that youswore to Abraham, isaac and
Jacob, and the same God who hasbrought us out of the house of
slavery through the blood ofJesus.
We thank you that every gift wehave, from the breath in our
lungs to the homes we live in,is grace upon grace from your
hand.
Forgive us, lord, for the timesthat we have forgotten you in
(51:49):
our abundance, when we've turnedour hearts from the giver to
the gifts.
Forgive us for when we havebeen casual with your word, slow
to teach it and quick to trustin ourselves.
Forgive us for loving you withonly part of our hearts, holding
back our soul or offering youonly what is convenient instead
(52:11):
of our whole might.
Write your word deeply on ourhearts.
Let it be on our lips when werise and when we lie down, when
we sit at home and when we walkalong the way.
Help us to remember you inevery season, in wilderness and
in abundance, and to point thenext generation to you with joy
(52:34):
and urgency.
Keep us from forgetting, keepus abiding and let our lives
tell the truth that Jesus is thehero of the story, forever and
always.
In his name we pray amen.
Let's close by doing our memorywork together.
I'm going to say all ofDeuteronomy 6, 4-13.
(52:57):
One time, say it out loud withme or quietly to yourself Hear O
Israel, the Lord, our God.
The Lord is one.
You shall love the Lord, yourGod, with all your heart and
with all your soul and with allyour might.
And these words that I commandyou today shall be on your heart
(53:18):
.
You shall teach them diligentlyto your children and shall talk
of them when you sit in yourhouse and when you walk by the
way, and when you lie down andwhen you rise.
You shall bind them as a signon your hand and they shall be
as frontlets between your eyes.
(53:38):
You shall write them on thedoorposts of your house and on
your gates.
And when the Lord, your God,brings you into the land that he
swore to your fathers, toAbraham, to Isaac and to Jacob,
to give you, with great and goodcities that you did not build
and houses full of all goodthings that you did not fill,
(54:01):
and cisterns that you did notdig, and vineyards and olive
trees that you did not plant,and when you eat and are full,
then take care lest you forgetthe Lord who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of thehouse of slavery.
It is the Lord, your God.
You shall fear him, you shallserve, and by his name you shall
(54:24):
swear.
Deuteronomy 6, 4-13.
Hey friend, great job.
No matter whether you got someof it or all of it, keep going.
Keep working on it andpracticing so that this
beautifully powerful passagewill be hidden in your heart
forever.
And remember you are able toabide in the Bible.
(54:47):
We'll see you next time.
Until then, let's abide.
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