Sunday School Lesson

1. Deuteronomy 6:1-25
Loved
The Greatest Commandment
February 2, 2020
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
The glory of God!
1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.
References
• MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville, Nelson Publishing,
1997).
• Walton, John H., Keener, Craig S., NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
(Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2017).
• Palmer, Edwin H., The NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1985).
• www.GotQuestions.org.
Goals for Today’s Lesson
1. Review part of Moses’ 2nd speech to Israel in Deuteronomy 6.
2. Study the “Greatest Commandment” in verses 4-5.
3. Study the verses Jesus used when tempted by Satan.
4. What was righteousness (salvation) in the Old Testament?
‒ Moses explains and Paul confirms.
Setting and Importance of Deuteronomy 6
• The Israelites are camped in the Plains of Moab getting ready to enter the
Promised Land.
• Moses is now 120 years old and in his last days.
• Moses is reviewing the covenants they made with God.
• Jesus quoted verses from this chapter 3 times and the Apostle Paul
expanded on Moses’ definition of righteousness.

2. Deuteronomy 6:1-2 NKJV (Obedience)
1 Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments
which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe
them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the
Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I
command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life,
and that your days may be prolonged.
Deuteronomy 6:3 NKJV (“a land flowing with milk and honey”)
3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with
you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has
promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
• Milk & honey indicates prosperity in Canaan and is a representation of the
animal husbandry (sheep, goats) and horticulture (grapes and dates) that
produced a syrup instead of honey from bees.
Importance of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (“The Jewish Shema”)
• Shema – Hebrew for “to hear; to listen; heed and do.”
• Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Considered the Jewish confession of faith.
• Recited from memory along with Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and Numbers
15:37-41.
• Recited twice daily by the devout Jews.
• Bedtime prayer for children.
Deuteronomy 6:4 NKJV (Hear, O Israel)
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
• Hear, O Israel = Shema; listen and heed.
• The Lord our God = Jehovah is the name of the Supreme God (Lord God).
• The Lord is one = monotheism, the Lord alone, unity.
‒ Same oneness and unity as in Genesis 2:24 where husband and wife
become one flesh.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NKJV (Love God Completely)
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your strength.
• The first essential in the Shema was unreserved and wholehearted
commitment expressed in love to God.
• Since God is a Spirit, this relationship of love can only be expressed as
obedience to God’s law in daily life.
• Idol worship was forbidden for it tried to represent God in a material way.

3. “with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength”
• Various translations, including the LXX (Septuagint), use different words to
describe this composition of love.
‒ “heart, soul, strength, mind, might”
• These are not written to provide a delineation of distinct human faculties,
but to underscore the completeness of the kind of love that is required.
• Jesus stated the importance of this command.
When Jesus was asked which is the greatest or first commandment.
• Matthew 22:34-36 NKJV
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they
gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question,
testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in
the law?”
• The scribes had determined there were 613 commandments in the law
and could not agree on which ones were “heavy” and “light.”
Jesus answers the “greatest commandment” question with Deuteronomy 6:5.
• Matthew 22:37-38 NKJV
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great
commandment.”
Jesus expands His answer further.
• Matthew 22:39 NKJV
39 “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
‒ This is a quote from Leviticus 19:18 and reflects the idea in the Golden
Rule.
‒ Matthew 7:12 NKJV
12 “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them,
for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
‒ It prompts believers to measure their love for others by what they
pray for themselves.
Love for God and love for others goes together.
• Matthew 22:40 NKJV
40 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
‒ The whole moral duty of man falls into two categories, which cannot be
separated.
1. Love for God.
2. Love for others.
‒ In the 10 Commandments, 1-4 relate to God and 5-10 in how we relate
to others.

4. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NKJV (Learning God’s Words.)
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You
shall teach them diligently to your 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
up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on
your gates.
The complete presence of the Word.
• “be in your heart” = obedience based on understanding and a natural
instinct.
• “hand…frontlets between your eyes” = People took this literally and tied
phylacteries (boxes containing verses) to their hands and foreheads with
straps of leather.
Deuteronomy 6:10-11 NKJV (A land prepared just for you!)
10 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He
swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and
beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which
you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees
which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—
Deuteronomy 6:12-14 NKJV (Serve Only God)
12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him,
and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of
the peoples who are all around you
• Jesus quotes parts of verses 13 and 14 when tempted by Satan in Matthew
4:8-10.
Jesus answers Satan’s temptation in Matthew 4 from Deuteronomy 6:13-14.
• Matthew 4:8-10 NKJV
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to
Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall
worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
Deuteronomy 6:15 NKJV
15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord
your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
• God is zealous to protect what belongs to Him and will not allow another
to have the honor that is due to Him alone.

5. Deuteronomy 6:16 NKJV (Do not tempt/test God)
16 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
• Moses references the incident in Exodus 17:1-7 where the Israelites
contended with Moses about water to drink and doubted and tested
God’s provisions and power.
• Jesus quoted from this verse when tempted by the devil in Matthew 4:5-7
and Luke 4:9-12.
Jesus’ temptation recorded in Matthew.
• Matthew 4:5-7 NKJV
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of
the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself
down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your
God.’”
‒ Satan’s temptation involved asking Jesus to abuse His own powers with
God protecting Him if He jumped off the building.
‒ Satan twisted the meaning of Psalm 91:11-12 saying it was permissible
to test God since He would be protected by the angels.
‒ Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16 stating it would be wrong to put
God to the test as Israel did.
Jesus was tempted in every way we are.
• Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let
us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
‒ Jesus fulfilled the Law by keeping it in every point.
Responding to temptation.
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you
are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that
you may be able to bear it.

6. Responding to temptation.
• Psalm 119:11 NKJV
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
Deuteronomy 6:17-19 NKJV (Obey God.)
17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His
testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do
what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and
that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your
fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.
Deuteronomy 6:20-22 NKJV (Remember the meaning.)
20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the
testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has
commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh
in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the
Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against
Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household.
Deuteronomy 6:23-24 NKJV (God keeps His promises.)
23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land
of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all
these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might
preserve us alive, as it is this day.
Deuteronomy 6:25 NKJV (Righteousness for us.)
25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these
commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’
• A true and personal relationship with God would be manifested in the lives
of the people of God (Israel).
• The motive for this relationship with obedience and trust in God was love
for God.
Why was Moses so insistent on obedience to God’s statutes and
commandments?
• Mosaic Covenant – a conditional covenant made between God and the
nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai.
• The people agreed in Exodus 19:8 “All that the Lord has spoken we will
do!”
• God’s blessings to Israel were conditional on obedience to God’s statutes
and commandments.
• Israel’s blessing as a “witness nation” was dependent on obedience to
God.

7. What is this righteousness to which Moses is referring in verse 25?
• Loving God completely (verse 5) is demonstrated by believing God’s
promises (faith) and obedience to His statutes.
• Righteousness (justice, salvation) has always been based on “faith” and
not keeping the law (works).
• God’s blessings to Israel in the Promised Land were conditional on their
obedience to the law and being a “witness nation” to the world.
Abraham had faith that God accounted for righteousness.
• Genesis 15:5-6 NKJV
5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and
count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So
shall your descendants be.”
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for
righteousness.
‒ Abraham believed God (faith) to provide a son to fulfill God’s promise
to him.
Salvation in the Old Testament and the New Testament has always been based
on Faith.
• Habakkuk 2:4b NKJV
4b But the just shall live by his faith.
• Romans 1:16-17 NKJV
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to
salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the
Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as
it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Faith is required.
• Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him.
• In Hebrews 11:1-40 Paul reviews all the Old Testament saints who had faith
in God and received righteousness but did not see the fulfillment of the
law that came with Christ.

8. The Jews missed the purpose of the Law.
• Romans 10:1-4 NKJV
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may
be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not
according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness,
and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to
the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone who believes.
One purpose of the Law in the Mosaic Covenant was to point to Christ.
• Galatians 3:24-25 NKJV
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a
tutor.
‒ Salvation was not obtainable by keeping the Law.
‒ The Law was like a tutor or schoolmaster pointing the way towards the
coming of Christ.
Faith in the Old Testament included believing in the promise of a Savior
(Messiah).
• In God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, He promised “all peoples
on earth will be blessed through you”, and Christ is that fulfillment.
• Isaiah 53:1-12 describes the promise of the Savior for Israel and for the
world.
• Christ is the fulfillment of that promise.
Summary of Deuteronomy 6 in Romans 10.
• Romans 10:10-13 NKJV
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever
believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction
between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call
upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Loving God is accepting Christ as Savior.
• Luke 10:25-28 NKJV
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying,
“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’
and your neighbor as yourself.’”

9. 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will
live.”
The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
John 3:16-17 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to
pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death” explained in
Revelation 21:8.
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• Anyone who’s lifestyle is one or more of the sins listed in Revelation 21:8,
will experience the “second death,” if they do not repent.
• To Repent means to turn around, to go in the opposite direction, to turn
away from sin and believe in Jesus.
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

10. Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explain to us how to be overcomers.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Do you have questions?
Would you like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/