“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Deuteronomy 6:4
Whenever you see the word “Lord ” in capital letters in the Old Testament, it is because the divine name is being used.
When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, he revealed himself as Yahweh which means “I Am” (Ex. 3:14-15). Yahweh is usually translated into English as “Lord.” But there is general agreement that the name Moses heard from the fire was Yahweh.
So we can read Deuteronomy 6:4-5 as, “Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart….” It is the personal name of God that is used here. You are to love Yahweh.
God’s name is of great importance because in our pluralistic society when we say, “Love God” people feel free to fill the word ‘God’ with their own content. But God is not whoever you want him to be. He is who he is.
Our distinctive witness is not that we are “people of faith” or that we want to uphold “religious values.” Our witness is tied to the Lord’s name. We love Yahweh, and there is no one like him. Our witness is tied to the name of Jesus Christ, whom Yahweh has sent, in whom Yahweh is known, and by whom Yahweh has reconciled us to himself.
We love him and our loyalty is to him before any other.
Could you say today with a clear conscience that your loyalty is to Yahweh before any other? Do you love Yahweh for who he is? Why or why not?
