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“Shema” is the opening word and the title of a daily Jewish prayer. “Shema” literally means “Hear”. The words of this Jewish prayer are: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the LORD is One” (Deut. 6:4). The “Shema” became a creed of Jewish belief, that God is One. These words are often the first words that Jewish children learn. The Israelites had to observe the commandments, and God will reward those who observe his Torah (Law) and punish those who do not observe it. The Old Testament witness is fundamentally to the Oneness of God. When the Jews say their daily prayer by repeating the “Shema” they confess the God of Israel to be the transcendent Creator, without peer or rival. Moses, the Prophet of God, led the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land. He had to awaken the people to a fresh spiritual reality. Their primary responsibility is to “hear” God’s gracious words, for only then will they experience in full measure the fulfilment of the Covenant promises. Once they know who their God is, they must respond to Him.
The coming of Jesus Christ presented as the Son of God into the world gave a new dimension to the “Shema”. The New Testament writers, exploring the implications of the revelation of God in His Son provided the basis for interpreting this “One God” as involving more persons than one. Initially this was the affirmation that Jesus was One with the Father followed by the recognition of the divine personhood of the Holy Spirit. It was natural for the Church when they affirmed the unity of the two Testaments in one Bible, to seek the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – in the Old Testament too. Our “Shema” is: “Hear, O Christians: The Lord our God, the LORD is One!”
The call by God to the Israelites in Moses’ time was: “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” (Deut. 10:12, 13). As Christians today we know this “One God”. Hence, the call to us must also be: fear Him, walk in His ways, love Him and serve Him. We must observe God’s commands and decrees which will be for our good.
