7 More Hebrew Words Every Christian Should KnowSample

SHEMA: Which means HEAR and OBEY

Since before the time of Jesus, Jewish believers have recited a prayer each day called the “Shema”. The prayer comes directly from Deuteronomy chapter 6 and is a way for them to commit themselves to listening to God’s word and obeying it. In fact, the word shema” literally means “hear" and “obey”, so it implies actions. It’s the word Jesus used when he said “he who has ears, let him hear,” which was his way of telling his followers to listen to his words and obey!

One part of the Shema prayer says that believers should discuss God’s Word "...when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up". Jewish rabbis like Jesus took this literally, so they discussed and taught scripture anywhere, anytime. There’s even a story in the Gospels of Jesus teaching "all of scripture" while walking with some of his disciples along on the road to Emmaus.

Unfortunately, a lot of us today only talk about the Bible at church on Sunday or maybe in our small group. We’re too busy with the stress of work, unresolved issues at home, unanswered emails, sickness, tiredness, family pressure, and many other things to talk about the Bible during the week. But for the first followers of Jesus, learning and talking about the Bible was a natural part of everyday life.

What would it look like for you to make learning, discussing and applying God’s Word a regular part of every day? Do you think you can do it? Who is up for the challenge?