One of the most precious gifts I ever received was a Mezuzah from Israel. It was given to my husband and me by our Pastor at the time, Ken Raggio, from his trip to the Holy Land.
WHAT IS A MEZUZAH?
The Mezuzah is a small rectangular box, some simply decorated, and others extremely ornate. Every Mezuzah holds the same contents, a copy of the verses Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21.
WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?
The Mezuzah is a reminder of the most fundamental knowledge of God.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
This knowledge that GOD IS ONE LORD is so important in our understanding of Him that He instructs His People to speak of it daily to their children, when they are sitting, walking, and otherwise going about their days. He expects us to keep this knowledge at the forefront of our minds, continually.
The Mezuzah is not an amulet, nor a good luck charm. It is simply a reminder to those who possess it of their obligation to God.
HOW IS IT USED?
The Mezuzah has traditionally been affixed to the doorways of Jewish homes. When the people who lived there, or even guests, came through the door, they would be reminded, this is a home where people know the one, true living God. I must conduct myself in a proper and reverent way in honor of Him.
Also, when people would leave the home, they would be reminded to live appropriately and in honor of God while they go about their daily lives.
A CLOSER EXAMINATION
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
The knowledge that God is one is the core belief that every person who claims to know and love Him should confess. The belief in a TRINITY of Beings who make up the One God is against that most fundamental doctrine.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
We should hold this knowledge that our God is One Lord deeply in our hearts. It should resonate clearly and distinctly within us every day of our lives so that we do not begin to think of Him as the many gods of heathen nations.
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
God expects us to teach this knowledge of His ONENESS to our children at every opportunity. This mandate should make us rethink putting our children in situations where we know they will be taught trinitarian doctrine, even so called “Christian” schools.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Again, whatever our hand finds to do, or our eyes look at, our minds should always retain the knowledge of God’s ONENESS, and the fact that we are to love Him with everything in us. When we go or come from our homes, this Truth should guide us in the way we go about our days, both inside and outside our homes. If we are truly in relationship with the One True Living God, we will behave ourselves in ways that please Him, both to the stranger, as well as to those closest to us.
Deuteronomy 11:13-21
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
The blessings of God are contingent on whether we retain the knowledge of the One True Living God, and whether we serve Him with everything within us. IF we, THEN He.
That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
The blessing of remembering and teaching that our God is One Lord, and loving and serving Him with our whole hearts, is that He will provide what we need to live productive and contented lives in His will.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
It is possible that we could be deceived into serving and worshiping other gods. We must guard our hearts and minds continually. It is difficult to imagine the possibility of being deceived in the day that we live in. However, believing that the trinitarian doctrine is biblical is one such deception.
And then the Lord‘s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
If we do not retain the knowledge of God’s ONENESS in our hearts, and instead, live our lives as if we are not accountable to the One True Living God, and forsake our relationship with Him, then we can expect God’s fierce anger to be against us. We should not be surprised when His blessings of provision do not follow. Nor should we expect to live out our days in health and peace.
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
The knowledge of God’s ONENESS and our adoration of Him should not only be on display at every point in our lives, but should saturate our very hearts and beings.
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
We must use every opportunity to invest into our children the knowledge of the ONENESS of God and their need to love and serve Him with all their hearts. Click To TweetWe must not assume that our children and grandchildren know and understand the truth of the Oneness of God simply because they witness our relationship with God. Nor should we assume they comprehend the magnitude of their obligation to God because they have heard us tell others. WE MUST SPEAK THE WORDS TO THEM ONE ON ONE as often as we can.
And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
Hence, the reason that Orthodox Jews still attach the Mezuzah to their door posts even in modern times.
That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
We don’t live for the Lord and retain the knowledge of His ONENESS only for ourselves. Our children’s very lives and futures depend on us imparting to them this same knowledge of the Almighty, deep love and desire to serve Him in Truth. Knowing that GOD IS ONE, not three, is basic, fundamental, and ESSENTIAL to our and our children’s salvation.
YOUR OBLIGATION AS A CHRISTIAN
You may not have a Mezuzah affixed to your door posts, but you are responsible for knowing and passing on this eternal Truth:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
Warm
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As always, feel free to leave a comment, share to social media, or email me: PAT@patvick.com
Also, if you’d love to read more about the Oneness of God, be sure to check out my past articles on the topic below.