The Second Shema (שְׁמַע שֵׁנִי)
Shema (שְׁמַע): literally means listen, heed, hear or obey, and it is directly linked to acting on what you hear not just hearing! The Shema is well known in the Hebrew community and exists out of 3 parts:
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9
- Deuteronomy 11:13–21
- Numbers 15:37-41
The first part of the Shema can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (5) Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (6) These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. (7) Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (8) Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. (9) Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Jesus/Yeshua was directly quoting this commandment when He was asked what are the greatest commandments, we read this in Matthew 22:36-40:
Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.“
The fact that Yeshua quotes this as the first and greatest commandment is significant and shows that He was always pointed us to the Father.
The second part of the Shema can be found in Deuteronomy 11:13–21 and the key message coming back over and over is that we have to obey God’s commandments and not to follow any other Gods.
Many do not realize that we are actually commanded in Torah to Listen to the one likened unto Moses and that if anyone does not listen (שְׁמַע) to Him than Elohim will call that person to account! This is a strong warning to Shema that person, the second Shema.
We read this in Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. (16) For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” (17) The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. (18) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (19) If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. (20) But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.”
Several parts are very interesting in this passage. The first one talking about how the Prophet will speak only Elohim’s words, see verses 18b-19
(18b) I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (19) If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.
Now let’s look at what Yeshua said about Himself
- John 5:30
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. - John 7:16
So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. - John 10:37-38
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;
if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” - John 12:49-50
For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment–what to say and what to speak.
And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” - John 14:10
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
Yeshua’s testimony about Himself matches perfectly with what we read in Deuteronomy 18:18b-19. Yeshua/Jesus directly referred to Deuteronomy 18:15, we can read this in John 5 verse 46:
John 5:46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.
The second part that stood out to me is verse 20:
(20) But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.”
When I read this a second time it suddenly hit me! This passage is directly referring to Deuteronomy 13 and the test Elohim gave us to test if a person is a true Prophet or Teacher. To read it in proper context we have to include the last verse of chapter 12.
Deuteronomy 12:32-13:1-6
(12:32) See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.
(13:1) If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, (2) and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” (3) you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. (4) It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (5) That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.
Compare this to the passages of the Shema we find in Deuteronomy 6 and 11
Deuteronomy 6:14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;
and
Deuteronomy 11:16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.
The significance of this is huge, the person likened unto Moses that we are instructed to listen to and obey (to Shema Him), is directly linked to the test given to us to test if a Prophets/Teachers instructs us to keep Elohim’s/God’s commandments and not teaching against them. It clearly shows that Yeshua never could teach against any of Elohim’s commandments. Yeshua the one likened onto Moses said Himself:
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
He told us to listen and obey Him the same as He listens and obeyed the Father.
John 15:10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
The Torah commands us to do the same:
Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him!
The 3rd part of the Shema is Numbers 15:37-41 and found this quite interesting. Numbers 15:37-41 is talking about wearing of tassels to remind us of the keeping of Elohim’s Commandments
Numbers 15:37-41 The LORD said to Moses, (38) “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. (39) You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. (40) Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. (41) I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ “
It is a reminder for us to obey all His commandments, including the second Shema; to listen and obey the one likened onto Moses – Yeshua.
May God Bless you and don’t forget to test everything!
