All He Wants Is Your Heart

This week will be another double portion week. Not because it is officially, but because I missed last week's blog due to technical issues. My laptop broke and I thought I would get it fixed immediately, but the issue didn't get resolved until today. The portions are, Beshalach בְּשַׁלַּח (When He Went) and Yitro יִתְרוֹ (Jethro), based on Exodus 13:17-20:23. The narrative of these chapters cover vast topics that culminate into one of the Bible's main core ideas: the Ten Commandments. So, of course, my focus is immediately drawn to this important topic: God's laws and our obedience. This seems to be the focus of everything going on around me. My beloved pastor, Bruce McCarty, preached on a similar topic this Sunday, drawing his inspiration on Romans chapter 8. He didn't speak directly on the topic of obedience or commands, but spoke about how we are to allow the Spirit of Adonai to transform our hearts so we are more likely to align with God's will and laws. Then, at our evening community group, we talked about it again, but this time focusing more on how we need to set time and put effort into following God's commands and ways.

What I noted as a familiar and unifying thought is that we cannot and should not try to do any of this alone. One of the members of our group brought up the topic of salvation and how most of us are in a "middle ground" or "road" to be saved, and that we must strive to get off this middle road and ensure we are on the actual road to salvation. He illustrated it by saying that we are stuck on the on ramp that is backed up by horrific traffic. So we are stuck and can't get on the road. However, most of us quickly agreed that we are not talking about salvation and we were talking about entering that "road" not to be saved, but because we want to be closer to Jesus and honor His sacrifice on the cross. We all assured him that we are immediately saved when we "believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ died for our sins" (see Romans 10:9). Another member reminded us about James 2 by saying that "faith without works is dead". She said that God allows us to go through hardship at times to test our faith and see how we respond, and based on how we respond we can determine if we are truly saved on just convinced we are saved. So, why is there so much confusion when we talk about this topic? Why do we have such a wide range of ideas and conclusions when we talk about salvation and Adonai's laws and His expectations from us?

All the ideas discussed have merit and none are necessarily wrong, but are we able to know without a shadow of doubt what God wants from us? I think the answer is, absolutely. If God wasn't clear about what He expects from us, then we find ourselves in an odd situation. Like a blind person stumbling around in the dark, each doing something different and hoping we find the "right" way and just hoping we are pleasing our God. Say what you want about the Jews, but they have conviction on what God expects of them. In fact, they say a prayer about it twice a day. It goes something like this:

"Shema Israel. Adonai eloheinu, Adonai ehad. Ve'arrav ta Adonai eloheicha, Uvchol levevcha, Uvchol nefeshcha, Uvchol meodecha...

In plain English, for our understanding:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9

God wants you to harken to His instructions and write them in your heart.

What drew my attention, and I think this is SUPER IMPORTANT for our understanding is that in ancient Hebrew there is no concept of "obey". We are obsessed with the word obey, but God and the scriptures do not convey that same message. We are told to "listen" or Shema שְׁמַ֤ע. To be certain of what I'm saying and before sharing this with you, I looked up two more verses, in these same chapters, where the work "obey" appear in our English translations. Here is what I found:

"Now obey my voice; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their causes to Him" Exodus 18:19

In Hebrew, it says: "עַתָּ֞ה שְׁמַ֤ע בְּקֹלִי֙ אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔ וִיהִ֥י אֱלֹהִ֖ים עִמָּ֑ךְ הֱיֵ֧ה אַתָּ֣ה לָעָ֗ם מ֚וּל הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְהֵבֵאתָ֥ אַתָּ֛ה אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃"

"Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples." Exodus 19:5

In Hebrew, it says: "וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙ מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כִּי־לִ֖י כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃"

I haven't done a deep dive where I would check every single verse in the Old Testament that tells us to obey to see if in Hebrew Shema is used instead, but I would say that during this narrative, where God reveals His most sacred laws to His people, obey would have been a prime candidate if the word was truly used. Instead, every instance I verified in this narrative, the word obey is not used, but "listen" is. Though the word Shema is more intense than a passive listening. It isn't like "listening" to music, but to listen with intention and purpose to put into practice. It would be closer to "harken" in English. It means, "listen, understand, and put into practice". Still, it is a lot less aggressive and more reasonable than just "obey".

Obey, as defined by the Webster dictionary is, "following the commands, instructions, or guidance of someone, or conforming to/complying with laws, rules, and restrictions. It implies submitting to authority or, in an intransitive sense, behaving in an obedient manner." Whereas, harken is defined as, "to listen, give respectful attention, or pay heed to something. It implies active, attentive listening, and in modern usage, it is often used in the phrase "harken back" to mean recalling or referring to a previous time or event." One is an obligation given by an authority (could be as far as a dictatorship) where the other is an invitation to comply through love and understanding. God's laws are put in place for our benefit. They offer us the way of life. Those who understand and practice them are filled with life and unimaginable joy.

So, what does God want from you? He wants your heart. He wants you to listen to His instructions and put them into practice until your heart's desire align fully with His. He desires that we experience life in its fullness, and that can only be experienced through Him. He is the source of all life and all that is good, but we can only connect with Him by purifying our bodies and lifestyle to His standards. We see this in this portions' narrative as well:

"the LORD said to Moses, 'Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, 'Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.' So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments." Exodus 19:10-14

God desires for us to get closer to Him, but because of His holiness and the people's sins, they could not approach Him without dying. We, the church or the body of Christ, can now fully approach Him because of the new covenant and His blood. Jesus' sacrifice has satisfied God's wrath and demanded payment for sin so we can come close to Him without being destroyed. As it is stated in Hebrews:

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:19-22

God doesn't want you to "harken" so you could be good enough to earn salvation. He doesn't want us to practice His laws so we can be in the "good girl/good boy club." He wants us to follow Him so we can experience fullness of life by tapping directly onto the source and become more like Christ everyday. He wants us to express love and gratitude through trust and 'obedience'. It truly boils down to this: what can you give to a God who owns everything? What can you give back to a God who has given you everything you have and is all powerful, all knowing, and all sufficient? The answer is given by Jesus when He says: "If you love me, keep my commands" (see John 14:15).

God's love language is obedience. Obedience in the same sense as expressed in the Old Testament. That is, listen, understand, and put to practice. We show God we love Him by our daily walk. Do we trust Him enough to do as He says? Do we believe enough that we are willing to put our own understanding and desires aside? For Him, that is the ultimate test of love. All God wants is your heart.

"Harken, oh church, for your God is integral (one - the same yesterday, today and forever, always the same). You shall love your God with all your heart (all your desires), all your strength (your body and your actions - deeds), and with all your soul (your reasoning and mental faculties). These instructions or teachings I give to you should be engraved in your hearts. Teach them to 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. In other words, incorporate them into your lives." Deuteronomy 6:4-9 with our clear understanding from today's study.

The heart, in Hebrew, is called Lev לֵב. It is made up of two symbols: the Lamed is the symbol of a staff that represents authority and the Beit is the symbol of a tabernacle that represents our bodies. The heart is the organ that has authority over your body. As your heart desires, your body and deeds will reflect it into this world. As you fill your heart with God's instructions, you automatically begin to walk them out. That is why I say again, "all God wants your heart". Have a wonderful week and be blessed. Shalom Ve'Shavuah Tov.

To be practical, you have to do your part and your part includes setting up time and making seeking God a habit. It won't happen mystically or magically. If you begin to value Godly things above earthly things and your heart will align with His. I'll conclude with our Master's wise words:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21