Matthew 22:37 says, “And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”
Also found in Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
These words are both a command and a prophecy from God, to the Israelites, then, and to us, now, so we can “live in the land which God has promised”.
The ‘land’ promised to the Jewish people is described in Joshua 1:1-9 and is actual real estate. It is a foreshadowing of the eternal “Land” of the Kingdom of God. (see metaphors such as found in Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 22:37 and Deuteronomy 6:5 tell us how we are to “love the Lord our God”. These verses describe the entire person: mind, body and soul. We are to love God with our entire being and all of our essence in order to obtain His promises.
Let’s focus on the soul.
SOUL: From the Greek, “psuché”, meaning, breath, the soul (the phonetic spelling is psoo-khay’). It is defined as the vital breath or breath of life, (b) the human soul, (c) the soul as the seat of affections and will, (d) the self, (e) a human person, an individual, the mind, will and emotions..
‘Psuche’, (the soul), is the root of the English words “psyche,” “psychology”; the soul (psyche); a person’s distinct identity (unique person-hood), i.e. individual personality.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT OR RELEVANT?
It is to make the point that the Bible speaks volumes about human psychology and is the leading and foremost authority on the matter. Scientists and psychologist are just catching up with the Bible on these matters, but, they still have a way to go. Most psychologists view the Bible as largely mythical or anthropomorphic, and they read it through the biased and ofttimes arrogant lens of scientism.
The main point is, however, is that Matthew 22:37 and Deuteronomy 6:5 tell us HOW we are to “love the Lord our God”. These verses describe the entire person: mind, body and soul. We are to love God with our entire being and all of our essence – in order to obtain His promises.
Deuteronomy 28:28, “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
Verse 2. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:
Verse 3. “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
Verse 4. “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
Verse 5. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
Verse 6. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
Verse 7. “The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.
Verse 8. The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
Verse 9. The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
Verse 10. So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you.
Verse 11. The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the [l]offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
Verse 12. The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
Verse 13. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,
Verse 14. And do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Finally, and to be sure, all the promises of God are already ours through the finished redemptive work of Jesus. But, just like the Israelites wandering in the desert of forty years, though God provided them manna to eat and sandals to wear, the children of God still had to pick up the manna and put on the sandals which would never wear out.
The promises of God are here, but, we must appropriate them by believing and obeying God and taking the promises as our own. Let’s live the Kingdom, now!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
(Next Article: “THINK – The Mind and Thoughts”)
Whitestone Fellowship 