As the children repeated (sang) their catechism (without anyone really being much the wiser) in the days when the Catholic Church was not well-received, this was the next part of the song: five golden rings. I find that each day as I write these posts, the song continues to go 'round and 'round in my head, and I'm enjoying a newfound appreciation for it!
The five golden rings stood for the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These are also called the Pentateuch.
In the Pentateuch, we find the revelation of God beginning with the story of creation, the fall of humankind, redemption, the Law, and the covenant between God and His people. Each book has its own unique purpose, but as a whole, the Pentateuch offers a way for us to understand the origins of our faith - and that helps us better understand the New Testament, too. These five books are the foundation, so to speak. In school, it's WAY more difficult to understand and conquer advanced courses until you take the foundational courses first, right? Well, the Bible is the same situation: if we know what happened in the beginning, we can better understand what happens later.
Let's take a look at one passage that is both significant and helpful:
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 on 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. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NIV)
This is, for our Jewish friends, the great "Shema." It is a prayer that is uttered several times daily; it is a confession of the Jewish faith; it is often the first passage of scripture that a Jewish child memorizes. It sets out God's expectations for His people. In the fifth chapter, we read of Moses delivering the commandments to the people, and God explained that it was He Who brought them out of Egypt, and He expects the people to worship and serve only Him. In chapter six, God is trying to get them to understand what that means!
It's not that they were stupid.
It's that they were used to seeing other people worship from fear, or from obligation. To God, worship is built on love and trust. He wanted them to know (and He wants us to know, as well) that He is the one and only God. The reason for not worshiping idols is that there are none before Him. Since He is Lord alone, He is totally unique and totally different from the other gods. And this is an argument against the other gods who were mere wood or stone, created or set up by human hands. It was unfortunate, but the children of Israel often found other gods attractive. . . . the one and only God demanded their devotion and their loyalty. God expects the same from us. We need to live with this knowledge of Who God is.
Verse five is about our relationship, our love for God. Unlike the idols of old who were perceived as demanding and as meting out punishment, God wants our love, our devotion, and our obedience. Verse five shows the depth of that love. All your heart, all your soul, all your strength. It's not an emotional experience all the time, every day; but a love which inhabits every fiber of our beings. Have we ever been so passionate about something that it's all we can talk about? All we can think about? The last thing on our mind when we drop off to sleep, and the first thing we think about when we wake? This is what God had in mind for the Israelites, and what He has in mind for us, too. That we are consumed in His love.
Verses six and seven talk about how we should live . . . since obedience comes from our hearts, these verses tell us to internalize His commandments. What better way to have His Word in our hearts than to memorize it, talk about it, and teach it! God desired His law to be close to His people; He wanted it to be in their minds, their hands, and their actions. The encouragement to repeat the words meant to talk to their children and instruct them about God. "When you walk along the road," means that our testimony should extend outside of our homes. "When you lie down and when you get up," is a way of saying when we are asleep and when awake - in other words, the whole day!
Verses eight through nine encourage us to live our love for God "out loud." The Jewish people took these verses literally, by writing verses on tiny pieces of parchment and placing them in little boxes, strapping them to the forehead and arm. In the New Testament, these are called phylacteries. I kinda think that God was looking for something internal, don't you? He has always wanted us to love from the heart. Surrounding ourselves with His Word is not a bad thing, though! Having verses posted where we can work on committing them to memory; having verses or passages beautifully framed or displayed in our home; all of the ways that we can surround ourselves with His Word will surround us in His love.
In the Pentateuch, and in the entire Bible, God has shown Himself to be motivated and driven by love.
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, (Deuteronomy 7:9, RSV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, NKJV)
The Pentateuch, the "five golden rings," show us God's holiness, His faithfulness to us His people, and His work as Creator and Redeemer. In response, and as we prepare for the celebrations of Christmas, let's build on that foundation and live our love for God "out loud." Let's ask Him to bless us with more faith and more assurance each day. And let's offer Him the love flowing from our hearts in response to His great love.
Amen!
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