Resources: 1.) Read: Chapter 6 in your textbook. (DISCOVERING THE BIBLE BY ROBERT D BRANSON ) 2.) READ: SHEMA DEVOTION, SEE BELOW 3.) Watch: Listen (Shema) https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/shema-listen/ 4.) Watch: Shema Series https://bibleproject.com/explore/category/shema-series/ Introduction and Alignment: The Shema is a prayer Jesus said everyday. It is perhaps the most important prayer for Jewish people in the whole Old Testament. The prayer is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 following the description of the Ten Commandments. These teachings are formative for the people of Israel and an important study in our investigation of the Old Testament. Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to: Interpret the meaning of the Shema in the context of Israel’s journey to the promised land. Assignment Instructions Create POWER POINT presentation with slides. Your presentation should contain the following: Slide 1: Definition of the Shema and how it has been used in Jewish history. Slide 2 – 7: Should contain the six major Hebrew words in the Shema and define them. Slide 8: Concluding slide should connect the Shema with Jesus describing how Jesus used the Shema and how Christians use it today. (NOT INCLUDING INTO PAGE AND REFERENCE PAGE) Reference #2 FROM LIST ABOVE (SHEMA DEVOTION): Did You Hear That? SUMMARY 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. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 It was a beautifully average day at the beach. Our youth group had finished our weekly sand volleyball game at Siesta Key and decided to jump in the sea-salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico to cool off. It was stingray season. Every Floridian knows that between April and August, you need to do the stingray shuffle when you’re walking in the waters. There is always a bit of tension in the shallows. Which is the perfect opportunity for a youth pastor! I decided to dive under the water, swim up from behind students, and pinch their heels. This was a bad idea. When I pinched Brian’s foot, he screamed in such a high pitch the dolphins heard him. And then he kicked me in the ear. It was at that moment that I lost 50% of my hearing in my left ear. Even after surgery, my hearing was forever altered and deficient. Just like the people of Israel, you are called to “Hear” from God. How well are you doing? Are you leaning in and focusing or are you often distracted? Is your hearing tuned in or is it distracted, deficient, altered or absent? In the Old Testament there is a Bible verse that many Jewish people think is one of the most important verses to learn. It’s also important for us because Jesus said it daily and even said it was “The Greatest Commandment.” It’s Deuteronomy 6:4-5,6-9 and it is called “The Shema.” You pronounce it without using the “e”. “Sh’ma.” The Shema is called The Shema because the first word in The Shema is “Shema.” Simple enough right? This word has several meanings. The first meaning is “Hear”. Hearing is one way we experience life. It helps us communicate with others. It is pretty important. Even those people with bad or absent hearing work hard to replace hearing (with hearing aids or sign language) so that conversations can take place. Conversations are important to building friendships and getting close to others. There are different kinds of hearing. There are different kinds of sounds. Some are unmistakable, like Buddy the Elf after drinking a two-liter of Coke. There are also sounds we hear and don’t pay attention to. There are some sounds that call for us to respond. Sounds that ask us to “lean in” and pay attention. Shema can also mean, “to Listen and pay attention!” When the Bible says Shema what is it saying? It means you need to not only hear, but to lean in and focus on Who is speaking and What they are saying. What is God saying? He’s saying that our love for Him is important. It should be more than just an addition to our lives. Which brings us to this last step in “Biblical Hearing.” Shema means hearing, listening, paying attention to, and doing what it is we hear! It means to obey. In fact, there is not another Hebrew word in the Old Testament for Obey. It’s really just Shema. So, hearing, from God’s perspective means . . .paying attention and obeying. Biblically, you can’t hear unless you’re obeying. So when God asks people to Shema he wants them to both listen and then do what He asks (obedience). Listening and Obedience are two sides of the same coin. This might be a good time to think about your prayer life? Do you HEAR in such a way that you respond? Are you ever quiet enough to really know that God is speaking grace into your life? What are some ways we can listen to God? 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 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. (NIV)