Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD (Deuteronomy 6:4)

2023-03-17

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD (Deuteronomy 6:4)

This verse is commonly known as the Shema, which is the word for “Hear.” Recall that “LORD” in all capitals is the Tetragrammaton, the covenantal name of God. This is a verse that expressly affirms that there is one God; the rest are idols. There is only one Creator. Anything else called a god is false or an impersonating evil spiriting calling himself a god.

Consider the future, the LORD will rule over the entire world from Jerusalem. “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:8-9).

From these, we see that there is one Jehovah. Nobody else can call himself by this name because Jehovah means “He is”; He is the only eternal one.

The Shema is a part of the greatest commandment according to our Lord Jesus Christ. “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord...” (Mark 12:29). However, who knew that He spoke of Himself, for the LORD says, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).

Again, of the LORD, the Word says, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call” (Joel 2:32). Of Jesus, it is said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).