146. Results of Sh’ma
Today’s reading: “The Ministry of Healing” pp. 283b–284.
Yesterday we looked at the “temple” in “I am a temple revealing God’s glory”. We saw that we should be full of gratitude and rejoicing, benevolence, and trust in God. And remember, this is built on a basis of personal cleanliness and healthy diet, outdoor exercise, sunshine and fresh air.
Today we look at how “God’s glory” is revealed in our “obedience”.
Key Word
Sh’ma — to hear intelligently, listen intently, listen with the whole heart, listen with the intent to obey, and it means, obey
Only two occurrences of “obey” in the KJV Old Testament are the Hebrew word that means “do what I say”. Every other time it is sh’ma, listen intelligently. I wonder, if we really listen to God’s powerful Word, does it create the things it requests of us? Just like the Word did in Genesis 1? In any case it is a valuable thing always read sh’ma rather than the obey, or hearken, or listen that our translators put in.
Our first text today is just after “The Sh’ma” Deut. 6:4,5. The Sh’ma is the first prayer that a Jewish mother taught her child. Jesus would have lisped these words, as soon as He could talk. For the Jews since the time of Moses, these are the first words said in the morning, the last at night…
“Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad”
Six powerful words.
By the way, Adonai echad can be translated “the LORD alone (Hebrew Tanakh) or even “The LORD is the One” (HSCB)
So with this prayer in mind look at the references to sh’ma in today’s reading in Deuteronomy 26:17, 28:2,13. And notice the benefits of sh’ma that Ellen lists; Israel would be,
- an object lesson to other nations on achieving health and prosperity
- preserved from the diseases of other nations
- physically and intellectually stronger and more active than other nations
- the mightiest nation on earth
And the Bible lists the blessings of sh’ma,
- good to us always
- blessed above all people
- special people to God
- put far above all other nations
- God’s praise, fame and glory
- holy people to our God
- blessed everywhere, in business and home life
- all the world will see we are the LORD’S, and stand in awe
- abundance of children, goods, land
- blessing of all the work of our hands
- the head, not the tail
- only progress
That sound very much like complete restoration (p.17)
May these blessings be yours as you sh’ma our God’s simple health principles today.
