POSTED 12 APRIL, 2004

What Does the Shema Really Mean?

by J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net

dxa hwhy Wnyhla hwhy larfy [mv
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad

The Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” represents for all Bible readers the most ancient creedal statement of belief. The Shema is repeated in the daily, traditional prayers of Judaism as found in the siddur, and it is certainly a major feature of synagogue worship on the Sabbath. Even in much of Christianity, the words of the Shema are repeated in prayer, song, and worship, as the primacy of the Supreme God over Creation is declared. For myself, I had to declare forth the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-5, along with Isaiah 6:1-2 and Ephesians 4:11-13, at my commencement ceremony when completing my M.A. in Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary.

When the Shema is invoked, there is intended to be a moment of extreme reverence issued for the God of Israel, as men and women are to focus on His holiness, His omnipotence, and what He requires of His followers. We are to all make sure that the Lord is the One to whom we direct all of our worship, adoration, and veneration—and that we obey His Word and heed His direction for our lives.

While the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 undoubtedly has an imperative for God’s people of worshipping, loving, and serving Him—the Shema also has an important place in religious history as it concerns monotheism. When the Ancient Israelites left Egypt, and were preparing themselves to enter into the Promised Land, they would certainly need a “statement of belief,” if you will, by which they would declare their exclusive loyalty to the Lord God, and not any of the other deities of Canaan. The Shema enjoined the requirements for God’s commandments to be taught to the people of Israel, and that they were to instruct their children.

In much of religious studies since, and most especially today, approaches to the Shema have gone beyond what was originally intended for the Ancient Israelites. While all who profess the Shema claim that their devotion is directed to the God of Israel, there can be a wide difference of approach between how the Shema is viewed in Jewish theology and Christian theology—particularly when it comes to the statement “the Lord is one.” In historical Judaism, the Lord being “one” means that God is a single entity. In historical Christianity, being “one” means that God is surely a prime entity, but that He may be composed of multiple elements like Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The debate over whether God’s oneness allows or disallows for a plurality of persons or manifestations, is one which has doubtlessly arisen within the broad Messianic movement. As with too many theological issues Messianics face, the subject matter of the Shema has become mired in some rather base human emotions and spiteful rhetoric, with not enough attention given to the Biblical text and the applications of the Shema that are encountered within the Scriptural narrative.

This article will analyze what is communicated by the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the issue of oneness in the Bible and whether or not a plural Godhead is allowable, and some key applications of the Shema witnessed in the Apostolic Scriptures. This article will also consider the current approaches, both positive and negative, witnessed regarding the Shema in the Messianic community—and will provide some tentative conclusions on the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity.

J.K. McKee (B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic apologist. He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical Languages Award for Greek. He is author of numerous books, dealing with a wide range of topics that are important for today’s Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on theological issues, and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries of various books of the Bible.

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