“Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘Which is the first commandment of all?’”
“Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.” Mark 12:28-30 NKJV
FIRST. Webster’s dictionary defines this word, “first,” as meaning “preceding all others in time, order, or importance, such as earliest, … having the highest or most prominent part among a group of similar voices or instruments.”
Jesus answers the scribe’s question of what is the first commandment by quoting in Mark a passage from the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
So Jesus is establishing in the hearts and minds and hearing of the Jews that in order of all importance and precedence, that this command comes first. It is first because it sets in this realm an explanation of the first order of Who God is and how He is. It also sets in this context, how we are to relate to and give prominence and place to Him, the One True God.
In both the Shema (Deut 6:4-5) and where Jesus is quoting in Mark 12:28-30, the injunction is to “Hear!” Meaning that a command is given to everyone who has ears to have the capacity to hear this truth and receive it. It is not just a command, it is an empowerment.
Because this is the first commandment, it sets in order our whole relationship to God and reveals Who He is. If there ever was a strategy for the enemy to attack and bring confusion concerning the identity of God in His plurality it would begin here….That is because this commandment sets in motion all of our relationship with God.
Now here is the fascinating thing about the notion of “One God” expressed in these passages. It is plural.
The word used for God is used three times in the Shema, and in each instance it is a plural form. Also, there are two words for “one” in the Hebrew language: echad and yachid.
The word, “echad’’” is is a compound unity (one made up of parts) meaning several, or many in one. Echad means to unify as “to collect one’s thoughts,” and means properly, “united.”
In contrast, “yachid”, the other word for one, means absolutely and indivisibly one. Yachid is always used to mean absolute one in the Bible, but it is never used to denote the Unity of God (as in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).
So here are some examples of compound unity as meant by the word echad: one cluster of grapes; the congregation assembled as one man; one day being night and day; man and wife as one flesh; the shell, white, and yolk being one egg; the making of man as a trinity… spirit, soul, and body …made in the image of God.
So what the Shema is telling us is that God is a plurality, one comprised of a unity between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One God, but three co-eternal and co-equal Persons who are the same in substance, but distinct in subsistence.
This plurality is reflected in these three names for God: Elohim; Adonai; and El SHaddai. These names are each plural. Elohim is used 2,500 times. Adonai is used 90 times. El Shaddai is used 48 times.
From this understanding we can begin to see how God as Three Persons functions throughout Scripture.
I encourage you to investigate this topic like a Berean, making sure what you believe and understand.
One great source I found is the Rock of Israel Ministries and their reference book “Jewish Faith and the New Covenant.” It is what I used for this blog post. But there are many such sources.
Above all, realize that as the Father sent the Son to manifest Him to the world, so you and I have been also sent by the Son to continue His work. But our Companion, and Helper in this work is now the Holy Spirit, Who dwells and abides in us. Jesus and the Father are in heaven. It is the Holy Spirit of God who remains with us now, until Jesus returns for His Bride, the Church.
Begin to see and understand the dynamics of these Three… today!
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