Understanding Deuteronomy 6:6-7 in Depth: Live It, Teach It

Living God's Words in Everyday Life

These verses come right after the Shema - 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one' - which calls all Israel to wholehearted love and loyalty to God, setting the tone for how His commands should be lived out not through rituals, but through daily devotion.

God tells His people to keep His words close, on your heart, not merely in your head, so you truly believe them and let them shape your thoughts and feelings. Teach them to your children repeatedly, not only in special lessons but naturally throughout daily life - while at home, walking, at bedtime, and in the morning - every moment is a chance to pass on what matters most.

Teach Them Diligently: What It Means to Impress God’s Words

The call to 'teach them diligently' isn’t about formal schooling or occasional reminders - it’s about making God’s words stick through constant, intentional repetition.

The Hebrew word שָׁנַן (shanán) means to sharpen or incise, like carving letters into stone; this teaching is meant to leave a deep mark, not merely pass along information. Reading the commands is insufficient. They should be repeated, discussed, and lived so thoroughly that they shape how families think, speak, and act every day. Other ancient laws, like those in Babylon or Egypt, were often reserved for scribes or rulers, but here, every parent is responsible for passing on God’s ways in the ordinary moments of life.

This daily, heartfelt teaching reflects a relationship built on love, not merely duty, and prepares the way for later wisdom in Proverbs and Jesus’ call to let God’s truth take root in the heart.

A Living Legacy: How Jesus Fulfills the Call to Teach God’s Words

Jesus lived out Deuteronomy 6:6-7 perfectly - loving God with all His heart and teaching His Father’s words constantly, even to the point of laying down His life.

He showed that these commands are about more than rules; they are about a relationship rooted in love, and in Matthew 22:37-38, He called this the greatest commandment. Now, through the Holy Spirit, Christians are empowered to keep God’s words in their hearts and pass them on, not out of obligation, but because Christ has transformed them from the inside.

Passing on Faith in the Rhythm of Life

Jesus and the apostles carry forward this everyday, heart-level discipleship, showing that teaching God’s ways is still central to the believer’s life today.

In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 directly, calling it the greatest commandment - loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind - while Ephesians 6:4 tells fathers not to provoke their children but to raise them with 'discipline and instruction in the Lord,' echoing the constant, loving teaching modeled in Deuteronomy. These New Testament passages do not replace the Old. They show how the same faithful, daily discipleship now happens in Christian homes through grace, not merely law.

The heart of this command isn’t about perfect teaching times, but a life so shaped by love for God that talking about Him feels as natural as breathing - whether at the dinner table, in the car, or before bed.

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