Let’s talk about it
Deuteronomy Chapters 5 and 6 Click here to read
What do you talk about?
Human conversation probably started out as pretty functional, with the words needed for people to work together and accomplish things they couldn’t on their own.
But somewhere along the way we started talking about all kinds of things. Some people don’t talk much more than they need to for living life; others seem unable to breathe unless words are coming out.
Chapter 5 repeats the concise list of God’s laws we know as the 10 Commandments, but buried in Chapter 6 is a commandment to do something we already do a lot of: talk.
Verses 5-7 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Today’s meditation reading from Proverbs fits in unusually well: “The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.”
To go back to some words I want to keep in front of us, the Bible challenges us to be apostles, prophets, teachers and evangelists. Every one of these has something important in common: each one is a ministry of talking.
Most of us aren’t as comfortable as we would like to be speaking about our faith. Like most things, though, confidence is gained with practice. This is why God tells us to not only think about his laws, but to talk about them. A lot.
If we start by getting comfortable speaking about God’s action in our lives when we are among fellow believers, we can gain the confidence to speak of what God has done for us in the presence of those who need to hear it most: those who are not yet followers.
Talking about law isn’t as, well, legalistic as it sounds.
Another easy-to-miss verse, 5:33, puts the law into perspective: Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
We walk in the law, not to avoid punishment, but in order to live lives of joy in relationship with God.