Israel, Listen

Israel, listen. Na just few words. For more than three thousand years, children don dey learn dem first thing for morning and last thing for night. Na from here dem come.

Israel dey camp for di plains of Moab, for east of River Jordan. For di other side of di water, di promised land dey. Moses don old now, e don reach one hundred and twenty years, and e know say e no go cross with dem. Most of di people wey dey listen na small children when dem comot from Egypt, or dem born dem for di wilderness. Dia parents generation don pass away. So Moses gather dem come talk to dem, long and with all im heart, like grandpapa wey dey give im family di most important things wey e know. Di whole book of Deuteronomy na im goodbye. And for chapter six, e give dem di heart of everything.

Dis na di commands wey God give me to teach una, Moses talk, so dat una go live by dem for di land wey una wan enter. So dat you, and your children, and your grandchildren go honour Di Lord your God all di days of your life. Listen, Israel, and make sure say you obey, so dat e go better for you for di land wey milk and honey dey flow. Then e talk di words wey go become Israel great confession of faith. Israel, listen: Di Lord our God, na one Lord. No be many gods, like di nations wey dey round dem. No be god of sun, god of storm, god of harvest. One God, wey bring dem comot from Egypt. Dia own.

And wetin dem go do with am? Moses no talk say: fear am and stay far from am. E talk say: love am. And you go love Di Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. All your heart: your thoughts and your choices. All your soul: your whole life. All your strength: everything wey you get and everything wey you be. Love wey no hold anything back. Many hundred years after, somebody ask Jesus which commandment big pass all. E answer with dis same words.

Then Moses turn to di parents. Dis words wey I dey command you today, e talk, must dey for your heart. No be only for your head. For your heart. And you must teach dem well well to your children. When? All di time. Talk about dem when you sit for house, and when you dey waka for road. When you lie down for night, and when you wake up for morning. Imagine am. One mama dey knead bread, dey tell her daughter about di manna. One papa dey waka go farm with im son, dey talk about di sea wey open. God mean make im words be part of ordinary family life. Tie dem as sign for your hand, Moses talk, and wear dem for your forehead. Write dem for di doorposts of your house and for your gates.

For nineteen-oh-two, one collector wey dem dey call W. L. Nash buy one small piece of papyrus for Egypt. Na only few lines, wey dem write for Hebrew around two thousand one hundred years ago. Inside am, di Ten Commandments dey, and after dem, dis words: Israel, listen. Before dem find di Dead Sea Scrolls, na im be di oldest Hebrew handwritten copy of any part of di Bible wey people know. Dem keep am today for Cambridge University Library, and dem dey call am di Nash Papyrus.

Israel, listen. You go find dis words for Deuteronomy chapter six, verse one reach nine. One God, wey we love with everything, and wey we dey talk about for house, for road, when we wan sleep and when we dey chop breakfast. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When and where your family fit talk about God together dis week?