Didn't God the Father tell the Israelites to recite the Sh'ma everyday? Did God change?
2006-09-21 16:21:42 · 12 answers · asked by Makemeaspark 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Sh'ma comes from Deuteronomy 6:4
2006-09-21 16:23:46 · update #1
That's funny I just had checked Matthew 6 because that was the only one I could possibly think of that might qualify here it is see for yourself:http://www.ibs.org/niv/passagesearch.php?passage_request=Matthew%206&niv=yes
I only see that we are not to use many words babbling on and on in a meaningless way. I never do that when I pray the Lord's prayer or the Creed.
2006-09-21 16:34:37 · update #2
I notice that all those who are using Matthew 6:7 are using the King James. An older and far less accurate translation. here are 2 translations side by side:
http://www.ibs.org/niv/passagesearch.php?passage_request=Matthew+6&submit=Lookup&display_option=columns&niv=yes&nirv=yes
2006-09-21 16:54:58 · update #3
Here is the Amplified Bible: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:7&version=45
2006-09-21 16:56:35 · update #4
Here is the Wycliffe New Testament: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:7;&version=53;
2006-09-21 16:57:40 · update #5
So Faith Walker are all your prayers very short. Your verse says not to use long prayers?
2006-09-21 18:20:51 · update #6
Martin S. Your answer is insightful and well thought out but you do not realize that the Creeds fill the same role for Christians as the Sh'ma did for the Jewish people.I would say the same for memorized scripture.
2006-09-21 18:37:23 · update #7
Matt. 6:7 - Jesus teaches, "do not heap up empty phrases" in prayer. Protestants use this verse to criticize various Catholic forms of prayer which repeat phrases, such as litanies and the Rosary. But Jesus' focus in this instruction is on the "vain," and not on the "repetition."
Matt. 26:44 - for example, Jesus prayed a third time in the garden of Gethsemane, saying the exact same words again. It is not the repetition that is the issue. It's the vanity. God looks into our heart, not solely at our words.
Luke 18:13 - the tax collector kept beating his breast and praying "God be merciful to me, a sinner." This repetitive prayer was pleasing to God because it was offered with a sincere and repentant heart.
Acts 10:2,4 - Cornelius prayed constantly to the Lord and his prayers ascended as a memorial before God.
Rom. 1:9 - Paul says that he always mentions the Romans in his prayers without ceasing.
Rom. 12:12 - Paul commands us to be constant in prayer. God looks at what is in our heart, not necessarily how we choose our words.
1 Thess. 5:17 - Paul commands us to pray constantly. Good repetition is different than vain repetition.
Rev. 4:8 - the angels pray day and night without cessation the same words "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty." This is repetitious prayer that is pleasing to God.
Psalm 136 - in this Psalm, the phrase "For His steadfast love endures forever" is more repetitious than any Catholic prayer, and it is God's divine Word.
Dan. 3:35-66 - the phrase "Bless the Lord" is similarly offered repeatedly, and mirrors Catholic litanies.
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/
2006-09-21 16:43:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Matthew 6:7 But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
And then it goes on to the lord's prayer, which alot of people say as a prayer, but if you will notice Jesus was just teaching the people what to pray for. He didn't mean to use that as a everyday prayer.
Whatever translation you want to use it still says about the same thing. This is what I don't understand about Religions and the different concepts people get out of verses. Some believe that it's ok to repeat a prayer over and over and some don't. There are biblical scriptures that say don't, but the ones that repeat prayers over and over say it doesn't mean that or it was for people who said prayers but didn't mean it in their hearts. So which one is correct? I , myself never repeat prayers, because I have something new to say every day. I don't know, maybe you are right and it's OK to repeat prayers. Faith and love I guess is what's really important. One day we will all worship God in the same way, and that day will be glorious. Peace be with you.
2006-09-21 23:39:45 · answer #2 · answered by GraycieLee 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Jesus was reported to teach how to pray to God in Matthew 6:9-13. He warns to not pray with vain repititions "like the heathens" in Matthew 6:7, actually just give Matthew 6 a read, there are many instructions about prayer. I think however that God did not change, but that perhaps there is a misinterpretation, or some sociological nuance/habit of the time (with the 'heathens' in general) about their type of praying. When thinking about Jesus, the thing I like to think is that he kept charging us to love God and love people...and not necessarily get all tied in small stuff.
2006-09-21 23:35:24 · answer #3 · answered by ramblerambler 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rote or repeated prayer that Jesus was describing in Matthew 6 was the kind of chanting that pagans engaged in then and still engage in today. However, prayer is honest communication between individuals and God. When people recite what is commonly known as the Lord's prayer as a group and the individuals in that group have no intellectual and spiritual connection with the words that they are repeating they are basically engaging in the same type of activity. The Lord's prayer is really a prayer model that Jesus gave to the disciples.
It starts out by honoring our Father and setting his priorities and will above everything else. After we have that in our minds we can ask for our needs to be met and remind ourselves of the need to forgive others as we have been forgiven and to seek protection from the spiritual forces of evil that would seek to destroy our witness for Christ and if possible to turn us from the faith or even cause our death.
If a person is new to the faith and they don't have experience in prayer it's OK for them to pray the Lord's/disciple's prayer to start out with. But that should soon give way to honest and heartfelt prayer that is led by the Holy Spirit and has specifics about daily needs and situations and relationships offered up with an attitude of worshipful reverence.
Your reference to the Lord's command to recite the verses from Deuteronomy was a part of passing along the teaching about Him and having it always in the forefront of their own minds. It wasn't about praying to God.
2006-09-22 01:04:13 · answer #4 · answered by Martin S 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Matthew 23;14 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees,hypocrites! For you devour widows houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
Matthew 6:7 And when you pray,do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
God is the same, yesterday and tomorrow
2006-09-21 23:40:04 · answer #5 · answered by Faith walker 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Matthew chapter 6 talks about prayer. It first gives examples of how we shouldn't pray, and then how we should pray.
2006-09-21 23:29:40 · answer #6 · answered by Jason M 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He doesnt condemn praying repeatedly at all...infact in the Bible God says to Pray without ceasing.....which means to pray over and over again.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
God bless you.
2006-09-21 23:46:53 · answer #7 · answered by wendyceline2001 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In Matthew chapter 6 when He warned against using " using vain repetitions as the heathens do". "Therefore do not be like them"
2006-09-21 23:29:43 · answer #8 · answered by newyorktilson 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
one of the nets of Belial...as found in the Habakkuk pesher...warns Jews to be dutiful in their prayers....
however, to say the shema everyday without thought was rejected as empty words, meaningless ritual and rite...
long before Jesus...the Jews were admonished to take their prayers seriously....
Hillel and Shammai commentaries
Habakkuk peshers
2006-09-21 23:28:26 · answer #9 · answered by Gemelli2 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Please note - Pinacoladasundae and STEP UP have responded with answers which are ignorant and inaccurate. If they had just read the answers listed when they responded they would have seen that they were off.
Why do so many ignorant, stupid and/or lazy people feel obliged to put in their two cents when they don't even have a clue?
2006-09-21 23:34:35 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋