‘Jehovah Our God Na One Jehovah’

1, 2. (a) Wetin make many people sabi wetin dey Deuteronomy 6:4? (b) Wetin make Moses talk am?

FOR many years, wetin dey Deuteronomy 6:4 dey one prayer wey Jew people dey pray every day. Dem call the prayer Shema, and dem dey pray am for morning and evening. For Hebrew language, Shema na the first word for Deuteronomy 6:4. Dem dey use this prayer show sey na only God dem dey serve.

² Wetin dey this verse follow for the things wey Moses tell Israel people before e die as dem gather for Moab area. This one happen around 1,473 years before dem born Jesus. That time Israel people don ready to cross river Jordan, make dem enter the Promise Land. (Deut. 6:1) E don reach 40 years wey Moses dey lead dem. And e want make dem strong so that dem go fit face the wahala wey dey front. Wetin dem go do na to trust Jehovah and to serve am well. This things wey Moses tell dem go help dem well well. After Moses don talk about the Ten Commandment and other law wey Jehovah give dem, e come talk wetin we see for Deuteronomy 6:4, 5. (Read am.)

3. Which three question we go answer for this topic?

³ You think sey Israel people wey gather with Moses for there no know sey their God Jehovah na ‘one Jehovah’? The truth be sey, dem know. Some of Israel people dey serve only Jehovah—the God wey their papa-papa Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob serve. As e come be like that, wetin make Moses come dey tell dem again sey Jehovah their God na ‘one Jehovah’? Na the same thing Deuteronomy 6:4 and Deuteronomy 6:5 dey teach us? Wetin Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 mean for us today?

JEHOVAH NA ONE JEHOVAH

4, 5. (a) Wetin be one thing wey ‘one Jehovah’ mean? (b) How Jehovah take different from the god dem wey other people dey serve?

⁴ One and only. For Hebrew language and for other language, “one” fit mean different different thing. E fit mean sey something dey special or sey na im be one and only. No be trinity Moses dey talk about for here. Na Jehovah make everything, and na im be King. Na only am be the true God; no other god be like am. (2 Sam. 7:22) So Moses want make dem remember sey na only Jehovah dem suppose worship. Dem no go follow other people wey dey near dem dey serve different different god. This people wey dey serve the different different god, believe sey their god dey control some things for this world. One god fit still get other small small one.

⁵ For example, Egypt people dey worship Ra wey be god of sun, Nut wey be god of sky, Geb wey be god of ground, Hapi wey be Nile god plus many animal. Jehovah show many of this god pepper when e send the Ten Plague give dem. The main god wey Canaan people dey serve na Baal, the god wey dey give pikin. Na im still be god of sky, rain and thunder. Many of dem believe sey Baal dey protect dem. (Num. 25:3) Na im make Israel people no suppose forget sey their God, wey be the true God na ‘one Jehovah.’—Deut. 4:35, 39.

6, 7. Wetin be another thing wey “one” mean, and how Jehovah take show sey im na “one”?

⁶ Jehovah no dey change and we fit trust am. Another thing wey “one” fit still mean na to get one mind for something and to take one mind do am. Jehovah no dey change. E dey do wetin e talk. E promise Abraham sey im pikin dem go get the Promise Land, and Jehovah do plenty miracle so that dem go fit enter the Land. Even though sey 430 years pass, that one no make Jehovah forget wetin e promise.—Gen. 12:1, 2, 7; Ex. 12:40, 41.

⁷ After many years, Jehovah call Israel people im witness. E tell dem sey: ‘Na me be the same person, dem no make any God before me and after me no one still dey.’ To show sey wetin dey im mind never change, e come still talk sey: ‘Na me be the same Person, I no dey change.’ (Isa. 43:10, 13; 44:6; 48:12) Na big blessing for Israel people and for us to serve Jehovah, the God wey no dey change and wey we fit trust for everything!—Mal. 3:6; Jas. 1:17.

8, 9. (a) Wetin Jehovah want make people wey dey serve am do? (b) How Jesus take show sey wetin Moses talk na the law wey matter pass?

⁸ Moses help Israel people remember sey Jehovah no dey change, e no go stop to help dem and show sey e love dem. As e be like that, e make sense sey na only Jehovah dem go dey worship; dem go take all their mind, body and power love am, nothing go remain. Even their pikin suppose do the same thing, because their papa and mama suppose use any chance wey dem get take teach dem.—Deut. 6:6-9.

⁹ Because Jehovah no dey change wetin e don promise, we dey sure sey the way Jehovah want make we worship am never change. If we want worship Jehovah the way e want, we go use all our mind, and our power take love am and na only am we go worship. Jesus tell one person wey ask am question sey na this one be the law wey matter pass. (Read Mark 12:28-31.) Make we come see how we go take show sey we know, true true, sey ‘Jehovah our God na one Jehovah.’

MAKE WE WORSHIP ONLY JEHOVAH

10, 11. (a) Wetin e mean to get Jehovah as our one and only God? (b) How Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah take show sey na only Jehovah dem dey worship?

¹⁰ To get Jehovah as our one and only God, we go worship only am. We no go worship any other god or worship Jehovah the way other people take dey worship their god. Make we remember sey Jehovah no just be one god wey high pass or wey get power pass other god dem, but na im be the true God. So na only Jehovah we suppose worship.—Read Revelation 4:11.

¹¹ For book of Daniel, Bible talk about some young people wey be Jew. Their name na Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Dem show sey na only Jehovah dem dey worship. Dem no gree chop the food wey dirty for God eye and dem no gree worship the image wey Nebuchadnezzar make. Dem know wetin matter pass; dem no ready to serve any other god.—Dan. 1:1-3:30.

12. Wetin we go do to make sure sey na only Jehovah we dey worship?

¹² To worship only Jehovah, we go make sure sey na im be number one for our life. And we no go let anything comot the love wey we get for Jehovah. Wetin be some of this things? For the Ten Commandment, Jehovah warn im people sey make dem no worship any other god apart from am and make dem no get any other thing wey dem dey serve. (Deut. 5:6-10) For our time, many things dey wey person fit dey serve but e no go quick know. But wetin Jehovah want make we do never change—e still be ‘one Jehovah.’ Make we see wetin this one mean for us.

13. Wetin be some things wey person fit start to like pass Jehovah?

¹³ Colossians 3:5 (read am) warn us well well about things wey fit make us no come dey worship only Jehovah again. For there you go see sey na the same rope tie person wey get long throat with person wey dey serve another god. This na because the thing wey person like, money or property, fit enter im head come dey control am sotey e go be like im god. If we check the other bad things wey dey this verse, we go see sey na the same rope still tie dem with long throat. And no forget sey to get long throat na one way to serve another god. So, if we start to like this bad things, e fit comot the love wey we get for Jehovah. Make we no let this kind thing happen.

14. Which warning apostle John give us?

¹⁴ Apostle John talk the same thing when e warn us sey, if anybody like the things wey dey this world—‘wetin our body want and wetin our eye want and to dey show wetin we get’—na im be sey, ‘e no like the Papa.’ (1 John 2:15, 16) So e good to check ourself every time to see whether the things wey dey this world don dey enter our eye. For example, we dey like the kind video, music, friend, and cloth wey people for this world dey like? Or we don dey like to get the ‘big big things’ wey people for this world want get, like to go university? (Jer. 45:4, 5) We don dey the domot of God Kingdom. So, make we no forget wetin Moses talk! We know and we believe well well sey ‘Jehovah our God na one Jehovah.’ So make we ready to do everything wey we fit do to make sure sey we worship only Jehovah the way e want.—Heb. 12:28, 29.

JOIN HAND MAKE CONGREGATION BE ONE

15. Why Paul tell Christian make dem no forget sey Jehovah na one Jehovah?

¹⁵ ‘One Jehovah’ still mean sey Jehovah get one mind for everything wey e dey do. This one make us know sey e want make all im people be one and make dem get one mind. Na different different people dey the congregation for apostle dem time. Some na Jew, Greek, Rome people and people wey come from other country. Before dem come serve Jehovah, dem dey serve other god, dem get how dem take dey do things for their country and dem get how dem take dey behave. Because of this one, e no come easy for some of dem to leave their old life come begin serve Jehovah as e want. Na this one make apostle Paul tell dem sey make dem no forget sey Jehovah their God na one Jehovah.—Read 1 Corinthians 8:5, 6.

16, 17. (a) Wetin prophet Isaiah talk wey dey happen for our time? (b) Wetin fit spoil the one mind wey we suppose get for congregation?

¹⁶ What of for our time? Prophet Isaiah don talk am sey ‘for last days,’ people from different different country go gather, go worship Jehovah. Dem go talk sey: ‘[Jehovah] go teach us im way, and we go waka for im road.’ (Isa. 2:2, 3) E dey make us happy to see as this thing dey happen for our time! Because of this one, many congregation get brothers and sisters wey come from different different country wey dey speak different different language. All of dem dey serve Jehovah together. But as e be sey all of us no come from the same place, this one fit cause wahala sometimes.

¹⁷ For example, how you dey see brothers and sisters wey no come from your place? You fit no like their language, how dem dey dress, the kind food wey dem dey chop and the way dem dey do things. E dey hard you to be their friend? You dey run for dem, dey select only some kind people wey go be your friend? What if you senior some elders for your congregation, circuit or branch, or sey dem be another tribe or from another country? You dey let that kind thing spoil the one mind wey una suppose get for congregation?

18, 19. (a) Which advice dey Ephesians 4:1-3? (b) Wetin we fit do so that the congregation go be one?

¹⁸ Wetin we go do make we no fall for this kind trap? Paul give Christian dem wey dey Ephesus better advice. Ephesus na one big town wey different different people dey live and people wey dey there get money. (Read Ephesians 4:1-3.) You go see sey Paul first talk about better character wey person suppose get, like to dey carry body down, dey gentle, no dey hurry and to get love. We fit talk sey this better character be like strong strong pillar wey dey hold house. But no be only strong strong pillar house need. We still need to dey clean and repair am every time so that the house no go fall. Paul advise the brothers for Ephesus sey make dem try well well so that dem go fit ‘keep the one mind wey the spirit dey give.’

¹⁹ Make all of us see am as our work to join hand make the one mind for congregation no spoil. How we go take do am? (1) Make we show sey we get all this better character wey Paul talk about. (2) Make we try well well make we no spoil the peace wey dey keep us together. Make we dey settle any matter wey we get with our brothers. This one be like where person dey patch im house wey don dey crack. As we dey do am, we follow dey make peace and dey help congregation to be one.

20. Wetin we go do to show sey we really know sey ‘Jehovah our God na one Jehovah’?

²⁰ ‘Jehovah our God na one Jehovah.’ That talk carry weight! E help Israel people fit face the wahala wey dem jam for road as dem dey enter Promise Land. If we put am for mind, e go help us fit face the great tribulation wey dey come so that we fit enter Paradise. Make we no stop to dey worship only Jehovah. Make we love and worship Jehovah with all our life. Make we still dey try well well to keep the one mind wey dey our different different congregation. If we no stop to do all this things, we dey sure sey we go see the time wey Jesus go talk sey: ‘Make una come, una wey my Papa don bless, make una take the Kingdom wey God don arrange for una since when the world start.’—Matt. 25:34.