. . . in its Deuteronomic context,
Deut 6:4 is not a monotheistic statement that denies the existence of other
gods. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that although there may be rival
claimants for Israel’s allegiance, YHWH is the King of Israel, unique,
incomparable, the one and only. Although the word אחד is never again predicated
of YHWH in Deuteronomy, this interpretation fits the context of the imminent
crossing of the Jordan: the question at that moment is not how many gods exists
but whether or not the people will remain loyal to YHWH or be seduced by the
gods of the Land they are about to enter. This was also the question posed by
the Deuteronomic author in the latter Israelites in exile. (Lori Ann Robinson
Baron, "The Shema in John's Gospel Against its Backgrounds in
Second Temple Judaism," PhD diss., Duke University, 2015, 38-39)
While Deut 6:4-9 was a text that
affirmed loyalty to YHWH only, Jewish belief in God’s uniqueness was also able
to accommodate belief in intermediary beings. (Ibid., 123)
In 1 Kings 8:22-53, a prayer in
dedication of the Temple, Solomon reiterates some of the themes of Shema:
“YHWH, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on
earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk
before you with all their heart” (1 Kings 8:23/2 Chron 6:14; emphasis
added; cf. 1 Kings 8:60; Deut 4:39; 5:10; 33:29). According to this speech, the
Exile is the result of Israel’s sin (1 Ki 8:46; cf. 44-53), but YHWH will have
mercy upon Israel “if they repent with all their heart and soul” (ובכל-נפשׁם
בכל-לבבם; 8:48/2 Chron 6:38; emphasis added). This language recalls the demand
for wholehearted loyalty of the Shema and summarizes the renewal of the
covenant, which is at the core of Deuteronomy. Moreover, Solomon prays that the
Temple will be a witness to the nations: “so that all the peoples of the earth
may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel” (1 Kings 8:43; cf.
Deut 6:4-8). This theme will be central to the use of the Shema in
Ezekiel’s oracles of restoration and in John 17.
In Solomon’s blessing of the
assembly (8:54-66), he proclaims the essence of the Shema again: “YHWH
is God: there is no other” (8:60) and pleads with the people to incline their
hearts to YHWH and keep YHWH’s commandments (8:58, 61; cf. 11:2). The language
of the heart and love is also evoked in the recounting of Solomon’s errors; his
marriage to foreign wives “turned away his heart after other gods; and his
heart was not true to YHWH his God” (11:4). Instead, “Solomon clung to these in
love” (11:2) and “did not completely follow YHWH” (11:6). Thus in 1 Kings, the
themes of Deut 6:4-5 reflect the language of the Deuteronomic covenant. An
analysis of two verses of 2 Kings corroborates the influence of Deut 6:4-5 on
this material.
2 Kings 23 describes Josiah’s
reading of the book of the Law that had been found in the Temple, followed by
his reform of the Judean religion. The essence of this reform is Josiah’s
commitment to the covenant: “to follow YHWH, keeping his commandments, his
decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and soul” (2 Kings 23:3/2
Chron 34:32; emphasis added). The language of oneness is absent, but the
passage goes on to describe Josiah’s thoroughgoing destruction of idols in the
Land, implying that the uniqueness of YHWH is of utmost concern. The curses of
Deuteronomy will be incurred by abandoning YHWH and worshiping other gods (2
Kings 22:16-17; 23:19). The writer eulogizes Josiah, declaring that “[b]efore
him there was no king like him, who turned to YHWH with all his heart, with
all his soul, and with all his might, according to the law of Moses; nor
did any like him arise after him” (בכל־לבבו ובכל־נפשׁו ובכל־מאדו; 23:25). This
is the only threefold repetition of the terms of Deut 6:5 outside of that
passage, suggesting Josiah’s singular loyalty to YHWH and the covenant. This
passage also makes explicit the connection between wholehearted commitment to
YHWH and adherence to the Law of Moses. Finally, this encomium of Josiah’s
contains an implicit critique of the rest of Israel’s kings; Deut 6:4-5 is used
as a standard by which both Israel and its kings are judged. Here, the reader
is warned not to hold out any hope that future kings will live up to the same
standard. (Ibid., 62-65)
