#DailyDevotion The Way You Perceive God To Be Is How You Will Act

2 Sam. 22:26-34 ²⁶You are kind to those who are kind, perfect with those who are perfect, ²⁷pure with those who keep themselves pure, and those who are crooked will find You perverse. ²⁸You save a humble people, but Your look humbles proud men. ²⁹ You are my Lamp, LORD, for the LORD lights up my darkness. ³⁰ With You I can run against a troop of men; with my God I can jump over a wall. ³¹God’s way is perfect; the LORD’s Word has been tested; He is a Shield to all who go to Him for shelter. ³²Is there any God beside the LORD? Is there any rock beside our God, ³³the God Who is my strong Fortress? He makes my way blameless. ³⁴He makes my feet like those of deer and makes me stand on steep places.

So David, the king of Israel sings this, a portion of a much longer Psalm, after all his enemies are defeated. He says some interesting things here particularly at the beginning. “You are kind to those who are kind,” doesn’t seem too strange by itself. We can see this along the lines of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If we think God is kind to us, we will be kind to others and consequently, the LORD is indeed kind to us. He is “ perfect with those who are perfect” is perhaps a little more troubling because who among us if perfect? Other possible ways of translating it is upright, integrity, blameless. Luther translated it (and I’m rendering it into English) “with the pious your are pious.” Practically every translation skips the adjective of mighty modifying the Hebrew word taw-meem (Strong H8552). The thought continues with the LORD being “pure to the pure” and “the crooked will find you perverse.”

What I see here is a certain principle that how we view the LORD to be with us, he is with us because how we see him is how we are to other people. So if we think God is merciful and kind to us, we will be that way with others. If we see the LORD as very law oriented and judgmental, we will see the LORD that way and we will act that way towards others. I certainly see in those who think the LORD is perverse, crooked, or tortuous that they are that way towards others. Now I don’t want this to mean we create God in our own minds. The LORD is who he is despite what we think of him. He acts according to his own nature. But what we think God acts towards us is how we will act towards others. How we treat those who are made in his image and likeness will have the LORD respond to us according to his nature.

So we see here how David sees the LORD. He is a Lamp to David’s feet. He gives strength to David. “God’s way is perfect; the LORD’s Word has been tested; He is a Shield to all who go to Him for shelter.” As we read David’s life, we can see him live as this is true in most of his life. How he perceived the LORD (which is how the LORD promised he is and would be) dictated how he lived his life. For David, there is no one like the LORD. The LORD was his shield and fortress.

How do you think of God? Is it the way the LORD actually tells you he is? If we actually look at our LORD Jesus Christ on the cross and understand what he did for us and why, if we believe that he has been merciful, kind, forgiving, and loving toward us there, will it not follow we will be that way towards others? Consequently, will not the LORD respond to us all the more that way?

Heavenly Father, give us a right understanding of your attitude towards us in Christ Jesus so we may live our lives according to your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.