Daily Devotion
... and have not set thee before them. (Psalm 86:14).
October 17th, 2024
David is writing about proud and violent men in his day, men who cause trouble and oppose him as he tries to do right things for God. In this verse, David explains something very important about these wicked men: they have not put God before them. They have not considered what God wants and how God wants things to be done. They just go their own way.
But David HAS set God before himself. If you will, picture a man who takes a statue or an idol of a false god and kneels down before it. Of course, that worship will do no good for him as he is actually worshipping devils. But that man has put that idol before him, he has set it before him and he seeks to please that idol throughout his day.
Real worship of Jehovah God is, of course, not like this. But then, doesn't a Christian kneel before his God and seek His ways, seeking to please Him? This is what it means to set God before you, so that you might follow His leadership as He gently Shepherds you through life. Everything you look at you try to see it through God's Eyes, everything you believe you filter it through the Word of God, everything you do you seek the Holy Ghost's approval - THIS is setting God before you.
So, let us keep this very simple: as you move through your life as a child of God, put God before you! Just as a little child follows along behind an adult by holding their hand, why don't you reach out a hand for your Heavenly Father and follow Him? This would surely be setting Him before you.
When the Israelites crossed the Jordan into Israel, they were to have the priests carry the ark out in front of them so that they might be able to follow God's leadership. As you read these verses, see how Israel set God before them: And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. (Joshua 3:3-4).
There you go! Set God before you! You will not go astray, because God will lead us not into temptation.
QED