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June 20 Today’s Reading: Psalm 60-68 “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest.” Psalm 65:4
O God of my salvation, how I praise you for your sovereign election! How I praise you for choosing me in Christ before the world was, and for causing me, by irresistible, omnipotent mercy, to come to my Savior! God’s choice and election of his people is not the result of something we do, but the cause of everything he does for us in Christ. Because this great work of grace is known and experienced in time, in Psalm 65:4 election is spoken of as being in the present tense, though it was done before the world began. No one knows his election until he has been effectually called by the Holy Spirit to life and faith in Christ.
Choosest Notice the progression of grace running through this verse of Scripture. “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest.” — That is election. God chose to save some in eternity; and those whom he chose to save in eternity he graciously cuts out from the rest of mankind in time, like a rancher at round up time cuts his own cattle out of the many roaming the open range. They were his cattle before. He simply rounds them up at the appointed time.
Causest “And causest to approach unto thee.” — What a sweet word that is! — “Causest.” This refers to irresistible, saving grace, — the effectual call of God the Holy Spirit. Election both precedes and is the source and cause of this call. Look at the next line. Thanks be unto God, he causes chosen sinners to come to Christ. I never would have come and never could have come had God the Holy Ghost not caused me to come.
Courts “That he may dwell in thy courts.” — Sinners chosen and called by grace are caused to dwell, not to visit, but to dwell in the courts of divine worship. Those who are chosen and called by the grace of God to life and faith in Christ are kept and preserved by that same grace unto eternal glory.
Satisfied “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” — Election is the source and cause of the everlasting happiness and satisfaction of God’s saints in heaven. The house and temple of God in the Old Testament were typical of and representations of Christ and heaven, of God’s salvation and our everlasting nearness to and worship of him. This is true blessedness; and this blessedness, according to Holy Scripture, arises from and is effectually caused by God’s election of his people unto salvation in Christ before the world began.
Praise No wonder David sang, “O the blessedness of the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee.” No wonder God’s election was so much on his mind and heart. It was the thought of God’s election that made him leap and dance before the ark of God (2 Samuel 6:21). It was the fact of his election by God unto salvation and eternal life in Christ that sustained his heart and rejoiced his soul as he lay upon his deathbed. Indeed, this is a doctrine full of joy and comfort to every child of God. Let us bless and praise him for his free, electing love in Christ, the fountain of all past blessedness and the guarantee of all future blessedness for his people. God does everything in accordance with his electing love toward us (Romans 8:28-30).
Don Fortner
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Pastor Fortner’s
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