Morning & Evening

Charles H Spurgeon

2023 January 21

God has Chosen

Morning

God Has Chosen

“And so all Israel shall be saved.” — Rom_11:26

Moses Sang

Then Moses sang at the Red Sea, it was his joy to know that all of Israel was safe. Not a drop of spray fell from that solid wall until the last of God’s Israel had safely planted his foot on the other side of the flood. That done, immediately the floods dissolved into their proper place again, but not till then. Part of that song was, “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed.” In the last time, when the elect shall sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and of the Lamb, it shall be the boast of Jesus, “Of all whom thou hast given me, I have lost none.” In heaven, there shall not be a vacant throne.

Chosen Race

“For all the chosen race
Shall meet around the throne,
Shall bless the conduct of his grace,
And make his glories known.”

Redeemed

As many as God hath chosen, as many as Christ hath redeemed, as many as the Spirit hath called, as many as believe in Jesus, shall safely cross the dividing sea. We are not all safely landed yet:
“Part of the host has crossed the flood,
And part is crossing now.

The Vanguard

The vanguard of the army has already reached the shore. We are marching through the depths; we are following hard after our Leader into the heart of the sea on this day. Let us be of good cheer: the rear guard shall soon be where the vanguard already is; the last of the chosen ones shall soon have crossed the sea, and then shall be heard the song of triumph, when all are secure. But oh! if one were absent-oh! if one of his chosen family should be cast away-it would make an everlasting discord in the song of the redeemed, and cut the strings of the harps of paradise, so that music could never be extorted from them.

God Delivers

Evening

“He was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst?” — Jdg_15:18

I Thirst

Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was different from any that the hero had met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand Philistines! But when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty is weightier than the great past difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered.

It is very usual for God’s people when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines, piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a bit of water! Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes “halting on his thigh!” Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day.

As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he said, “I have slain a thousand men.” His boastful throat soon grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer. God has many ways of humbling his people.

Child of God

Dear child of God, if after great mercy you are laid extremely low, your case is not an unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he said, “I am this day weak, though anointed king.” You must expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, your present difficulty is only like Samson’s thirst, and the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson’s words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long.