Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 80. Due to the length of this devotion and the importance of God’s favor and the assurance that if God does favor us a/k/a causes His face to shine upon us, then we will be saved, we will pause a few days to meditate on today’s devotion. The next devotion, God willing, will be on Friday, September 25, 2026.
“Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your power
And come to save us!
3 O God, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts,
How long will You be angry with the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And You have made them to drink tears in large measure.
6 You make us an object of contention to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 O God of hosts, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.
8 You removed a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground before it,
And it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And the cedars of God with its boughs.
11 It was sending out its branches to the sea
And its shoots to the River.
12 Why have You broken down its hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
13 A boar from the forest eats it away
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.
14 O God of hosts, turn again now, we beseech You;
Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
15 Even the shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And on the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we shall not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 O LORD God of hosts, restore us;
Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.”
Psalm chapter 80.
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We see salvation most clearly in verses 3, 7, and 19 highlighted in bold italic font above. Salvation is repeated three times in Psalm chapter 80. There is also an ever increasing emphasis of God’s sovereignty in how the Psalmist addresses God from “O God” in verse 3 to “O God of hosts” in verse 7 to “O LORD God of hosts” in verse 19 which leads us to meditate that salvation is based on the sovereignty of God, not based on the alleged free-will of man.
“O God, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.” Verse 3.
“O God of hosts, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.” Verse 7.
“O LORD God of hosts, restore us;
Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.” Verse 19.
We also consider as stated in all three verses that if God favors us a/k/a causes His face to shine on us, then we will be saved!
And upon Whom does God favors a/k/a causes His face to shine?
Christ and those in Christ!
“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he (John the Baptist) saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17.
“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” 1 John 3:11-12.
Notice that every spiritual blessing including salvation a/k/a redemption is given to those in Christ.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. …” Ephesians 1:3-8.
Notice that those who were chosen for salvation by God were placed in Christ “by His doing”.
“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
Consider the following Scripture which is one of the clearest and strongest Scriptures proclaiming God’s sovereignty over salvation.
“For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Romans 9:15-16. In other words, salvation does not depend on our works, nor even as little as our will. God saves whom He wants.
In closing, consider that the following Scripture which is the basis for the quote by Paul in the above Romans 9:15-16 talks a lot about God’s favor, five times!, leading to the statement of God: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”
“Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”
The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” Exodus 33:12-19.
