2 I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever.
Malachi 1
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Romans 9:11
Let us examine the first phrase, “as many as I love”. In the Greek the emphasis is upon the personal pronoun “I”. He does not say as many would feel He should say, “as many as love ME”. No sir. We must never try to make Jesus the OBJECT of human love in this verse. No! It is the MANY that are the LOVED ONES of God. It is HIS love, in question, NOT ours.
So once again we find ourselves glorying in His salvation, His purpose and His plan, and we are confirmed even more strongly in the truth of the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God. Even as He said in Romans 9:13. “Jacob have I loved.” Does it now obtain that since He loved ONLY the MANY, is He therefore in a state of complacency, awaiting the love of those who have not drawn nigh Him? By no means is this so, for He declared also in Romans 9:13, “Esau have I hated.” And in verse 11 the Spirit boldly calls out, “For the children not being born, neither having done any good or evil, THAT THE PURPOSE OF GOD ACCORDING TO ELECTION MIGHT STAND, not of works, but of Him that calleth.” This love is “Elective Love”. It is His love for His elect. And His love for them is apart from HUMAN MERIT for it says that the purpose of God stands in election which is exactly opposite to works or anything man has in himself. Because “BEFORE THE CHILDREN WERE BORN” He had ALREADY said, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”
And now He says to His own, “As many as I love, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN.” To rebuke is to reprove. To reprove is to ‘expose with a view to correction.’ Chasten does not mean to punish. It means to “discipline because the subject’s amendment is in mind.”
This is exactly what we find in Hebrews 12:5-11,
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him;
For whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
Herein is now set forth the love of God. He desired in love a family of His own, a family of sons—sons like Himself. There before Him lies all mankind as ONE lump of clay. Out of that same lump He will now make vessels unto honor and unto dishonor. The CHOOSING will be His own choosing. Then those chosen ones, born of His Spirit will be trained to conform to His image in their walk. He REPROVES with all long-suffering and gentleness and mercy. He CHASTENS with nail-scarred hands. Sometimes this Potter must take the vessel He is working on and thoroughly break it down in order that He may rebuild it exactly as He desires it. BUT IT IS LOVE. THAT IS HIS LOVE. ANOTHER WAY OF HIS LOVE THERE IS NOT. THERE CANNOT BE.
“The Laodicean Church Age”, “Exposition of Seven Church Ages”, William M. Branham
Deep calleth unto deep,
In the night time I scarcely sleep.
Why art thou disquieted in me my soul?
I’ve found hope in the Lord of glory;
He has revealed my life’s mystery,
Shown me that I was in His thoughts from times of old
CHORUS
It’s the rising of the sun,
When the children of God on the earth are born;
This Evening Light from above,
It’s nothing less than God’s elective love.
I see Mary, she’s walking slowly,
Along the narrow road that’s dusty,
When the child is born your sorrows will be gone;
“Esther, Esther, touch that sceptre,
With the King you have found favour;”
Anything you do, do it in that name
Samson’s locks are now a little longer,
Faith muscles are becoming stronger,
Between the pillars the Lord will strike His Masterpiece;
Now the Headstone is drawing nearer,
Dynamics are worked in greater measure;
Pulsations of faith will soon create: “Let there be.”
Seven Thunders activating the countdown,
The North Star leads the battle stars to the showdown,
Two hundred million devils will be on the run;
Joel’s mighty army comes on display,
The elements will tremble before them on that day,
For strong is the Lord that executeth His Word
CHORUS
It’s the rising of the sun,
So be not faint when that darkness comes
This Evening Light from above,
It’s nothing less than God’s elective love.
Our hearts are burning with expectation,
For the promised eternal vacation,
Reservations have already been made;
Next attraction, coming soon,
Bridegroom and Bride leave for honeymoon,
On the wings of Love she’ll take her flight thru’ the skies.
“God’s Elective Love”, Ulric Andrews
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