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Psalm 65:4
Blessed is the one whom you choose and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
2You who hear prayer, all men will come to you.
3Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions.
4Blessed is the one whom you choose and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
5By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea.
6By your power, you form the mountains, having armed yourself with strength.
Notice
God’s choice comes before the nearness and fullness described here, making the blessing of life in his courts something received from his hand.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What does God’s action in “choose and cause to come near” reveal about the blessing described here?
Write on thisHow does the promise of being filled with God’s house’s goodness shape what you seek from him?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 27:4One thing I have asked of the LORD, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the LORD’s house all the days of my life, to see the LORD’s beauty, and to …Both passages treasure dwelling in God’s house, where his goodness or beauty is the delight of those who seek him.
Psalm 36:8They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house. You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.Both passages describe God’s house as a place of abundance where those who receive his goodness are satisfied.
Matthew 5:6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.Both passages join blessing with the promise of being filled, though Matthew names hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Ephesians 1:4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,God’s choosing is central to both passages, with the psalm describing nearness and Ephesians describing being chosen in Christ.
Psalm 84:4Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are always praising you. Selah.Both passages call those who dwell in God’s house blessed, with Psalm 84 adding their ongoing praise.
Psalm 106:4–5Remember me, LORD, with the favor that you show to your people. Visit me with your salvation,Both passages concern God’s favor toward people, expressed as blessing in Psalm 65 and sought in prayer in Psalm 106.
Revelation 3:12He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God and the name …Both passages describe a lasting place in God’s temple, with Revelation promising that the one who overcomes will never leave.
Jeremiah 31:25For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”Both passages speak of fullness supplied by God, with Jeremiah naming the weary and sorrowful as those he replenishes.
Revelation 21:3–4I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself …Both passages connect blessing with dwelling near God, though Revelation describes God’s dwelling coming to be with his people.
Revelation 7:16–17They will never be hungry or thirsty any more. The sun won’t beat on them, nor any heat;Both passages speak of satisfaction, with the psalm promising fullness and Revelation describing an end to hunger and thirst.
Jeremiah 31:12–14They will come and sing in the height of Zion, and will flow to the goodness of the LORD, to the grain, to the new wine, to the oil, and to the young of the …Both passages describe people receiving God’s goodness, with Jeremiah naming harvest gifts and the gladness of those coming to Zion.
Numbers 16:5He said to Korah and to all his company, “In the morning, the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him. Even him …Both passages link God’s choosing with his action of causing someone to come near to him.
Where this verse fits
Praise and worship. gratitude. feeling distant from God.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The blessing described here begins with God’s choice and reaches into life in his courts. His holy house is full of goodness for those he brings near.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).