Category: thanksgiving

Psalm 136: Give Thanks… 

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

img_3747Try reading this psalm aloud to really enjoy the flow. If you have Thanksgiving dinner guests, let them repeat the refrain. Later, write your own psalm following the same pattern or gather with family and friends to write a unique to psalm to God.  Most importantly enjoy your Thanksgiving Day, giving thanks to your God!

1. Give thanks because our God is above all others.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,      For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Who are you giving thanks to?  When we know who God is, really know Him, we are better able to give thanks to Him. The psalmist went back to Moses’ words in Deuteronomy, calling on those who heard or sang this psalm to remember to whom they were giving thanks. We to need to remember and give thanks for our Savior and our Lord (Jude 1:25) and the One who is coming as the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”.

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:17-18

2. Give thanks because He is our great Creator

4 To Him who alone does great wonders,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

5 To Him who made the heavens with skill,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

7 To Him who made the great lights,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting:

8 The sun to rule by day,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

9 The moon and stars to rule by night,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

What do you find most inspiring about our created world? I love the beauty of the sunsets. As much as I enjoy viewing them, I can’t create them on my own. When the psalmist writes “To Him who alone…”, he means that God in a class of His own. No one, absolutely no one can do the works that He can. Job describes God as the one…

Who does great things, unfathomable,

And wondrous works without number. Job 9:10

3. Give thanks because He keeps His covenant promises.

10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

11 And brought Israel out from their midst,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

17 To Him who smote great kings,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

18 And slew mighty kings,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting:

19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

20 And Og, king of Bashan,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

21 And gave their land as a heritage,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

 Long before the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God told Abraham that it would happen, and how they would be brought out of Egypt. The psalmist was reminding the people that the Lord had acted on their behalf just as He had promised Abraham He would do (Genesis 15:13-14). How does God care for us? Has He made promises to us? A few of the promises we have in the new covenant are…by faith in Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of our sins (Eph 1:7), the Holy Spirit living within us (Romans 5:5) and peace with God (Romans 5:1).

…joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:11b-12

4. Give thanks for His loving care.

23 Who remembered us in our low estate,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

24 And has rescued us from our adversaries,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

25 Who gives food to all flesh,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,     For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

God remembered His people when they were slaves in Egypt and rescued them just as He had promised. The same God remembers us when we are slaves to sin (John 8:34) and provides a means of rescuing (John 8:36) us. We too need to give thanks to Him alone, because He is the one and only God of heaven.

For His lovingkindness is everlasting!

Psalm 111: Thankful for His works

The psalmist calls God’s people to praise Him for His past works and to trust Him for their future because His righteousness, covenant, precepts, and praise is forever.

image-1Psalm 111 is an acrostic or alphabetical psalm. After the opening line (Praise the Lord!), each line starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This may have made it easier for the Jewish people to memorize but when translated into English I found it difficult to see how the verses were connected. Then I marked (underlined, circled, etc.) the repeated words. They are key to unlocking the meaning of the text.

1 “Praise the Lord!

I will give thank to the Lord with all my heart,

In the company of the upright and in the assembly”.

With all your heart… 

The psalmist starts with stating that he gives thanks in both the company of the upright (intimate circle of friends) and in the assembly (the congregation).

Our words in private reveals the truth of our attitudes. When we truely give thanks with all our heart, our words will not change whether we are speaking to those in our intimate circle of friends and family or in the assembly of people.

2 “Great are the works of the Lord;

   They are studied by all who delight in them.

3 Splendid and majestic is His work,

And His righteousness endures forever.

4 He has made His wonders to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

5 He has given food to those who fear Him;

He will remember His covenant forever.

6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,

In giving them the heritage of the nations”.

Delight in His works…

The psalmist delights in and studies the works of the Lord. He gave thanks for The Lod’s great, splendid, majestic, and powerful works toward His people. And also praised Him for…His righteousness, gracious, and compassionate care for His people.

If I say “I delight in God”, then I too must study His works. It is only when we know of His great work of righteousness, grace, and compassion in our lives that we can truly give Him the thanks He deserves and desires.

7  “The works of His hands are truth and justice;

All His precepts are sure.

8 They are upheld forever and ever;

   They are performed in truth and uprightness.

9 He has sent redemption to His people;

   He has ordained His covenant forever;

Holy and awesome is His name.”

His works and precepts are forever…

I don’t know about you, but when I first read this psalm I didn’t notice the “forevers”. Then I marked the repeated words and suddenly I could see five “forevers”. That definitely made me view this psalm differently. Yes, The psalmist was reminding them of the work the Lord had done for them in the past. Yet he was also pointing them to the future. The Lord’s righeousness will endure forever (3). He will remember His covenant forever (6). His precepts are upheld forever (8). He has ordained His covenant forever (9). His praise will endure forever (10).

We need to remember God’s past work in our lives. We also need to be reminded of the promise of “forever” that we have through faith in Jesus Christ. We should be like the psalmist to …remember…write…give thanks for the great things God has and has promised to do for us!

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;

His praise endures forever.”

Wisdom and understanding…

Throughout the psalms and the proverbs, we are reminded that the starting point for wisdom is fear of the Lord. Obedience to His commands shows that we have a good understanding (insight, good sense).

Many maybe smart, but only those who revere God are truly wise. As James writes, “wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Living in obedience to God’s commands show that we have true understanding.