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Psalm 100 (NASB)
A Psalm for Thanksgiving.
“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.”
The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us!
I love this holiday because, even though there is an attempt to commercialize it, it still remains more true to form than any other holiday.
In one word, how would you describe the Thanksgiving holiday?
I can think of joyful, hopeful, fun, full, food, football, family, fights, frenzy, dysfunctional, chaotic, eating, enjoyment, games, thanksgiving . . .
Thanksgiving is a great holiday because when we pause to give thanks, it recognizes that we have been given something by another and we recognize that contribution in our lives. You may give of your time, energy and resources, and I acknowledge that what you have done is a benefit and help to me. I thank you. It is an act of humbleness.
But I believe that thanksgiving is only one aspect of something much stronger. For us to have the strength to carry us through the years ahead, we need more than just thanksgiving.
Some sheets of plywood are made up of thin layers of wood, glued together. It is constructed this way for several reasons, one of which is to hold heavy weight over a large area. Plywood is also used when constructing homes because it strengthens and stabilizes the structure.
So it is with thanksgiving, because thanksgiving is more than just giving thanks.
Turn to Psalm 100 and let’s see what it has to say about giving thanks and the layers surrounding it that gives it tremendous strength.
As we work our way through this Psalm, think of these statements as if they were layers glued together to become a laminated sheet, creating strength and stability in our lives.
The first layer is found in the title. The title gives us a heads up as to what the Psalm is all about. The title reads “A psalm of thanksgiving.”
When I worked as a graphic designer for the City of Bellevue, one of the first questions I would ask my customers was, “what do you want as the heading to your flyer?” The heading is a way to pull the reader into the rest of the information and gives a quick idea of what the flyer is all about. So it is with this psalm. There is more to thanksgiving than giving thanks, and the rest of this psalm shows us.
Psalm 100:1 tells us “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.” Here is the first layer and it is composed of three parts: shout joyfully, to the LORD, all the earth. This directive is given whether we feel like it or not. It is something we do mentally, from the heart and on occasion, with feeling. Because joy is a decision we make no matter the situation or circumstances. It depends on our understanding of God and His involvement in our lives. It is a steadfast gaze at the character of God no matter the storms we face.
This is a shout of triumph. No matter what we face, we know that we have victory in Christ and we shout in victory. It has the same intensity as being at a football game and our team just scored the winning touchdown. What do you say we give it a try?
Secondly, it tells us to shout to the LORD. Notice it doesn’t say “shout AT the LORD.” To shout to the LORD is to give Him credit for who He is and what He has done. To shout AT the LORD is to express frustration, anger and disappointment with Him. We shout TO the LORD because we recognize who He is. Several times in this psalm, the title of LORD is given (CAPITAL L O R D). Those who worked hard at translating the scriptures from Hebrew to English, tried hard to give the reader a sense of the words used. When you see LORD written this way, it references the name of the Lord as “YaHWaH”. YHWH is the word used to describe the all sufficient, self sufficient, Almighty God who is above all, worthy of all praise and honor, glory and might. This is the name God gave Himself. When He talked with Moses through the burning bush as recorded in Genesis 3:14, He told Moses “I AM WHO I AM”. God said, “tell the sons of Israel, “YHWH has sent me to you.” When Jesus told the pharisees “Before Abraham was, I AM” they tried to stone Him, because anyone claiming to be the I AM was claiming to be God. There is no greater designation for God. Everything on earth, everything in this universe, everything in the spiritual realm has a beginning or a source. The beginning of all things, the source of all things is God. He needs nothing to exist, He needs no-one to authenticate Himself, He needs nothing to give meaning to His existence, He depends or relies on no-one for fulfillment and purpose. He is the One we rely on and depend on and go to for purpose and meaning. He is YHWH, He is LORD.
The 3rd part of “shout for joy, to the LORD”, is “all the earth.” Nobody is exempt from this declaration. It is right and just that all the earth give praise to the Almighty. He is worthy, it is right and good, He is to be given praise because that is where praise and thanksgiving NEEDS to go.
Thanksgiving is more than giving thanks. It is recognizing the position and title of God. He is YHWH.
Then it says, “Serve or worship the LORD with gladness.” It is interesting that some translations interpret this word as worship, but it also has the idea of working or labor in service to God. Like tilling the soil. In other words, we work at preparing ourselves for service. What is the purpose of tilling the soil? The purpose of tilling is to mix organic matter into your soil, help control weeds, break up crusted soil, or loosen up a small area for planting. It helps provide ground where plants can grow and better produce fruit. So it is with us in our service to the Lord. We need to till it, work at it, break up hard ground of resistance and learn what it means to serve the Lord. And that begs the question, “how DO we serve the Lord?” I believe our tendency is to ask for a list of do’s and don’ts so that after doing and/or not doing, we can say “I’ve served the Lord, now onto the things I want to do.” But serving the Lord is a lifestyle. It is something we do simply because of who God is and who we are in relation to God. To serve the Lord means to love our neighbor, to do good to those who oppose us, to respond to life as a follower of Jesus Christ. Serving God is not a list of what to do, but how to be. To serve God means to view this life and this world from His perspective and purpose rather than our own.
Thanksgiving is more than just giving thanks, it is about serving God as a lifestyle.
The next layer of this psalm says to “Come before Him with joyful songs.” It is interesting because the psalmist is telling us to “come”. In other words, don’t stand far off and worship the Lord, but get close and personal with our God. And this is what God desires. He wants us to come to Him. We saw last week when Peter asked Jesus, who was walking on water, that if it really is the Christ, tell him to come. And Jesus said, “come”. It is the same idea here, where God has invited us into His throne room so that we may have a time of closeness with Him. And all we need to bring is joyful songs. Notice a couple things about this. The psalmist didn’t say you had to be on key, or come with harmonious songs, or a funeral dirge. He simply said come with joyful songs.
Thanksgiving is more than just giving thanks, it is coming into the presence of God with joyful songs.
Verse 3 is key to Psalm 100. “Know that the LORD is God.” The word for “know” in Hebrew is “yada” and is used to describe an intimate relationship with another. It is the word used to describe the intimacy Adam had with his wife Eve. So it is not knowing about someone, it is knowing them, how they will react, what they like and dislike, being able to communicate on a deep intimate level, knowing their character and heart.
In order to know someone this way, you have to spend time with them, experience different situations and circumstances with them. One of the best ways to know an individual is either to take a long road trip with them or wallpaper a room. So it is with God. Know God by involving Him in every aspect of your life, whether washing the dishes, putting on your shoes or changing your career.
The psalmist does mention what it is we are to know about God for he says, “Know that the LORD is God.” We already talked about what LORD or YHWH means, but what is the Hebrew word for God here? The word is Elohim. Elohim recognizes God as the creator. God, Elohim, created all things. God existed in eternity past and chose to create time, angels, the heavens and the earth and mankind. As creator He is above all and the source of it all. God set it in motion and continues to sustain all of creation, driving it to a particular purpose. There are many little “g” gods in this world, but they really are no god for there is only one big “G” God.
Notice how the psalmist moves from recognizing the LORD as God to a declaration of what that means to us. “It is He who made us, and not we ourselves, we are his people, and the sheep of His pasture.” We did not make ourselves. We were created by another. One who made us with our gender, our personality, our physical makeup, hair color and ethnicity. Who you are is not a mistake. But the emphasis is not just on how we are made, but also on the attitude and care that is exhibited by this Creator God. He deeply cares for us, His creation like a shepherd cares for his sheep. This should remind us of Psalm 23, which talks about the protection, provision, care and concern God has for those who are His. It talks about purpose, guidance and watchfulness over His flock.
Thanksgiving is more than just giving thanks, it is about recognizing YHWH Elohim, the LORD as God.
There are more layers to this psalm as seen in verses 4 & 5.
Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
This repeats the idea of praise as seen in verses 1 & 2, but with some added instruction. It tells us to “enter His gates, and enter His courts.” In other words, the praise and worship we give to the Creator God is not something we do at a distance or arm’s length, but it is something we do up close and personal.
This brings up the question, “how do we enter the gates and courts of the Almighty, holy and righteous God? How is it possible to approach the throne of God? How can I be found worthy of coming into His presence?”
Many of you know the answer, but I think it bears repeating.
When God created the heavens and the earth, He created a place for mankind, for men and women, to dwell, to enjoy His creation as well as spend time with Him, walking, talking and enjoying life. There was one, and only one, stipulation. God told Adam, the first man, “you can enjoy everything I have created. You can eat of the fruit of any tree in the garden, but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Understand?” Adam said, “understood.” And life in the garden was great. At some point, the serpent, who in this case was the devil, the deceiver, came along and began chatting with Eve. Eventually he convinced Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and Eve invited Adam to participate in this feast. Adam, the one who had been given the instruction, who had been told what was the right thing to do and the wrong to avoid, willingly and knowingly ate of the fruit. As a result, God’s holiness, God’s authority, God’s position as Creator was thrown out the window and man chose to make himself the center of the universe, the authority and the one who should determine good from evil. In so doing, man received the just punishment of his rebellion, death. To keep man from living forever in this sinful state, God drove him out of the garden so that he could not eat of the tree of life. Death, physically, emotionally, and spiritually occurred. The relationship between God and man was severed, broken, destroyed.
Because God is good and faithful, He had to judge sin, He had to respond to Adam’s rebellion with punishment. But because God is good and faithful, He provided a way for us to be reconciled with Him, to be brought back into a relationship with Him and be part of His eternal family and that is through the death and resurrection of His only Son Jesus Christ. Because Jesus was man and God, He was the only one qualified to take upon Himself the sin or rebellion of mankind. And because He is holy, righteous and true, He is able to transfer or impute that righteousness to us.
John 1:12 tells us, “but as many as have received Him, to those who have believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God . . .” that means if we believe the truth about Jesus Christ, accepting who He really is and the sacrifice He made for us, we become children of God taking on the righteousness, holiness, eternalness of Jesus Christ. We become Christ followers. We are placed “in Christ.” We have more to say about that in the weeks to follow. But for now it is important that we understand that through the person and work of Jesus Christ, we have the honor and privilege to enter the gates, into the courts of God and give Him praise.
There is more to thanksgiving than just giving thanks, it is recognizing the way God has provided for us to come into His presence and give Him praise.
Let me end by looking at the final layers of thanksgiving as see in Psalm 100:5.
“For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.”
To say that the LORD is good is to say that He defines what is good. It is God who defines what is good and right for He IS good. To say that God is good is to say He never thinks, desires, says or does what is evil.
If we doubt God’s goodness, we will cease to trust Him. And when we cease to trust Him we cease to do what He asks. If we doubt God’s goodness, we will no longer rely on, follow or seek His help.
If we doubt God’s goodness, the only thing left is our own understanding of goodness. We become the center of our lives, and therefore define what is good, God will then need to be squeezed into our mold of goodness and need to become something He is not. His goodness will no longer be what guides and motivates us but what guides and motivates us is our desires, our pleasures, our will, our sense of right and wrong. We will define good as that which is comfortable, predictable, pleasurable, natural and easy. And we will complain and grumble and whine because life isn’t what we think it should be.
Listen, understanding that God is good won’t change your life situation or circumstances, but it will give you the strength to deal with and face those difficult and overwhelming situations.
God’s goodness, lovingkindness and faithfulness should cause us to pause and stand in amazement. And when we reflect on these characteristics and know that they will be with us for eternity, forever and ever, we should be filled with gratitude, and gratitude instills joy and the harvest of joy is contentment.
Thanksgiving is more than just giving thanks, it is understanding the true nature and character of God and in response to His goodness, lovingkindness, and faithfulness, we bow in adoration, praise and thanksgiving.
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In His Grace,
Ted
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