Thanksgivings

by J.W. Seddon, Liverpool, England | Category: Meditations In The Psalms | Feb 1990

Expressing the longing of the heart of God, the Psalmist wrote:

Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! for He satisfieth the longing soul, and the hungry soul He filleth with good (Ps. 107:8,9).

This is true in relation to God's benevolence to the whole of mankind. Paul's words to those at Lystra were:

God... left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:17).

Yet men have always been reluctant to give God thanks. Nevertheless we are grateful to our God for the example of His saints in days gone by, who were called upon to pass through deep personal experiences covering all the vicissitudes that we ourselves are subject to, and out of which was born a spirit of thankfulness that delighted the heart of God. Such examples we have in the Psalms.

Among all the writers of the Psalms, perhaps none has been used as much as David, "The sweet psalmist of Israel". Although God called him, "A man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14), he was also a man of like passions with ourselves to whom we can readily relate in many of his experiences. His appreciation of God's salvation is expressed in the words,

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay;... and established my goings, ... And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God (Ps. 40:2,3).

And again:

I have trusted in Thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation (Ps. 13:5).

And yet again:

0 LORD, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol, Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (Ps. 30:3).

Psalm 18 commences with David's attitude of heart to the Lord, "I love Thee, 0 LORD" (v.1) a love born out of a deep appreciation of his dependence upon his God. He looks back upon the Lord's kindness to him, having delivered him from all his enemies; God had been to him his strength (v.1), his rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, Lord of his salvation and high tower (v.2), amid fear, danger and death. Again looking back upon his life, and expressing a note of thankfulness he could say:

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles (Ps. 34:6).

But perhaps none of the Psalms express more clearly David's appreciation of God's deliverance from the consequence of his sin than Psalm 103, where he calls upon his whole being to show his gratitude to the God of his salvation for forgiving all his iniquity, redeeming his life from destruction and crowning him with lovingkindness and tender mercies: not dealing with him after his sins nor rewarding him after his iniquities, and, as far as the east is from the west, so far removing his transgressions from him (Ps. 103:3-12). David's knowledge too, of the personal God who was his is revealed in Psalm 139, as to His omniscience (vv. 1-6), His omnipresence (vv. 7-12) and His omnipotence (vv. 13-16). Touching a personal note, which expresses the personal relationship he knew with God, he says:

How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, 0 God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee (vv. 17,18).

And longing for a still closer relationship he cries:

Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts ... and lead me in the way everlasting (vv. 23,24).

Such Psalms and many more not only reveal David's appreciation of God's salvation, but also His great deliverance and keeping grace throughout his life. Perhaps most precious of all to David was God's goodness to him in relation to his service in the preparation for the building of God's house, to which he gave all the great wealth he had amassed for that purpose. David acknowledged in all his Psalms God's lovingkindness to him in every sphere of his life, and expressed this through a thankful spirit. Such a spirit pervaded the lives of many men and women of God throughout the Old Testament.

We have briefly considered the outcome of David's experience, and thanksgiving was one of the causes of his fruitful life, not only through his words but also through his deeds. Perhaps the best known example of this is seen in his treatment of Mephibosheth. Remembering God's kindness to him, he said:

Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness

of God unto him? (2 Sam. 9:3).

Such words came from the lips of David in spite of the bitter experience he suffered at the hand of Mephibosheth's grandfather, Saul. But what of the present? How do men react to God's kindness today? God has not changed; His lovingkindness to mankind is still the same. His provision is such as to meet the need of all men, but alas, man has not changed either. The plea of Psalm 107 still brings little response. Men largely take all the blessings of God so much for granted and misappropriate the abundance of God's provision, and this results in widespread starvation and homelessness in the world. Paul's words to Timothy are so relevant today, "Men shall be ... unthankful" (2 Tim. 3:2). But what God does not receive from men in general, He most certainly expects from those who are His own.

The Greek verb eucharisteo denotes gratitude, to give thanks, thankfulness, "it is the expression of joy Godward" (Vine) and is a characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonian Christians exhorts them saying, "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward" (1 Thes. 5:18). Is this possible, in everything? It is so easy to do this in times of ease, when everything is going well for us, and we walk along the smooth path of Christian experience. But what of the valley experience, when the cares of life seem to weigh us down; is it possible then to express joy Godward and to give God thanks, and to do what Paul describes to the Colossian saints as "abounding in thanksgiving"?

We think of the apostles who were put in prison, and before being released, felt the flesh-tearing lash of the whip, yet they "departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the Name" (Acts 5:41). And concerning Paul and Silas we read:

And when they had laid many stripes on them, they cast them into prison ... But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God (Acts 16:23,25).

And what of the greatest example of all, our Lord Jesus? His whole life personified the sweet savour and thank offerings, thrilling the heart of God. Even amidst all His sufferings He could say:

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with

thanksgiving (Ps. 69:30).

It was usual to sing psalms before and after the Passover, and the psalms probably used were 113-118. We read in Matthew's account of the Upper Room Passover that "when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives", to Gethsemane. Yet not withstanding all the dread of Calvary that even now filled His heart, He was still able to lead His beloved disciples in a song of thanksgiving unto God which each of the six psalms expresses (Mat. 26:30).

We too should continually know the joy of expressing our gratitude to God, as we wend our way homeward, especially as we come week by week into His glorious presence to remember our lovely Lord Jesus:

Through Him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to His name (Heb. 13:15).

Even in the trials of life experiencing His all-sufficient grace, we can still "Give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever".

J.W. Seddon, Liverpool, England | Feb 1990
Meditations In The Psalms