“For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:14-15 NKJV)
I thought it would be valuable to take an extra week to
understand the importance of the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving that we
are to offer because this is not the first time these two words have been
linked in the Bible.
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation; gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in Your praise. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 16:34-36 NKJV)
David leads the Israelites in a song of thanksgiving after
the ark of the covenant is returned to Jerusalem (Note: This song is also recorded as Psalm 105). David wanted the people
to recall all that the LORD had brought them through, all the reasons to thank Him
and praise Him. He wanted them to look to God, to continue to depend on Him for
salvation, so that they could thank Him and triumph in His praise. David wanted
all the people to sincerely joy in the LORD, thank Him and laud Him, appreciate
all He has done (and continues to do)
and to glorify His name!
“Sing praises to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name… You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me in gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.” (Psalm 30:4. 11-12 NKJV)
When David finished building his house he praised God. The
LORD had brought him through much turmoil and troubles (see 1 and 2 Samuel) and has now given him the throne over the
kingdom of Israel. When he says “my glory may sing praise to You” he
means his soul; his soul will sing
praise to God – from the very core of his being, he would declare the glories
of God and not be silent! He would also give thanks forever, meaning there
would never come a time in life (or in
eternity) in which God would not be thanked for His goodness and mercy.
“I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.” (Psalm 35:18 NKJV)
Similar to the verse before, David declares that he will
proclaim God’s help and provision by openly thanking Him before a multitude of
people and by praising Him to a countless amount of people. It was as though
David was saying, ‘To those I am with
now, and to everyone I speak with in future, I will tell them how thankful I am
to You, and I will always praise Your name.’
“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 69:30 NKJV)
David again calls on the Lord for help, and he is so sure of
God’s care that he pronounces that he will praise Him with a song and magnify
Him with thanks. Magnify means to make great
or powerful. Have you ever done
something for someone (or given them something) that meant so much to them that
their thankfulness made it seem like a much bigger gift than it was? Maybe they told others about it for quite a while
after? We need to be thankful towards God like that! Now, His love, mercy,
care, and provision cannot be overstated or over-thanked, but when we, in full
appreciation of His gifts, openly declare our thanks and praise, it may cause
one who does not pay attention to the things of God to take notice; it may lead
them to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). I invite you to “magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt
His name together” (Psalm 34:3).
“So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations.” (Psalm 79:13 NKJV)
In this psalm of Asaph, we find a confidence that God will
have mercy on His people, and they in turn will always be able to thank Him and
tell others (future generations) of
His goodness and grace. Take time to read and consider these passages that
convey a similar message: Joshua 4:1-7,
Psalm 71:18, and Psalm 78:4
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with Praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” (Psalm 100:4)
Think on those things that are praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) and meditate on (frequently recall to your mind) those
things that you are thankful for; gather them up in your heart/mind as you approach
God’s throne (Hebrews 4:14-16), and
bless His name. Bless (in this verse)
means adore with bended knee; reverent
love. Speak beautiful words about God from a heart of sincere appreciation
and devotion.
“Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God.” (Psalm 147:7)
The first “sing” in this verse refers to the literal singing
voice; thanking God in lyrical song. The second “sing” refers to literal
playing of music which was made common in the tabernacle by David (and later in the temple) in the Old
Testament; its original meaning was to hum or murmur (i.e. music of the heart and mouth). There are several mentions of
Levites (servants in the house of God)
being assigned to give thanks and to praise the LORD: 1 Chronicles 25:32 Chronicles 31:2, Nehemiah 12:24 and 12:46
In the New Testament we do not find any instruction or
example for using mechanical instruments in our worship (and God knew all about them, so if He wanted them used He certainly
would have given clear instruction), but we do find one instrument
mentioned, a God-made instrument that we all have: our hearts. “…speaking
to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the
Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Ephesians 5:19-20). So, we can certainly still sing to the Lord
with thanksgiving and sing praises with our heart to our God!
“Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures for ever.” (Psalm 106:1 NKJV)
This is why we offer the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving:
because life is hard, but God is always
good. He is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), His compassions fail not, they are new every
morning (Lamentations 3:22-26)!
Let’s take time each day to think on all God has brought us
through, all that He has brought to, and all the provisions He continues to
bless us with (Psalm 68:19). Let’s
sincerely joy in His power and His grace; celebrate it! Tell Him what it means
to you to have the hope of heaven! Thank Him for sending His Son to be our
Saviour! Be ready to tell others about His goodness, about His wonderful care
and His wisdom – keep telling others for as long as you live (Psalm 146:1-2, 150:6), don’t be silent,
tell your children and grandchildren – tell anyone who asks the reason for your
hope (1 Peter 3:15). Proclaim the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Magnify Him and openly
thank Him for His faithfulness (Psalm
92:1-2). Read some more of the psalms and tune your heart to speak
beautiful words about our God. It will take time and it will take practice, but
God is worthy of our every effort to reverently praise and thank Him!
You can do it! So can I!!
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