As you gather around the dinner table on Thursday, you'll do many things: eat great food, catch up with relatives you haven't seen in a while, joke around with your favorite cousin, and possibly help make a family-favorite recipe. You'll soon participate in many traditions, but I'd encourage you to add one more to the list—read Psalm 136.
Psalm 136 gives seven reasons to give thanks to God.
God Keeps His Promises. The second line of every single verse is "His mercy endures forever." Other translations say, "His lovingkindness is forever." The Hebrew word is chesed, and it means “covenant faithfulness.” When you read Psalm 136, you'll remember that God keeps every single one of His promises. Thanksgiving can be a joyful season, but it can also be a sorrowful season. You may miss loved ones who've passed on or feel the intense pressure of measuring up or creating the perfect day for your loved ones. In this season, it is great to give thanks to God for His covenant faithfulness.
God is Good. The psalmist will remind you of the Lord's intrinsic goodness. God is objectively good. There is no bad in Him. His very nature is good. Therefore, He does good, and He is good. Give thanks to God, for He is good.
God is Supreme. The psalmist says that the LORD is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. There are two concepts in this description: cultural and spiritual. Israel, especially in exile, lived in a land where others worshipped false gods. These pagans would desire to put their false gods, who are actually demons, in competition with the God of Israel, and the psalmist is saying there is no competition. The false gods of the world are nothing compared to God. He is the God of gods. The second concept is that gods (lowercase g) is sometimes a way to refer to all spiritual beings, both angels and demons. The demons are largely the concept found in the first concept; demons are what are behind the false gods of the world. But the use of the catchall also communicates that God is above all the angels as well. No angel competes with God. He, alone, is supreme. God is the supreme spiritual being, and there is competition with Him. He has no rival. Not only is He God of gods, but He's Lord of lords. The concept of a lord is a human authority, a master, a king, a prince, a judge, a ruler, a president, a governor, and God is the Lord above them. He's greater than every human authority. From the president you love to the boss that you hate, from dictators and petty tyrants to war heroes and folk legends, God is above them all. In a world that continues to drift from God and darkness seems to prevail, Thanksgiving is a great time to remember God is supreme. Give thanks to God, for He is supreme.
God is Creator. The psalmist goes back to Genesis 1 and shows that God created the wonders of the world. God crafted the sun, the moon, and the stars. He determined what would be day and what would be night. God created everything we have and everything we see. The grandness of creation is because of His handwork. Even things that came into existence after creation are owed to Him because He created the matter that would later form those things. God is the one who owns time. God has done things that we can't even imagine. He does incredible things. Give thanks to God, for He created everything.
God Saves. The psalmist goes to a peak moment in Israel's history and refers to the very last plague, the most severe plague. When Egypt refused to submit to God and let His people go, God struck the firstborn of everyone who did not have the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. Essential in the life of Israel was the celebration of the Passover event, and the reason Israel went into exile was partly because they failed to celebrate it. So, the psalmist brings to mind the work of God in the Passover and reminds Israel in exile that God brought them out; He saved them from the slavery of Egypt. It was not Moses; it certainly wasn't the golden calf; it was the LORD who saved them. The psalmist moves from the Passover to the splitting of the Red Sea, and he specifically brings attention to God's dealing with Israel being different from His dealing with Egypt. God's miraculous ability to split a sea in two is incredible. At the moment in time, as Israel is fleeing, the Red Sea stands in their way. Hope should've been lost at that moment, yet God split it, and it is dry land. God had Israel pass through this sea with the walls of the sea to their right and their left, but once Israel was through and Pharoah and his army entered the sea, God had it collapse on them. God protected Israel from the Egyptians who wanted to enslave them. In a season where you may have forgotten that God helps, Thanksgiving gives you time to remember that God saves. Give thanks to God, for He is our savior.
God Conquers. The psalmist moves from Exodus to the conquest. God provided for Israel in the wilderness, even though they were wicked. God conquered Sihon and Og even though Israel was punished with serpents. Even when Israel was wicked, God still was good to them. Thanksgiving can be a reminder of how unworthy we are, but it can also be a great time to remember that God conquered for Israel even when they were sinful. Give thanks to God, for He conquers.
God Provides. God provided for exilic Israel in their humiliation. God saved Israel from their enemies. God gives food to all flesh. God provides. During a holiday season that centers around food and material things, remember that God provided what you are enjoying. Give thanks to God, for He alone provides.
This Thanksgiving, give thanks to God! He deserves it! History vindicates that God is forever faithful. Let’s make Thanksgiving be about giving thanks to God.
Written by Klayton Carson
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