by Pastor Patrick Cho
Many passages of Scripture address the theme of thanksgiving. Since all that we have is ultimately from the Lord, it is appropriate to give Him thanks and praise His name. Psalm 100, though brief, contains significant truth about the reasons believers should give thanks. As the Thanksgiving holiday is once again upon us, I thought this was a helpful theme to meditate on.
The psalm begins with a general call to worship in vv. 1-2. The three commands in these verses walk us through the believer’s expression of thanks. First, there is the call to “shout joyfully.” This is a term that is repeated throughout the Psalms and Isaiah (Ps. 66:1; 81:1; 95:1-2; 98:4, 6; 145:7; Isa. 44:23; 52:8-9; 65:14). It can refer to giving a shout for joy or blowing a loud sound through a horn.
Second, the psalmist commands God’s people to “serve the Lord with gladness.” Service to the Lord is a form of worship unto Him. Here, the psalmist’s thought is that any service offered to the Lord should be done in gladness. In Deuteronomy 28, God warns Israel against disobedience and tells her that if judgment comes upon her, it is because she did not serve Him with a glad heart (Deut. 28:47).
Third, the psalmist says that the people should come before God “with joyful singing.” This is a term that refers to a ringing cry, rather than a shout of triumph. Along with the other two terms, this also conveys a theme of joyfulness and gladness. The idea is that the one who trusts in God has every reason to rejoice, and that joy should be expressed to the Lord in worship of Him and in giving thanks.
The psalmist moves in v. 3 to speak of three reasons the believer has to be thankful. First, the believer can give thanks because of who God is. He writes, “Know that the Lord Himself is God.” As followers of Christ, we do not only praise Him for what He has done for us (though that is appropriate). We ought to give thanks also for who He is. The very fact that He is God and we are not warrants praise to Him. He is infinitely greater and better than we are. We praise Him and give thanks to Him because He alone is worthy of our praise.
A second reason is given in the phrase, “It is He who made us, and not we ourselves.” One of the proofs that He alone is God is that He is the giver of life. For all of eternity, God is set apart as Creator. Even though man is created in the image of God, we will never attain equality with God. There will always be a Creator/creature distinction. But we have reason to give thanks because He made us and gave us life. The fact that we live and move and have our being is because He created us and sustains us (cf. Acts 17:28).
The final reason the psalmist gives is that “we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” In other words, just as a shepherd cares for his flock, so our God cares for us. This is because He brings us into relationship with Him by His grace. Though in our sin we were enemies of God, Jesus Christ reconciled us to the Father by His atoning work on the cross. Though we were once enemies, now we are the people of God, brought into right relationship with Him. We celebrate this relationship when we give thanks to God. He not only brings us into relationship with Him, but He also sustains and cares for us as a demonstration of His deep love for us. For these reasons, the psalmist says we should express thanks to God.
He concludes once again with a call to worship, that as we come into the presence of God, we should do so first and foremost with a voice and attitude of thankfulness (v. 4). We have no place to come with a complaint or accusation. Because of God’s rich love for His people, we ought to bless His name. We do this because He is good, His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations (v. 5).