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Faith of Abraham (Genesis 11-25)
 'Bluegrass Autoharp,' an original watercolor by Ralph F. Wilson. |
Paul prays for the church at Colossae:
"... That you may live a life worthy of the Lord ... joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (Colossians 1:10, 12)
We have so much to be thankful for! Our inheritance in Christ is ours by grace and he has qualified or enabled1 us to share in a glorious inheritance! Hallelujah.
Let's ponder for a few minutes one of the great psalms of thanksgiving -- Psalm 100.
Psalm 100 -- A Psalm of Thanksgiving
The inscription of this short Psalm is "A psalm of thanksgiving (tôdâ)" (NRSV). Or "A Psalm. For giving thanks" (NIV). The key word here the noun tôdâ, "confession, praise." The word was employed uniquely in reference to a type of sacrifice, usually translated a "thank-offering." The sacrifice was accompanied with praise or confession of God in a time of joy.2
Thank Offering
One of the most beloved psalms in the Bible, Psalm 100 has quite a history. It was closely identified with the "thank-offering" in the temple, probably sung when thank-offerings were offered on the altar. In Jewish piety, Psalm 100 is a regular part of morning prayers. "Old Hundredth," based on this psalm, is one of the great hymns of Protestant believers.
Psalm 100 breathes thanksgiving and praise. Let's consider it briefly.
The Command: Praise with Jubilation (Psalm 100:1-2)
For the first three verses I've put the NIV and KJV translations side by side, since many of us are familiar with the more traditional translation. Notice the abundance of praise words in the first two verses.
NIV"1Shout
for joy to the LORD, |
KJV"1Make
a joyful noise unto the LORD, |
Let's look at some of these praise words:
- "Shout for joy" (NIV), "make a joyful noise" (KJV, NRSV, ESV) is rûa', "shout, raise a sound, cry out." It is a jubilant word, a spontaneous shout of praise to Yahweh.3
- "Worship" (NIV, NRSV), "serve" (ESV, KJV, NJB) is 'ābad, "work, serve," here "serve, worship" God -- more properly, "perform the proper rites for,"4 "serving Yahweh with the Levitical service."5
- "Gladness" is śimḥâ, "joy, mirth." The root denotes being glad or joyful with one's whole disposition.6
- "Joyful songs" (NIV), "singing" (KJV, NRSV, ESV) is renānā, "cry of joy." This noun is only found in three other poetic passages (Psalm 63:5; Job 3:7; 20:5). The verb, however, is widely used as a shout of jubilation, joy at God's saving acts, holy joy!7
The Reason: We Belong to Him! (Psalm 100:3)
Verses 1 and 2 are a call to joyful thanksgiving. Verse 3 gives the reason for the jubilation -- Yahweh is our Creator, King, and Shepherd.
NIV"Know
that the LORD is God. |
KJV"Know
ye that the LORD he is God: |
Verse 3b can be rendered "we are his" (NIV, NRSV, ESV, NJB) or "not we ourselves" (KJV, NASB). Here's why. The Hebrew word for "not" (lō') and "his" (lô) sound alike. Both wordings have manuscript support. Either of the words could be used appropriately here. But the sentence goes more smoothly as "and we are his." I think it also seems to fit the context better -- creation and belonging to God that is carried out in verse 3c.
Notice the warm sense of belonging that verse 3 creates in us. Why should we worship? (verse 1-2). Because Yahweh is God who created us. We belong to him, like a king with his people, like a shepherd and his flock. We are not alone! We belong to the family of God and are tenderly cared for as sheep. God takes responsibility for us!
Command: Give Thanks to Him (Psalm 100:4)
And so we praise him! In verse 4, the psalmist calls us into the temple to present a joyful thanksgiving offering, to praise him in the courts of the temple.
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4)
Here are more praise words. The noun is "thanksgiving" (tôdâ) and related verb is "give thanks" (yādā). The noun "praise" in verse 4b is tehillâ, "renown, praise, glory," from the verb hālal, "praise, boast."8
In verse 4c we see the verb "praise" (NIV), "bless" (KJV, NRSV), bārak. "bless, praise, salute." When one greater blesses a person of lower status it means "to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etc."9 When the lesser blesses the greater, that is, God, the word means "to declare God the origin of power for success, prosperity, fertility," that is, to "praise God."10 In this sense it appears often in the Psalms:
"I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1; NRSV)
"So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name." (Psalm 63:4; NRSV)
In Psalm 100:4 we are invited -- no, commanded! -- to enter his presence with thanks and praise.
Reason: Yahweh's Enduring Goodness, Hesed, and Faithfulness (Psalm 100:5)
Verse 5 gives the reason for our jubilant praise -- God's character.
"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations." (Psalm 100:5)
These are qualities that we see throughout the psalms -- his goodness and righteousness,11 his steadfast love (ḥesed), and his faithfulness.12
Consider his steadfast love for a moment. "Love" (NIV), "mercy" (KJV), "steadfast love" (ESV, NRSV) is ḥesed. It means more than obligatory loyalty within a covenant relationship, as some have suggested. It is a strong, steadfast, unfailing love that includes acts of kindness and mercy. The images of the KJV's "lovingkindness" are not far from the fullness of the meaning of the word.13 We praise him because when we are not good, he is good. When our love fails, his does not. When we are unfaithful, he is faithful. As Paul puts it:
"If we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself." (2 Timothy 2:13)
Why do we give thanks? Because baked into God's core character is a faithfulness we can rely on. A steadiness we can trust. A powerful eternal God who sent his Son to rescue us.
Why do we thank God? For the wonderful salvation Jesus has paid for us on the cross. For the everlasting love our Father has for us. Give thanks. My friend, give great thanks.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for your love and faithfulness to us. Teach us to praise you constantly, to ever bring thanks to your name. We love you. Thank you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
End Notes
[1] "Qualified" (NIV, ESV), "enabled" (NRSV), "made us meet" (KJV) is the verb hikanoō, to cause to be adequate, make sufficient, qualify (perhaps shading into the sense 'empower, authorize' (BDAG 473).
[2] Ralph H. Alexander, yādā, TWOT #847. The primary meaning of the root verb yādā is "to acknowledge or confess," here, to acknowledge and confess God's character and works. While hālal, "praise," stresses "acclaim of, boasting of, glorying in" God, the verb yādā, emphasizes "recognition, declaration" of a fact.
[3] William White, rûa', TWOT #2135.
[4] 'Ābad, Holladay, 261.
[5] Walter C. Kaiser, 'ābad, TWOT #1553.
[6] Bruce K. Waltke, śāmaḥ, TWOT #2268b.
[7] William White, rānan, TWOT #2179b.
[8] Tehillâ, Holladay, 387. The word is used as a technical term for "song of praise" in Psalm 145:1, Isaiah 63:7.
[9] John N. Oswalt, bārak, TWOT #285.
[10] Bārak, Holladay 49-50.
[11] "Good" is ṭôb, "good" or "goodness," here "moral goodness" (Andrew Bowling, ṭôb, TWOT #793a).
[12] 'Emûnâ means "firmness, faithfulness, fidelity" (Jack B. Scott, 'āman, TWOT #116e).
[13] R. Laird Harris, ḥsd, TWOT #698a.
Copyright © 2025, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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