Benefits (Working)

What Shall I Render Unto The Lord?

Psalm 116:12

Inspired by Abigail not wanting to celebrate Watchnight service due to all the uncertainties of the future with COVID still an issue.

As we begin our one week decent from the flight of 2020. We begin to reflect with grateful hearts to the Lord for bringing us safely though what was a turbulent journey.

Today is the last Sunday of 2020 it is a day of reflection on the past and evaluation of the present.

Today We need to stop and think about the many ways that God has blessed us. Maybe you are not be thinking about that this morning. You may be focusing on the negatives in your life and the uncertainties of the new year. Will 2010 be like 2021, will things get better or will it become worse?

But before you allow yourself to become cumbered by worry, concerns and fears of the state of our world.  This morning, I want to encourage you to spend just a few minutes, pull back the veil of amnesia and give some thought to the Goodness of the Lord. God has been Good to

Read: Ps 116:1-19

What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalm 116:12)

I. What Are His Benefits Toward Us?

A. An Inclined Ear. v2

1. That means He wants to hear from us.

2. He is interested in what we have to say.

3. What's on our hearts…our needs…our struggles.

(Psa 40:1) "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry."

4. God is interested in our needs and concerns.

5. He is longing to hear from us.

a. If you are a child of God, the Lord wants you to "pray without ceasing".

b. If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior, He wants to hear from you as well!

(Rom 10:13) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Psa 34:6) "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."

B. Deliverance From Death. v3,8- COVID

I performed the funeral for a gentleman who had been baptized on January 1, 2020. He died from cancer. The Funeral home heard of the restrictions of 10 people gathering. I went late and left early but the mic we used was shared by emcee who was hospitalized, many people form the funeral contracted Covid-19. They didn’t call me to say thank you. I received a call two weeks later from the widow to say thank you and to ask me if I was sick. She said several people were sick including the person who was handling the mic as the Emcee.

God blocked it!!!

Some of us could have had COVID abut God blocked it.

1. He hears of cries and answers by deliverance!

2. That thief on the cross said simply, 'Lord remember me…' and the Lord answered, 'This day thou shalt be with me in paradise.'

3. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

C. Bountiful Treatment v7-STARBUCKS

STARBUCKS- Drove up to a long Starbucks line, late for work but purchasing a gift card for my coworker. I wanted to treat myself to some expensive Starbucks, I deserve it. So I ordered Wh chocolate mocha with toffee nut, Banana bread, ham and cheese croissant. Couldn’t even pay for it with my card so I pulled out a credit card to cover the difference. As I was a bout to pay the lady at the window said sir you meal was paid for by the car in front of you. They are paying for the chain of cars behind you.

1. The Lord didn't just promise us life, but He promised that life would be abundant and full.

2. It is the quality of life that is important to us, isn't it?

3. A mere existence is one thing, but a life that is full and rewarding…that comes from God.

(Phil 4:19) "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

4. God's Goodness Is Like the Prodigal Son's Father…

(Luke 15:22-23) "But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: {23} And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:"

D. Freedom From Bondage v16- To Fear, Sin, Addiction

1. The bonds of sin, doubt, and fear is broken.

2. We no longer must be held captive in 'sin's dread sway'.

3. Jesus has given us Truth and the Truth is what sets us free! Cf. Jn 8:32

His ear is inclined towards us

He delivers from death

He abundantly blesses

He sets us free

(Psa 116:12) "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?"

II. What Shall We Render (or give back) Unto Him?

What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalm 116:12)

Render = to give in return, give back, restore, reflect, echo, to give in acknowledgement of dependence or obligation

A. We should love Him. v1

1. We should love Him because of all His benefits toward us.

2. We should love Him because He has expressed His great love for us.

(John 15:13) "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

3. Do we love Him?

(John 14:15) "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

4. If we do, then we will be obedient to Him.

(1 John 4:16) "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

B. We Should Call Upon Him. v2 PRAYER LIFE INCREASED

(Psa 55:17) "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."

(Phil 4:6) "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

1. Prayer is the basis of fellowship with God.

2. God desires to hear from us.

3. Consider how good it is to hear from a loved one who has been away.

4. Email is great, but there is something special about hearing their voice.

5. Do we talk with the Lord? " 'ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?"

C. We Should Walk Before Him. v9 -Pay our Vows BLESSING SOMEONE

1. Our 'walk' speaks of our testimony to others.

2. It is not a private matter; our Christian walk is public!

(Rom 6:4) "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

3. Jesus told us to let our lights shine before men, that they might see our good works and glorify God in heaven!

4. Being a child of God carries the responsibility of being a witness and testimony to others.

5. We should be willing to 'render' or return to the Lord a willingness to walk uprightly for Him.

Stay with God- keep my promise

I promised the Lord. Marriage.

Broken contrite heart

Get out of trouble - break bow . Sampson

Praise/Worship

Vows - blessing someone

Many are fearful about losing Jobs. But most of us are still working in the Job that God Blessed is with or even better.

Some started the year unemployed and are now employed.

Some didn’t have a car now have a car.

Some of you God closed the door on your job and opened a door for your business to take off.

Some of us were just getting by in school, now we are on the honor roll.

Some of us started new ventures that God is teaching us new skills to be wealthy and debt free. To bless others.

Some of us we didn’t think we would have made it this far in our marriage with all the additional stress.

Some of us started the year as a sinner. But the Lord transformed us and called us his own.  Now we are a part of the body of Christ.

Some of us had the virus but never succumbed to it. Benefits

Some of us had it and didn’t know that you had it .

Goshen- Favor

While some are fearful about the future, I am fascinated by favor. I choose to praise him for Favor.

D. We Should Receive His Salvation. v13   ACTS 2:38

1. Salvation is a free gift from God.

2. It is up to each one of us, individually, to either receive or reject.

3. God so loved us that He gave Jesus Christ to die in our place…what will we do with that truth?

4. We can reject it or neglect it, but there is no other way of salvation.

(Heb 2:3) "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;"

(Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

(Acts 16:31) "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

(Psa 116:12) "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" The

The last verse of our text says, “I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.” Though we could never repay God for His blessings, the psalmist offers a suggestion for a reasonable response to God’s goodness. He said, “I will pay my vows.” In other words, I will make good all the promises or commitments I have made to God in the past. I will publicly testify to the goodness and grace of God in my life. I will demonstrate my gratitude by honoring Christ with a life of thanksgiving and praise. Our gratefulness can be seen in the way we live our lives.

Intro

The author and date of this psalm are unknown. It seems to be rather of a private than a public character, and there are expressions in it which must have been drawn from the personal experience of its writer. It is adapted to public use only because in all public assemblages there are those who would find their own experience represented by the language of the psalm. It may have been composed after the return from Babylon, but there is nothing in the psalm to limit it to that time, and the language is such that it may have been composed at any period after Jerusalem became the place of public worship, Psalm 116:19.

Verses 12-19. - The psalm closes with a thanksgiving for the deliverance vouchsafed. What return can the psalmist make?

First, he will accept the blessing joyfully; next,

he will ever continue to call upon God (ver. 13; comp. vers. 4, 17);

thirdly, he will pay his vows openly in the temple, in the presence of the whole congregation (vers. 14, 18);

fourthly, he will offer continually the sacrifice of thanksgiving (ver. 17) for the benefits vouchsafed him.

The enumeration of his pious intentions is itself a song of praise to the Almighty. Verse 12. - What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? Natural piety suggests a return for favors received. What shall this be? the psalmist asks, and then proceeds to give the answer

Then one other point in reference to the mere words of the text may be noticed. ‘Salvation’ can scarcely be taken in its highest meaning here, both because the whole tone of the psalm fixes its reference to lower blessings, and because it is in the plural in the Hebrew. ‘The cup of salvation’ expresses, by that plural form, the fulness and variety of the manifold and multiform deliverances which God had wrought and was working for the Psalmist.

His whole lot in life appears to him as a cup full

of tender goodness,

loving faithfulness,

delivering grace.

It runs over with divine acts of help and sustenance. MY CUP RUNS OVER. I will take the cup of deliverances.

As his grateful heart thinks of all God’s benefits to him, he feels at once the impulse to requite and the impossibility of doing so.

With a kind of glad despair he asks the question that ever springs to thankful lips, and having nothing to give, recognises the only possible return to God to be the acceptance of the brimming chalice which His goodness commends to his thirst.

History behind the cup

Psalm 116:12-14. What shall I render unto the Lord — Yet, notwithstanding all my dangers, and my distrust of God also, he hath conferred so many and great blessings upon me, that I can never make sufficient returns to him for them. I will take the cup of salvation — Or of deliverance, as Bishop Patrick renders ישׁועות, thus interpreting the clause: “I will call my friends together to rejoice with me, and taking the cup, which we call the cup of deliverance, (because, when blessed and set apart, we are thus wont to commemorate the blessings we have received,) I will magnify the power, goodness, and faithfulness of God my Saviour before all the company.” The phrase is doubtless taken from the common practice of the Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the remainder of the sacrifices, and the offerers, together with the priests, did eat and drink before the Lord; and among other rites, the master of the feast took a cup of wine into his hand, and solemnly blessed God for it, and for the mercy which was then acknowledged, and then gave it to all the guests, who drank successively of it. According to Dr. Hammond, this cup, among the Jews, was two-fold; one offered in a more solemn manner in the temple, Numbers 28:7, the other more private in families, called the cup of thanksgiving, or commemoration of any deliverance received. This the master of the family was wont to begin, and was followed by all his guests. On festival days it was attended with a suitable hymn, such as that sung by our Lord and his disciples on the night when he advanced that cup into the sacrament of his blood, which hath ever since been to Christians the cup of salvation; and which all penitents should now receive in the church of Christ, with invocation, thanksgiving, and payment of their vows made in time of trouble.

Pay my Vow

Why should we offer that to the Lord which cost us nothing? The psalmist will pay his vows now; he will not delay the payment: publicly, not to make a boast, but to show he is not ashamed of God's service, and to invite others to join him. Such are true saints of God, in whose lives and deaths he will be glorified.

Yet notwithstanding all my dangers and my distrust of God too, God hath conferred so many and great blessings upon me, that I can never make sufficient returns to him for them.

What shall I render unto the Lord?.... He considers the Lord only as the author and giver of his mercies, and has nothing to say of his own merits, nor of other persons, who might be instruments of good to him; but is for giving all the glory to God: not as though he could render anything proportional or equivalent to what he had received, but as having a grateful sense of mercies, and willing, to express it; though at a loss, in a great measure, in what manner to do it, and therefore puts this question to himself and others:

for all his benefits towards me; or, "all his benefits are upon me" (m). This being a clause of itself; and shows what moved him to put the question he did; a sense of divine favours was impressed upon him, a load of benefits lay on him, and he wanted to ease himself in expressions of gratitude. These benefits were the blessings of nature and providence; his being, and the preservation of it, food, raiment, &c. and the blessings of grace; spiritual blessings, all things pertaining to life and godliness, sanctification, adoption, pardon, justification, and eternal life. These may well be called "benefits", since they spring entirely from the free grace of God; and they were many, more than could be counted and reckoned up, and set in order before the Lord; and yet he was desirous that none of them might be forgotten, but that praise might be rendered to the Lord for them all.

Verses 12-19. - The psalm closes with a thanksgiving for the deliverance vouchsafed. What return can the psalmist make? First, he will accept the blessing joyfully; next, he will ever continue to call upon God (ver. 13; comp. vers. 4, 17); thirdly, he will pay his vows openly in the temple, in the presence of the whole congregation (vers. 14, 18); fourthly, he will offer continually the sacrifice of thanksgiving (ver. 17) for the benefits vouchsafed him. The enumeration of his pious intentions is itself a song of praise to the Almighty. Verse 12. - What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? Natural piety suggests a return for favors received. What shall this be? the psalmist asks, and then proceeds to give the answer. Psalm 116:12

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

i. 1. Answered prayer evokes love and lifelong praise (Psalm 116:1-4).

2. Jehovah has proved Himself true to His revealed character by His gracious dealings with the Psalmist, who can now look forward to a prolonged life of tranquil service (Psalm 116:5-9).

ii. 1. In his sorest trouble he had not lost faith, and now he will give thanks for Jehovah’s mercy (Psalm 116:10-14).

2. Jehovah’s care for His beloved ones, illustrated by his recent experience, shall be gratefully acknowledged by the public performance of his vows and eucharistic sacrifices in the Temple (Psalm 116:15-19).

The Psalm thus falls into two main divisions, each with two subdivisions. The LXX, followed by the Vulg., divides the Psalm into two, and according to their numeration Psalm 116:1-9 form Psalms 114; Psalm 116:10-19 form Psalms 115. The separation of the Ps. into two is doubtless wrong, but it recognises that a fresh division begins at Psalm 116:10. ‘I believed’ corresponds to ‘I love’ in Psalm 116:1.

Psalms 115 is a congregational prayer; Psalms 116 is an individual thanksgiving for deliverance from imminent danger of death. The language is general, and the precise nature of the danger does not appear: most likely it was sickness. In many points the Psalm reminds us of Hezekiah’s thanksgiving (Isaiah 38). But whatever it was, the danger had been extreme, and the thanksgiving is correspondingly earnest. The Psalmist was familiar with older Psalms, and freely adapts language from them (especially Psalms 18, 27, 31, 56) but gives it fresh force from the depths of his own recent experience.

The strong Aramaic colouring of the language[75], together with this free use of earlier Psalms, points to a late, possibly a very late, date. It is however hardly probable that the Hasidaeans of the Maccabaean period (1Ma 7:13 ff.) are meant by the ‘saints’ (chasîdîm) of Psalm 116:15.

[75] For the form of suffix in Psalm 116:7 cp. Psalm 103:3 ff. That in Psalm 116:12 is the regular Aramaic form. See Ges.-Kautzsch, Gramm. § 91, 2. R. 2.

Part of this Psalm is used in the office for the Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth.

Psalm 116:1

I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

1. Lit. I love, because Jehovah heareth my voice, even my supplications: an unusual, but not impossible, form of expression for I love Jehovah, because he heareth &c. Cp. 1 John 4:19 (R.V.), “We love, because he first loved us.” Again in Psalm 116:2 (I will call), and Psalm 116:10 (I believed) the Psalmist employs verbs in a peculiar manner without an expressed object.

I love is a reminiscence of Psalm 18:1, though the Heb. word there is different. My voice, (even) my supplications is (if the text is sound) a slight variation from the usual phrase the voice of my supplications (Psalm 28:2; Psalm 28:6; Psalm 31:22; Psalm 130:2; Psalm 140:6).

The P.B.V. I am well pleased that the Lord &c. is linguistically questionable and less forcible.

PSALM 116

1, 2. Answered prayer demands lifelong love and gratitude.

Psalm 116:2

Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

2. Because … therefore] Better For … and.

inclined his ear] Psalm 17:6 and often.

as long as I live] Lit. in my days (Isaiah 39:8). Cp. Psalm 63:4, in my life.

Psalm 116:3

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

3. The cords of death encompassed me,

And the straitnesses of Sheol gat hold of [lit. found] me.

The parallelism decides for the meaning cords in Psalm 18:5, though pangs (LXX ὠδῖνες) is also a possible rendering, and may be the meaning here. But here too Death and Sheol are probably represented as hunters lying in wait for their prey with nooses and nets, or driving it into a defile from which it cannot escape. Cp. Lamentations 1:3.

The P.B.V. renders wrongly I shall find … I will call. The crisis is evidently past.

3, 4. The Psalmist’s prayer in peril. Cp. Psalm 18:4-6.

Psalm 116:4

Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

4. the name of Jehovah, more emphatically than Jehovah alone, denotes His revealed character (Exodus 34:5), to which the Psalmist appealed, and not in vain.

Psalm 116:5

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

5. Cp. Psalm 111:4, and passages referred to there, all based on the fundamental passage, Exodus 34:6.

5, 6. The character of Jehovah, realised in the Psalmist’s experience.

Psalm 116:6

The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

6. the simple] Those whose want of wisdom and experience exposes them to danger. Cp. Psalm 19:7; Psalm 119:130. LXX τὰ νήπια, babes; cp. Matthew 11:25.

I was brought low] Cp. Psalm 79:8; Psalm 142:6.

and he helped me] R.V. saved. Cp. Psalm 116:13.

Psalm 116:7

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul] Abandon anxiety and resume the perfect tranquility that springs from trust in God. The plural form of the word for rest denotes full and complete rest. For the address to the soul cp. Psalm 42:5, and Psalm 103:1 ff., a Psalm further connected with this Psalm by its use of Aramaic forms of pronominal suffix.

dealt bountifully] Cp. Psalm 13:6.

7–9. The Psalmist encourages himself with the recollection of God’s mercy.

Psalm 116:8

For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

8, 9. Taken almost verbatim from Psalm 56:13 (hence the transition to the second person), with the change of light to lands, suggested by Psalm 27:13. The free and joyous service of God in the land of life and light is the contrast to that paralysis of existence in Sheol which he had dreaded. Cp. Isaiah 38:3; Isaiah 38:11.

Psalm 116:9

I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Psalm 116:10

I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

10, 11. In the extremity of his distress the Psalmist was compelled to recognise the delusiveness of human help, but he never lost faith in God. Such is the general sense, but the details of interpretation are doubtful. The A.V. I believed, therefore have I spoken follows the LXX (ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα), which is quoted by St Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:13; but this rendering must be abandoned as grammatically untenable. On the whole it seems best to render:

I believed [or as R.V. I believe], for I will speak:

I was exceedingly afflicted:

I said In my alarm,

All men are deceitful.

I believed may be understood absolutely, ‘I held fast to my faith in Jehovah’: but the Psalmist evidently (cp. Psalm 116:9) still has in mind Psalm 27:13 “I believe that I shall see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living,” and the use of the word there suggests that the sense here should be completed from Psalm 116:9, “I believed that it would be so,” viz. ‘that I should walk before Jehovah in the lands of the living.’ This faith he retained though he was grievously afflicted. Further, I said in my alarm is borrowed from Psalm 31:22, where the Psalmist confesses that in his peril he fancied himself deserted by Jehovah. ‘I said in my alarm, I am cut off from before thine eyes.’ Is not our Psalmist tacitly contrasting his own faith with that earlier Psalmist’s loss of faith? He had not ceased to trust in God, but he had learned not to depend on men.

Other renderings are, (1) I believed, when I spake [saying] ‘I am exceedingly afflicted’: i.e. I retained my confidence, even when I complained of the severity of my sufferings, and found myself deserted by men. Or (2) I was confident that I should speak (thus); but as for me, I was sore afflicted: i.e. “he was fully confident that he would sooner or later have to record thanksgivings for deliverance, such as in Psalm 116:5-9” (Cheyne).

all men are liars] Cp. Psalm 60:11; Psalm 62:9; Romans 3:4.

10–14. Faith’s triumph must be followed by grateful thanksgiving.

Psalm 116:11

I said in my haste, All men are liars.

Psalm 116:12

What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

12. ‘Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi?’ was the question which Richard of Bury, bishop of Durham 1334–1345, the most learned man of his country and age, asked himself repeatedly, and answered by making provision for a band of poor scholars to serve God and His Church. See Lightfoot’s Leaders of the Northern Church, p. 105.

Psalm 116:13

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

13. the cup of salvation] Lit. salvations; the cup to be drunk as a part of the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 116:14) for great and manifold deliverance. Cp. ‘the cup of blessing’ in the service of the Passover (Matthew 26:27).

call upon] Rather, proclaim the name of Jehovah, acknowledging that to Him alone is my gratitude due.

Psalm 116:14

I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

14. This verse which is repeated as Psalm 116:18 is omitted in the best MSS of the LXX, and may have been inserted here by mistake. Its omission would make the stanza Psalm 116:10-13 agree in length with the corresponding stanza Psalm 116:1-4; still, the repeated resolution of thanksgiving is not out of place.

Psalm 116:15

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

15. Precious &c.] Their death is not a matter of indifference to Him. Cp. Psalm 72:14. Babylas bishop of Antioch, who was martyred in the Decian persecution, met his death singing these words.

his saints] His beloved, or his godly ones. See Appendix, Note I.

15–19. Jehovah’s care for His beloved ones has been illustrated in the Psalmist’s experience, and for these mercies he will give public thanks in the Temple.

Psalm 116:16

O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

16. Lit. I beseech thee, Jehovah, for I am thy servant. The precative interjection would naturally be followed by an imperative, as in Psalm 116:4 b, hear me, or the like; but the Psalmist breaks off into thanksgiving.

thy servant, [omit and] the son of thy handmaid] So Psalm 86:16. ‘The son of thy handmaid’ is a synonym for ‘thy servant,’ but denoting a closer relationship, for servants ‘born in the house’ (Genesis 14:14) were the most trusted dependents. Cp. ‘of the household of God,’ Ephesians 2:19. It is hardly, as Delitzsch thinks, an allusion to the piety of the Psalmist’s mother.

loosed my bonds] He had been like a prisoner condemned to death, Psalm 116:3. Cp. Psalm 107:10; Psalm 107:14.

Psalm 116:17

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

17. Unto thee will I offer … and proclaim the name of Jehovah, as Psalm 116:13.

sacrifice of thanksgiving] See Leviticus 7:11 ff.

Psalm 116:18

I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

18. As in Psalm 22:25 stress is laid upon the public confession of gratitude. Cp. Psalm 66:13.

Psalm 116:19

In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

19. Praise ye the Lord] Hallelujah, probably, with LXX, to be transferred to the beginning of Psalms 117.

What Shall I Render Unto The Lord?

By: Brian A. Yeager

It is very easy to get caught up in a negative mindset. When we look around at the world we live in, we see an evil place (Galatians 1:3-4 and I John 5:19). Like Paul, we can often feel “troubled on every side” because we don’t fit into this world (II Corinthians 4:8 and II Corinthians 7:5). We could, in haste, find ourselves uttering words like “all men are liars” (Psalms 116:11). We could feel like good men have perished from off of this earth (Micah 7:2). We could look around and see that stupid abounds (Jeremiah 10:8). Yes, it is easy to slip into a dark place when we look at what surrounds us. We could end up thinking everything is worthless (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

What can keep us from such a negative mindset? We need to spend more time thinking about how blessed we are. The Psalmist said: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation” (Psalms 68:19). From our food (Acts 14:17) to our salvation (Acts 13:26 and Titus 2:11), God has blessed us with innumerable blessings. Could we ever find a way to repay God?

Benefits Far Beyond Our Ability To Repay

The Psalmist asked: “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me” (Psalms 116:12)? The Lord is He that hath created us (Genesis 1:27 and Psalms 100:3). How do you repay that? The Lord is the creator of the entire universe (Genesis 1:16, Psalms 8:3, and Isaiah 40:28). How do you repay that? The Lord has kept us alive through providing for our physical needs (Psalms 65:9-13, Jeremiah 5:24, and Matthew 5:45). How do you repay that? The Lord sent His only begotten Son into the world to die so that we can be alive (II Corinthians 5:14-15 and I John 4:9). How do you repay that? The Lord has put up with stupidity from the beginning of the world (Genesis 3 - your life and mine). How do you repay that? God has been merciful and longsuffering with all of humanity (Psalms 86:15 and II Peter 3:9-14). How do you repay that?

We all know that the answer to every question above, and many more that could be posed, is that we cannot repay God for His acts toward us. His love, mercy, just judgment, etc. are far beyond our reach. His blessings to us are far more than we could ever number.

We Cannot Number Our Blessings From God

The Psalmist understood that the benefits God gives us are many. In fact, they are far too many to think that we could ever repay God for what He has done and will do. Notice this Scripture: “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psalms 40:5).

While we cannot create a numbered list of all that God has done for us, we can recognize that He has blessed us (Galatians 3:8-9). Doesn’t that show you that you have an innumerable amount of things to be thankful for? With so many blessings, we have many more reasons to express thanks to God (Psalms 34:1, Ephesians 5:20, Philippians 4:6, and I Thessalonians 5:17-18) rather than complaints (Philippians 2:14). So, when we look at the world around us, let’s look past the negative and rejoice in all that we’ve received from God (I Thessalonians 5:16).

With an innumerable amount of blessings there often becomes a greater desire to repay God. Paul felt indebted not only to God, but all men (Romans 1:14-15). It is right to want to repay good with good (Romans 15:25-27). Some think that by obeying God they will, in some way, repay Him for what He has done. In fact, some even think that they can obey God and earn what He has done. Is that true?

Is Our Obedience Repayment For God’s Works Toward Us?

Rather than looking at our obedience to God as repayment for something He has done for us, we should look at obedience as our expression of love to Him (John 14:15 and I John 5:2-3). Even when we do everything God expects us to do, we’re still not repaying Him for His works toward us (Luke 17:7-10). Some misapply these truths and try to dismiss the need for obedience. Yet, we know we cannot be saved if we do not fully obey the Lord’s will (Matthew 7:21-27, Matthew 12:46-50, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 6:46, Luke 11:28, Hebrews 5:8-9, James 1:21-25, I John 3:24, II John 9, and Revelation 22:14).

That being said, there is an understanding we must have. The Bible shows us that we cannot earn what God has and will do for us (Titus 3:3-8). That does not mean we’re not supposed to do good works (James 2:14-26), but it does mean that we are not “earning” our way to Heaven. Notice how clear this is in Paul’s inspired letter to the church of Christ in Ephesus: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Conclusion

God does not ask for us to repay Him. As we’ve noted already, we cannot do so to even consider the discussion. What God does want you to give unto Him is yourself (Matthew 16:24-26 and John 12:25-26). He wants us to live according to His will (I John 2:3-6). That is not debt repayment, but it is love for the one who has done so much for us!

Verse 12. Overwhelming obligations.

A sum in arithmetic -- "all his benefits."

A calculation of indebtedness -- "What shall I render?"

A problem for personal solution --

We can’t match but I can give him my

Praise/Worship

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