Give Thanks to His Holy Name

Psalm 30

The Psalms of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: notable things about the Psalms of Thanksgiving

While these psalms are full of joy, they are more specific in the reasons why one is joyful.

Focus on God’s faithfulness, His deliverance, and His Goodness.

Calling all to thanksgiving, either for what God has done, or, for those in the midst of their woes, what God has promised to do.

And Laments - thanksgivings are closely connected to the laments, they are usually expression of praise for God having heard our lament and delivered.

Thesis - The Psalm is David’s thanksgiving to the Lord, inviting all to hear to join him, for God saves those who cry out to Him for help.

Reasons to Give Thanks,

How God’s Grace Naturally Produces Gratitude,

How we can begin to show our Thanks to God.

Reasons to Give Thanks

Salvation from the Pit

Drawn up from the pit

A real worry of the OT

Growing up watching Bugs Bunny and Gilligan’s Island - I thought I’d have to worry about quicksand -

Sheol and Pit

Whether natural - bitumen (tar) pits, or manmade - dugout to collect rain, or to trap animals, or people, or to hold prisoners - There are commands to safeguard your pits lest someone fall in…

A metaphor - representing the destruction caused by evil plots or divine judgment

The Pit is also a synonym for death, Sheol being the place of the dead.

Whatever crisis David faced, he had been brought low, his soul was in Sheol, he was restored from those who go down to the pit. (Sickness, despair, betrayal, loneliness…)

To be drawn up

Whatever had brought him low, the Lord brought him up.

You have drawn me up, you healed me, you restored me to life

A metaphor of resurrection: raised, healed, given new life

Eph 2 - We were dead in our trespasses, but God made us alive together with Christ, raised us up with him in the heavenly places

God's Faithfulness

Whatever he faced, the heart of the crisis was his inward attitude, (vs 6) “I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.”

When God smiles on me, I stand like a mountain

Don’t we know that feeling - when God has poured out his blessing, we take off running - but often we run beyond where he’s blessed - puffed up with pride, thinking we got there on our own.

The moment God hides his face, I was dismayed (horrified)

Boice - Self-confidence rather than God-confidence is a common failure among us, blessed as many of us have been with abundant wealth, enviable education, and technical skills. As a people we think we can prosper by our hustle. As a church we think we can manage our affairs and advance our work by secular skills and fund-raising techniques without relying on God. As a nation we think we can survive on the strength of our military might and industrial production.

When God hides His face, it teaches us that we are utterly dependent in everything upon Him.

Rejoice: Even when I am faithless, God is faithful

Even when I stray from Him; he has promised he will not lose one of His sheep. Even when I am faithless, He is faithful to His promise, to His Word.

Thought I may face his displeasure, “His anger is for a moment, favor is for a lifetime; Weeping tarries in the night, joy comes in the morning.”

God’s favor/blessing always outweighs his disfavor for his people. He disciplines His children that he might delight in them.

The providences we receive from God, as Paul says, are light momentary afflictions preparing for us an eternal weight of glory

Robed with Gladness

Loosed sackcloth -

Spun from Goat hair, used for sacks, it was coarse, and unpleasant - worn as a symbol of repentance and sorrow for sin

Lamenting his sin, David would have worn sackcloth

You have clothed me with gladness

The salvation of the Lord lifts us up, and fills us with joy

He clothes us in Christ, with robes of righteousness, joy, and beauty.

Therefore I will Give Thanks

The Psalm is full of Grace

God’s holy name - He is Holy, and cannot look upon sin.

In our sin and frailty we don’t deserve being drawn up, the joy of the morning, the robes of righteousness, but rather His righteous judgment and wrath.

But God shows His favor, grace, toward sinners,

Giving His Son to atone for their sins, and pouring out his Spirit upon us to bring us to life.

Not because of anything in us, or anything we have done but simply by the abundant grace of God, rooted in His covenant faithfulness and steadfast love.

Grace produces Gratitude

χαρις, Grace - the unmerited free gift of God for sinners in Jesus

χαρά, Joy - the inexplicable, natural, inward response to grace -

ευχαριστώ Thanksgiving - our response to grace

Living out our Thankfulness to God

Draw near to the Giver

The engagement ring - which do you value more, the ring or the giver. The gift shows you the extent of the giver’s love, and draws you to the giver.

God has given his son to save us, restore us, and to make us his own, that we might draw near to him in Christ.

When we know the extent of his love for us in Jesus, we will want to fellowship with God in worship, in study, in meditation on his word

If we had a grasp on the depth of our sin, and the magnitude of his grace, we would be hungry for personal growth, our pews would be full, our singing robust, our classrooms packed, our evening prayer and praise overflowing.

As we learn of His grace, let us seek His face.

Tell others about the Giver and the Gift

Showing off the ring, and telling about the proposal, and about the man - in order to let everyone know

Showing a the gift of salvation, telling the world about what God has done, that they may know the gift as well and give him thanks

When God brings healing - celebrate God’s grace

When God ministers to your spirit - let others know

When God brings others to salvation - rejoice

The setting of the Psalm -

At the dedication of the Temple - David didn’t live to see the Temple, how could he have sung for it’s dedication. He couldn’t, but he could prepare everything for Solomon, including a hymn of gratitude.

Are we teaching the next generation, preparing them, to see their lives as established in grace and delighting in thanksgiving, and preparing for them a life of gratitude.

Use the Gift to Glorify the Giver

The ring commits you to one another, exclusively. Your faithfulness to one another glorifies the other.

We are bound to God, and He to us. Faithfulness to him is the beginning of Thankfulness.

Thankfulness and obedience

You cannot be disobedient and thankful at the same time. Disobedience is a sign of ingratitude and unbelief. You cannot neglect the gift and be thankful.

John Frame: We who have a greater deliverance, from all our sin in Christ, also obey out of gratitude, not to earn our way to heaven.

My glory may sing your praise - vs 12 - I will give thanks forever.

That which I am known for, that which is my glory - is to praise God.

Praising the Giver as the greatest glory of your life.