The Real Meaning Of Thanksgiving

Introduction

Turn to 1 Kings 8:54-66.

We sometimes hear about the real meaning of Christmas. Charlie Brown even talked about that in the show, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Tonight we’re going to consider the real meaning of Thanksgiving and we find it in 1 Kings chapter eight.

Last week, we were in 1 Chronicles where David was making preparations to build the Temple. In this chapter, the temple has just been built and Solomon is hosting a massive ceremony and is dedicating it to the Lord.

Read 1 Kings 8:54-66.

Verses 1-11 - a description of the dedication ceremony preliminaries. The nation and its dignitaries are assembled, the facility is prepared, animals are sacrificed, and God visibly enters the Temple.

Verses 12-21 - Solomon addresses the people and blesses the LORD and reminds the people of how God kept his word.

Verses 22-53 - Solomon leads the people in prayer to God.

Verses 54-66 - Solomon address the people again and blesses the LORD.

Bless: to kneel, to praise, to salute someone

“In the Old Testament, [thanksgiving] is closely tied with the verb “to bless” (בָּרַךְ, barakh; e.g., Deut 8:10).”

Chris McKnight, “Thanksgiving,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Next slide here:

Deuteronomy 8:10 KJV 1900

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

That’s exactly what Solomon is doing in these verses.

Verse 60: that is the real meaning of Thanksgiving. The whole point of Thanksgiving is not to merely enjoy all that God has given us, but to acknowledge that the LORD is God.

Application: No matter what your plans may be for this thanksgiving season, make sure that your thanksgiving acknowledges that the LORD is God - that He is the Creator of all Creation, that He is the provider of every harvest, that He is the giver of every blessing.