Biblical Thanksgiving

A biblical theology of thanksgiving.

Definition

[[Thanks]] to God for who he, and who he is toward us.

Praise of his character and wondrous acts.

Extolling of his being and faithfulness.

Gratitude is the only response the creature can give to God. God is the creator of all things.

Biblical Terms

Thanks

Sing

Praise

Extol

Confess

Bless

Tell

Remember

These are not necessarily considered synonymous, but are not to be separated. Not attempting to make distinctions at this point but a theological account of thanksgiving.

1)Gratitude is centered on God

Thanks to God. Because even when you’re benefitted by the creature, you owe your thanks to God.

Whats it called when you thank the sun for shining on you?

So its centered on God. It centers on who he is. His character. His majesty.

Gratitude is grounded on God’s covenant faithfulness

It calls to mind God’s past acts of faithfulness as grounds for thanksgiving.

Psalm 136.

Covenant renewal as the highest expression of gratitude for the people of God

Is it merely past in it’s exercise?

Gratitude is transhistorical

We could say the past serves as the motive, for the present obedient response and future hope.

1 Chron 16 .

Consider all the ways in which it is transhistorical?

Making known his deeds is an act of thanks. Hold onto that when confession as thanks comes up.

Thanksgiving is both first contemplative then active.

Past present and future are all abundantly supplied here in this Psalm

Past

Q. Is the act of contemplating God and GOd’s acts with gratitude a practical thing for the Christian?

A. Yes. It is necessary, and takes priority over the actual act’s of obedience and love.

Because what does God want first? Our minds and hearts to be after who he is and what he’s done.

In other words, obedience that doesn’t first flow out of a thankful contemplation of God and his works has no weight to it, it’s empty.

Notice the order of the Heidelberg and other catechetical traditions. Guilt(History), Grace(history), Gratitude(Present response, hope). The gratitude does not make sense if the guilt and grace are absent. Biblical pattern.

Q&A #2

Present

Remember

Exodus 20:1–2 “Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” BE THANKFUL

Forgetfulness is ingratitude. It leads to sin. They forgot the covenant

Deuteronomy 32:18 ““You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.”

Deut 7:6-11.

Deuteronomy 8:11 ““Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;”

Exodus 20:8 ““Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Psalm 119:55 “O Lord, I remember Your name in the night, And keep Your law.”

Psalm 45:17 “I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.”

Present into the future.

Future

Thanks expresses and establishes the fact that God is powerful and faithful. Once it has done this, it becomes the basis for confidence in the future fulfillment of Gods promises.

We know this by experience. We remember trials and tribulation he has brought us through and so it stirs gratitude in us for the future. We say and pray things thankfully as if they already are even though they are yet future.

Isn’t that amazing??

Thanksgivings Expression

God and covenant keeping God define the relationship.

Our expression is as we’ve hinted at above.

Praise, singing, extolling, remembering(LS),

Confession

“Confession is thanksgiving” ~Clement of Alex

OT is the basis for this specifically the Psalms. The greatest expressions of thanksgiving in the Psalms are the confession of God’s unsearchable greatness and his mighty acts.

Psalm 35:18 “I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng.”

exomologeo “to confess” is the GK word used to translate the Hebrew term for giving thanks.

Sep would read I will “confess you” in the great assembly.

“exomologeo” It is taken up in regard to thanks, praise, and confession in the NT.

1 Tim 3:16.

Confessedly great.

It has long puzzled me why churches have corporately confessed the creed for some time now. But this passage-along with other general principles- have pulled on me the most. Especially in light of the context of this passage

Rom 15:9 .

Matthew 11:25 “At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”

Jesus confesses or praises his Fathers sovereign will.

Remember to not tell, to not extoll to not confess is what? Ingratitude.

Exodus 18:8–11 “Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how the Lord had delivered them. Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians. So Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.””

Moses confesses and in turn Jethro blesses and confesses.

Nehemiah 9.

Confession of sin, confession of God’s deeds and covenant renewal.

You see where our reformed tradition gets its order of worship in this text.

Deut 6. 1 Cor 8:6. A creedal and doxological statement.

The creed recounts the character of God and the mighty acts of God in one glorious summary statement. Past, present, future.

Hesed is put forth in it’s highest expression in Nicaea. Both past, present, and future confidence.

Prayer

Obedience

The peril of Unthankfulness

Psalm 50:14–16 ““Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?”

Psalm 50:21 ““These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.”