How To Express Thankfulness to God
Thanksgiving
A. Thanksgiving at Meals
It was the custom of the Jews to praise God for each dish (cf. t. Ber. 4:1; b. Ber. 35a). This expressed their sense of dependence on God’s gifts in creation. Festive meals were opened by the master of the house with a grace said over the loaf of bread before it was distributed. The meal ended with a benediction over the cup of wine. Both actions are expressed by the Hebrew berak or the Aramaic berek.
1. The Prayer of Thanksgiving at the Last Supper. This is referred to in the Pauline tradition of the Last Supper (1 Cor 11:24) and in Luke (22:19) by the participle eucharistēsas, whereas in Mark (14:22) and in Matthew (26:26) it is expressed by eulogēsas. Both these verbs are translations of berak/berek, but eulogein seems more appropriate and is already used in LXX for berak. However, it should be noted that Aquila also uses the term eucharistia in the sense of “praise”—always for tôdâ: Pss 25(MT 26):7; 41(MT 42):5; 49(MT 50):14; 68(MT 69):31, etc. In Rom 14:6 and 1 Cor 10:30 eucharistein is used in connection with food (cf. 1 Tim 4:3–4). Thus praise and thanksgiving are inseparable (cf. below). In any case eucharistein used absolutely, without object or subordinate clause, obviously comes from a Semitic background.
The act of praise at the end of the meal is referred to in Mark 14:23 and Matt 26:27 (cf. Luke 22:17) by the participle eucharistēsas. This is a stylistic variant for the act of praise (eulogēsas) mentioned at the beginning of the meal. In Luke 22:20 and 1 Cor 11:25 eucharistein is implied by the word hōsautōs (cf. Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24).
2. Thanksgiving in Jesus’ Miraculous Feedings. It is often supposed that in the narratives of the miraculous feedings the words chosen for the introductory actions of Jesus echo the tradition of the Lord’s Supper. But Mark himself shows in 8:14–21 a paraenetic interest in the feeding stories which does not appear to be oriented toward the Lord’s Supper (cf. also 6:52). Nor in 6:41 does he assimilate the description of the opening actions of Jesus at the meal to the traditions of the Lord’s Supper as it appears in 14:22.
On the other hand, Mark 8:6 shows a striking agreement with Luke 22:19 (cf. also 1 Cor 11:23–24). The inescapable conclusion is that the tradition of the Lord’s Supper utilized by Paul has influenced the pre-Markan tradition of the Feeding of the Four Thousand. Since v 7 interrupts the context, it is possible to reconstruct a pre-Markan version of the story which features only the bread. This would link it with the Lord’s Supper, so making the miraculous feeding an allusion to the community celebration. The Kyrios acts as host to those who are “afar off” (cf. v 3b) and to those who are near (Eph 2:17). The fish were added later and assimilate the story to the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Thus the eucharistic associations of the original story were suppressed in order to emphasize the miracle.
In the pre-Markan tradition behind Mark 6:35–44 the fish motif cannot be eliminated (vv 38, 41, 43). The phrases expressing the actions are unlike any known eucharistic tradition. As a result there is no obvious reference to the Lord’s Supper.
In Matt 14:15–21 the fish motif recedes into the background to some extent, but it is not completely eliminated (cf. vv 17 and 19). True, the terminology describing Jesus’ action (note the word klasas, v 19, which deviated from Mark) conforms to some extent to the tradition of the Lord’s Supper. But the forms of the verbs and the references to Jesus’ looking to heaven are also points which differ from the supper tradition. Thus Matthew does not intend to establish any close connection between the Feeding of the Five Thousand and the Lord’s Supper (cf. also 16:5–12). Rather, he was unconsciously influenced by some features of the supper tradition.
In the Feeding of the Four Thousand (Matt 15:36) Matthew follows Mark in his description of the preparatory actions of Jesus (Mark 8:6–7). By including the fish in the opening act of praise (unlike Mark, v 7) Matthew is following his practice, noticeable elsewhere, of shortening Mark’s material. The finite verb elaben (instead of the participle labōn in Mark 8:6b) is determined by the participle at the beginning of v 35 (in v 6a Mark has a finite form of the verb). There are no signs of any influence of the Pauline tradition of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:23–24) on Matthew any more than there is on Mark.
In Luke’s version of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (though cf. Luke 9:13, 16) the fish motif is soft-pedaled. This may be explained by the fact that in 9:12–17 Luke combines Mark 6:35–44 and Mark 8:1–9. The Evangelist made no attempt to conform it to his version of the supper tradition. In particular he has not taken over eucharistēsas in v 16 (cf. Luke 22:19) from Mark 8:6. Luke’s concentration on the bread is not so much the sign of any interest in the community celebration as of his intention to represent the meal, beginning as it does with the breaking of the bread and a special prayer, as generally typical of Jesus (cf. Luke 24:30–31, 35). In any case it is worth noting that only Luke speaks of Jesus’ eucharistein in connection with his final Passover (22:17, 19), whereas for other meals eulogein is used (9:16; 24:30). The difference is intentional. For Luke, eucharistein was obviously a term associated with the Lord’s Supper.
In the Johannine version of the Feeding of the Five Thousand we find in 6:11 agreements with 1 Cor 11:23–24 (cf. also Luke 22:19). The reference to the breaking of the bread is missing; the writer is content with eucharistein. The agreement already noted with the supper tradition in Paul and Luke can be traced back to the Johannine tradition. The Evangelist uses the Feeding of the Five Thousand to introduce the bread discourse, which has obvious links with the Lord’s Supper (cf. esp.6:51–58, but also vv 27, 32–35. This suggests that John himself also understood the feeding narratives in a eucharistic sense, especially if he is responsible for the bread discourse in its present form. The timing in 6:4 (near the time of the Passover) and the mention of Judas in 6:64, 70–71 (cf. 13:2, 21–30 as well as 1 Cor 11:23) are further pointers to the Lord’s Supper (13:1ff.). Finally, in 6:51c John shows affinities to 1 Cor 11:24 and Luke 22:19, which suggests that this version of the supper tradition was known in the Johannine community. Even if John 6:51c–58 is assigned to the post-Johannine redactor, the Feeding of the Five Thousand was in any case understood in a eucharistic sense. Eucharistein (21:13, however, occurs only in the Western texts) had associations with the Lord’s Supper. This may also be suggested by the redactional notice in John 6:23, if textual criticism allows us to take the final genitive absolute as part of the original text.
3. Christian Thanksgiving at Meals. In Rom 14:6 and 1 Cor 10:30 Paul presupposes that grace before meals was said in Christian households. The context of 1 Cor 10:26–30 makes it clear that the Jewish custom of grace before meals was taken over and practiced in a way which everyone could recognize. Rom 14:6 emphasizes the community-building character of the table prayers addressed to the one Creator God. The Christian who eats everything thanks God for the food, while the vegetarian Christian gives thanks likewise for what he or she receives. It is therefore wrong to despise or judge the other person (v 3).
In contrast to the prayers of heretical asceticism, 1 Tim 4:3–5 emphasizes the way in which the saying of grace before meals acknowledges that food is the gift of God’s creation and therefore good. It is thus “consecrated” as though by God’s word of creation.
In Acts 27:35 Luke describes how Paul behaved in a way similar to Jesus at the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19). The word eucharistein occurs here. The addition of the indirect object tō theō (cf. Luke 17:16; 18:11), as in the phrase “in the presence of them all,” underlines the character of this action as a public confession. Luke is not describing a celebration of the Lord’s Supper, for Paul starts eating alone, without distributing to the others. These, who take their food after him, are mostly non-Christians (vv 36–37). But the explicit use of eucharistic terminology makes Paul’s meal a transparent reminder of the Lord’s Supper. It strengthens the believers in the hour of trial and enables them to confess their faith and to help their fellows.
B. The Prayer of Thanksgiving in Worship
1. General Considerations. The grace before meals is addressed to God and is marked by praise and thanksgiving (1 Cor 14:16; 2 Cor 9:12–13; cf. also Rom 1:21; Rev 4:9; 7:12). It had a recognized place in the worship of the early Christian community (cf. 1 Cor 14:16–17; Col 3:15–17). An individual could recite it in the form of glossolalia (1 Cor 14:16–17). Its focus was the saving act of God in Christ (2 Cor 4:14–15; Col 1:12ff, 2:6–7; 3:17; Eph 5:20). The goal of Pauline missionary work is to make this prayer of thanksgiving universal (2 Cor 4:15). Revelation finds the archetype of the Church’s praise and thanks addressed to Christ in the worship of heaven (Rev 4:9; 7:12; 11:17). The community’s thanksgiving may also focus upon a particular benefit it has received from God (2 Cor 1:11; 9:11–12), and thanksgiving should be a feature of all prayer (Phil 4:6; 1 Thess 5:17–18; Col 3:15–17; 4:2). Thus, according to 1 Tim 2:1, worship features not only a prayer of intercession for the whole world but also a general thanksgiving.
2. At the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper. In early Christian communities there were special prayers of thanksgiving in connection with the Lord’s Supper. The formulation to potēron tēs eulogias ho eulogoumen (1 Cor 10:16a) employs the regular term for the final cup of the meal, kos shel berakah, and adapts the verb accordingly. This suggests that there was a specifically Christian prayer of thanksgiving which was recited before the administration of the cup. Since the phrase “the bread which we break” (1 Cor 10:16b) implies the prior recitation of a prayer of praise (cf. Mark 14:22; 1 Cor 11:24), the breaking of bread must have been preceded by a corresponding Christian prayer. 1 Cor 10:16 therefore presumes that thanksgiving has preceded the distribution of bread and wine, thanking God additionally for granting participation in Christ’s saving death (cf. Did. 9:2–4). This in fact seems to be the way in which the anamnesis command of 1 Cor 11:24–25 and Luke 22:19 was put into effect. Paul must have this in mind when he speaks of “proclaiming the Lord’s death” in the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:26). These prayers of thanksgiving gave such a powerful imprint to the celebration that it was later called eucharistia (Did. 9:1, 5; Ignatius, Phila. 4:1; Smyrn. 7:1; 8:1; Justin, Apol. 66:1).
C. Personal Thanksgiving
1. Overview. The basic attitude of everyone vis-à-vis his or her Creator should be one of gratitude and praise (Rom 1:21). This is the Christian alternative to silly talk or levity (Eph 5:4). But it can also be misused as a cloak for self-righteousness (Luke 18:11). When God hears our prayers this too can be an occasion for thanksgiving (John 11:41). There are other occasions for prayer, as when Paul successfully averts a misunderstanding of baptism (1 Cor 1:14–15), or when his converts display a rich variety of spiritual gifts. He is particularly grateful for the existence and growth of Christian congregations (Acts 28:15; 1 Thess 2:13; 3:9; 2 Thess 2:13).
2. Introductory Thanksgivings in the Pauline Letters. Paul often speaks of giving thanks in his prayers for the recipients’ growth in faith. This usually comes immediately after the prescript: Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; Phil 1:3; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2; Philemon 4. Some of the Deutero-Paulines adopt the same practice: Eph 1:16 (following an introductory eulogy); 2 Thess 1:3; 2 Tim 1:3. Exceptions occasioned by the current situation are found in 2 Corinthians and Galatians. In the Deutero-Pauline 1 Timothy and Titus there are no initial thanksgivings (cf., however, 1 Tim 1:12–14).
The mention of thanksgiving for the recipients was not an invariable feature for letters in antiquity or late antiquity, whereas in the Pauline letters their occasional omission is always for good reason. The regularity with which the apostle expresses his thanks and praise in his letters shows his basic gratitude, his consciousness that it is only by God’s grace that he is a successful and responsible proclaimer of the gospel. For the purpose of the thanksgiving is usually to bring home to the recipients their close ties with the apostle and make them realize that their growth in faith is a gift from God. Thus Paul encourages them to practice their faith in ever-growing measure until the Parousia. That is also why he introduces in the exordium of his letters themes that will be important later in the letters. The thanksgiving in Rom 1:8ff is rather different; its purpose is to gain favor with his readers.
There are differences in the length and structure of the thanksgivings. These variously reflect the specific situation of each letter. The following points are important to the apostle: (1) His gratitude is constantly integrated into his prayers for the strengthening of his readers’ faith (Rom 1:9–10; Phil 1:3–4; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2–3; Philemon 4; further Eph 1:15–16). Also to be seen in this light is 1 Cor 1:4 (cf. further 2 Thess 1:3). (2) Paul’s gratitude arises from the faith of the community which the gospel has produced (Rom 1:8–9; 1 Cor 1:4–6; Phil 1:3–5; Col 1:3–6; 1 Thess 1:2–6; 2:13; Philemon 4–7; also Eph 1:15–19; 2 Thess 2:13–14; 2 Tim 1:5). (3) Paul focuses on the future eschatological orientation of faith (1 Cor 1:7–9; Phil 1:6; 10–11; 1 Thess 1:9–10; 3:13; cf. also 2 Cor 1:9b, 14; further 2 Thess 1:5–10; 2:13–14).
D. Conclusion
In NT usage eucharistein/eucharistia expresses the way in which gratitude to God for Christ’s saving work and for the life of faith is a characteristic feature of Christian existence. For further discussion see TWNT 9: 397.13–405. 25 and EWNT 2: 219–22; John AB, 231; John HTKNT, 15; 1 Corinthians THKNT 7/2: 60–62.
Gratitude. Natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, gratitude is not a tool used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced or fabricated in one’s mind; rather, gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God.
In the OT, gratitude to God was the only condition in which life could be enjoyed. For Jews, every aspect of creation provided evidence of God’s lordship over all life. The Hebrew people thanked him for the magnificence of the universe (Pss 19:1–4; 33:6–9; 104:1–24). When they received good news they thanked God for his goodness and great deeds (1 Chr 16:8–12). When they received bad news, they also gave thanks, trusting that he was a just God (Jb 1:21).
These same sentiments are found in later Jewish writings such as the Talmud (6 Ber, 35a, 54a). The people of Israel thanked God for his faithfulness to covenant promises: (1) for deliverance from enemies (Pss 18:17; 30:1; 44:1–8) and from death (Ps 30:8–12; Is 38:18–20; (2) for forgiveness of sin (Pss 32:5; 99:8; 103:3; Is 12:1); (3) for answers to prayer (Pss 28:6; 66:19); (4) for compassion toward the afflicted and oppressed (34:2; 72:12); (5) for executing justice (Dt 32:4; Ps 99:4); (6) and for continuing guidance (Ps 32:8; Is 30:20, 21).
Gratitude was such a vital part of Israel’s religion that it pervaded most ceremonies and customs. Thank offerings acknowledged blessings from God (Lv 7:12, 13; 22:29; Ps 50:14). Shouts of joy (Ps 42:4), songs of praise (145:7; 149:1), and music and dance (150:3–5) all added to the spirit of thanksgiving in worship. Feasts and festivals were celebrated in remembrance of God’s steadfast love throughout their history (Dt 16:9–15; 2 Chr 30:21, 22). King David appointed levitical priests to offer God thanks (1 Chr 16:4). This custom was carried on by the kings Solomon (2 Chr 5:12, 13) and Hezekiah (31:2), and by those who returned from the exile (Neh 11:17; 12:24, 27).
In the NT, the object of thanksgiving is the love of God expressed in the redemptive-work of Christ. The apostle Paul thanked God for that gift of grace (1 Cor 1:4; 2 Cor 9:15) and the ability to preach the gospel (2 Cor 2:14; 1 Tm 1:12). Paul thankfully participated in the spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:18). Gratitude for love and faith among believers pervades his letters (Rom 6:17; Eph 1:15, 16; Phil 1:3–5; Col 1:3, 4; 1 Thes 1:2, 3).
Because the expression of gratitude is tied so closely to the response of faith, Paul encouraged believers to give thanks in all things (Rom 14:6; 1 Thes 5:18). He commanded Christians to pray with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6; Col 4:2) in the name of Christ, who has made all thanksgiving possible (Eph 5:20). In his teaching on how to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Paul specified that Christians should give thanks, just as the Lord “had given thanks” (1 Cor 11:24).
Praise and Thanksgiving
Praising God is the activity of God’s creatures in honoring God because of the acts and the nature of God. Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude to God for his care and concern, especially as shown through his redemptive acts.
Concept Summary
In the OT, there are five main groups of words that convey the ideas of “praise” and “thanksgiving.” The most frequently occurring word for this concept is the verb הָלַל (hālal, “to praise”); its family also includes the noun תְּהִלָּה (tĕhillâ, “praise”). Thanksgiving is primarily expressed with the verb יָדָה (yādâ, “to give thanks”) and the related noun תּוֹדָה (tôdâ, “thanksgiving”). Additionally, other verbs which express the action of praising and giving thanks are רָנַן (rānan, “to cry out in praise”), זָמַר (zāmar, “to sing praise”), and שָׁבַח (šābaḥ, “to praise”). In the NT, there is also a variety of words for these concepts, some of which occur only once or twice in the NT. Common words for this concept include the verbs εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō, “to give thanks”) and εὐλογέω (eulogeō, “to bless”).
Theological Overview
Praise and thanksgiving in the OT and NT involves both personal and corporate prayer, musical expression, singing, exhortation, exaltation, and literary expressions of gratitude and worship to God for who he is and for what he has done for creation, his covenant people, and ultimately for every tribe, nation, and tongue of the world through Jesus Christ. Quite often praise and thanksgiving is described, commended through exhortation, and/or carried out in the Bible in accompaniment with a grounding reason for the praise provided by the person who is praising the Lord. These include such praiseworthy and thanks-evoking elements as: God’s righteousness, faithfulness, goodness, his covenant-keeping, steadfast love, and the person and work of Jesus Christ. For example, in Psalms, the people of God praise him because: He is their hope and salvation (Psa 43:5); he is holy and his name is great (Psa 99:3); and his law is characterized by “righteous rules” (Psa 119:62); they also praise him because of his wonderful works (Psa 139:14) and steadfast love (Pss 63:3; 147:12). Other times the authors of Scripture exhort the people to thank and praise God, as in Psa 100:4, where the psalmist exhorts the people, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving (תּוֹדָה, tôdâ), his courts with praise (תְּהִלָּה, tĕhillâ). Give thanks (יָדָה, yādâ) to him; bless his name!” (see also Pss 22:23; 107:32; 147:7; Isa 42:12).
Additionally, the Scripture contains proclamations in which a worshiper declares an intention to praise God. For example, in Psa 35:18 the psalmist declares: “I will give thanks (yādâ) to you in the great assembly; among the mighty people I will praise (הָלַל, hālal) you” (see also Pss 69:30; 106:48; 109:30). The psalms also praise God continually using the exclamation הַלְלוּ־יָהּ (hallû-yāh, “Praise Yah”), which is often transliterated from the Hebrew and Greek as “Hallelujah” and “Alleluia” (e.g., Psa 111:1; 117:2; 146:10; 150:6).
The Scriptures also present nonhuman entities—such as heaven and earth—as praising the Lord (Psa 69:34; compare Psa 89:5) and all God’s works (Psa 145:10). Corporate groups such as “the nations” (Psa 45:17) and broad expanses of geographical regions such as the ends of the earth (Psa 48:10) are said to participate and to be represented in giving praise and thanks to God. On the other hand, the realm of death called Sheol (Isa 38:18), the dust, (Psa 30:9), and carved idols (Isa 42:8) are all said to be unable to offer praise to God.
In the NT, this awareness and gratitude to God, expressed in praise and thanksgiving, continues. Jesus himself gives thanks at the Last Supper (e.g., Matt 26:27; John 6:11, 23) and at the miracle of the feeding of the 4,000 (Matt 15:36; Mark 8:6). Likewise Jesus offers thanks to the Father in Matt 11:25 (compare Luke 10:21; John 11:41). Throughout the NT, groups of people continually praise God (e.g., Matt 21:9; Luke 19:38; Rom 14:6; 1 Cor 14:17; 2 Cor 1:11), Paul thanks God (e.g., Col 1:3; 1 Thess 2:13; Acts 28:15), healed people praise God (Luke 18:43), and prayers are written that center on the blessing, praising, and thanking of God (Eph 1:3, 6, 12, 14; 4:8).
Lexical Information
Old Testament
הָלַל (hālal). vb. to praise. Describes the act of praising God through prayer, instruments, and singing both corporately and individually.
This verb usually refers to the act of praising but can also mean “to shine” or “to boast” (e.g., Psa 49:6). It can be used of praising humans (e.g., Gen 12:15; 2 Sam 14:25) but in the OT is mostly used for praising God. The Scriptures attest to singers praising (hālal) God (2 Chr 5:13) and musicians offering praise (hālal) to God with lyres (1 Chr 25:3); harps (Psa 71:22); and the trumpet, lute, tambourine, dance, strings, pipe, and cymbals (Psa 150:3–5). The Scriptures offer exhortations to praise God, such as Psa 107:32: “Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people, and praise (hālal) him in the assembly of the elders” (compare Psa 22:23; 106:48). People also declare that they will praise God, as in Psa 146:2: “I will praise (hālal) Yahweh while I live; I will sing praises (זָמַר, zāmar) to my God while I am still alive” (compare Psa 35:18; 69:30). Reasons for praising God are often given, including: God’s righteous rules (Psa 119:164), God’s goodness (Psa 135:3), the exalted nature of his name and his majesty (Psa 148:13), and his mighty deeds and excellent greatness (Psa 150:2). Even nonhuman and nonbiological entities are exhorted to express praise to God, including the angels, all God’s hosts, the sun, moon, stars, highest heavens, waters, sea creatures, and the deep (Psa 48:2–4, 7).
The Psalms often use the expression הַלְלוּ־יָהּ (hallû-yāh, “Praise Yah”), which combines hālal with יָהּ (yāh), the shortened form of God’s name יהוה (yhwh, “Yahweh”; e.g., Psa 11:1; 135:21; 146:1; 148:1). This expression does not occur in the OT outside the Psalms.
תְּהִלָּה (tĕhillâ). n. fem. praise, thanksgiving. Describes praise and thanksgiving to God.
This noun is related to the verb הָלַל (hālal, “to praise”). It usually refers to praise offered to God. Sometimes a worshiper declares an intent to praise God, as in Psa 71:14: “I will hope continually and increase your praise (tĕhillâ)” (see also Psa 51:15; 106:47; Isa 42:12; 43:21). In other instances, the word is used in an exhortation to praise the Lord (e.g., Psa 66:8: “Bless our God, O peoples, and cause sound of his praise (tĕhillâ) to be heard”). In several instances, the Scriptures attest to a process by which God enables worshipers to become “a praise (tĕhillâ).” For example, in Isa 61:11 Yahweh “will make righteousness sprout, and praise (tĕhillâ) before the nations” (see also Jer 13:9; Deut 26:19), and in Zeph 3:19, he empowers the people such that their shame is turned into praise (tĕhillâ). Ultimate praise is suitably directed only to God, not to idols (Isa 42:8).
יָדָה (yādâ). vb. to give thanks, praise. Describes the act of giving thanks and praise to God.
This verb primarily refers to giving thanks; the majority instances of yādâ in the OT are in Psalms. Like other terms with similar meanings, yādâ is often accompanied by an explanation of the reason for the thanks or praise. Reasons for which people thank (yādâ) God include the birth of Leah’s son (Gen 29:35), the righteous rules of God (Psa 99:3), the righteousness of God (Psa 7:17), the goodness of God (Psa 54:6), and the great and holy name of God (Psa 99:3). The verb can be used in an exhortation inviting people to thank (yādâ) God, as in Psa 97:12: “Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous, and give thanks (yādâ) to his holy name” (see also Psa 30:4; 105:1; 118:29). The intent and act of praise and thanksgiving can also be declared by the worshiper in a statement like that in Psa 86:12: “I will give thanks (yādâ) to you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify your name forever” (compare Psa 108:3). However, Sheol and the dead cannot praise God (Isa 38:18).
תּוֹדָה (tôdâ). n. fem. thanksgiving, sacrifice of thanksgiving, thank offering. Describes the giving of thanks to God, thank offerings, exhortations, and declarations of praise and thanksgiving.
This noun is related to the verb יָדָה (yādâ, “to give thanks”). It can refer to thank offerings (e.g., Lev 7:12; 2 Chr 29:31; Psa 56:12; Jer 17:26) and to general thanks given to God (Isa 51:3; Neh 12:38; Jonah 2:9; Psa 42:4). The word is also used by the scriptural authors to convey declarations of praise, as in Psa 69:30: “I will … magnify him with thanksgiving (tôdâ)” as well as in exhortations to offer praise and thanksgiving, e.g., Psa 95:2: “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving (tôdâ)” (see also Psa 100:4; 147:7).
רָנַן (rānan). vb. to cry out in joy or praise. Describes the crying out of a worshiper in joy or praise.
This verb indicates crying aloud in joyful praise or “singing for joy” as in Psa 95:1: “Come let us sing for joy (rānan) to Yahweh!” and Psa 89:12b, which states: “Tabor and Hermon shout joyfully (rānan) over your name.”
זָמַר (zāmar). vb. to sing praise. Indicates the act of singing praise and praising the Lord.
This verb means “to sing praise,” and occurs almost exclusively in Psalms, as in Psa 104:33b: “I will sing praise (zāmar) to my God while I remain alive” (see also Psa 7:17; 9:2; 21:3; 30:12; 138:1).
שָׁבַח (šābaḥ); Aram. שְׁבַח (šĕbaḥ). vb. to praise. Describes the act of giving thanks and praise.
The Hebrew verb šābaḥ means “to praise.” In Psalm 63:3 the psalmist declares: “Because your loyal love is better than life, my lips will praise (šābaḥ) you.” (compare Psa 147:12). The Aramaic equivalent šĕbaḥ has the same meaning, as in Dan 2:23.
New Testament
εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō). vb. to give thanks. Describes the act of giving thanks.
This verb means “to give thanks.” It is used in the NT only of giving thanks to God, except for one occasion where it is unclear whether the person giving thanks to Jesus believed him to be God (Luke 17:16). It is used when Jesus gives thanks (eucharisteō) at the Last Supper (e.g., Luke 22:17, 19; John 6:11, 23) and before the miracle of the feeding of the 4,000 (Matt 15:36; Mark 8:6). Paul often gives thanks (eucharisteō), especially for the faith and salvation of the churches to which he is ministering and writing (e.g., Rom 1:8; Col 1:4). He also expresses thanks that he did not baptize many at Corinth (1 Cor 1:14) and that he speaks in tongues more than all of the members of the Corinthian church (1 Cor 14:18). In Revelation, the living creatures in the heavenly realm give thanks (eucharisteō; Rev 4:9; 11:17). Sinful people do not give thanks (Rom 1:21), and hypocritical religious leaders sometimes give thanks (eucharisteō) in an arrogant, presumptuous fashion (Luke 18:11). The related adjective εὐχάριστος (eucharistos, “thankful”) occurs one time in Col 3:15, where Paul exhorts the Colossians to be thankful (eucharistos).
εὐχαριστία (eucharistia). n. fem. thanks, thanksgiving. Describes the expression and experience of being thankful and the action of giving thanks.
This noun is related to εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) and refers generally to giving thanks to God. Ephesians 5:4 recommends thanksgiving (eucharistia) in place of “obscenity,” “foolish talk,” and “coarse jesting.” Likewise, in Philippians 4:6, Paul exhorts the church at Philippi to not be anxious but rather “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (eucharistia) to let your requests be made known to God.” Christians are to abound in thanksgiving (eucharistia) in light of their rootedness in Christ (Col 2:7). Thus the Scriptures indicate that thanksgiving is a central Christian virtue, intended to replace despair, anxiety, and worldly ways.
εὐλογέω (eulogeō). vb. to praise, bless. Indicates the action of blessing God, in the sense of offering praise to God.
This verb means “to praise.” It often indicates the offering of, the wish for, or the activity of a blessing from God. However, when humans bless God, this is equivalent to offering him praise. Thus, after Jesus’ ascension, his disciples “were continually in the temple courts praising (eulogeō) God” (Luke 24:53), and during the triumphant entry, the crowds shouted to Jesus, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed (eulogeō) is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matt 21:9; see also Matt 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13).
αἰνέω (aineō). vb. to praise. Denotes the act of expressing praise.
This verb is the most common Septuagint translation of the Hebrew הָלַל (hālal, “to praise”) and is used in the NT only of praising God. In Luke’s account of the triumphal entry the people following him, rejoice, and “praise (aineō) God with a loud voice for all the miracles that they had seen” (Luke 19:37). There are two instances in which the verb is used to express an exhortation to praise: Rom 15:11 (“Praise [aineō] the Lord, all the Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise [ἐπαινέω, epaineō] him”) and Rev 19:5 (“Praise [aineō] our God, all his slaves, and those who fear him, the small and the great”).
ἔπαινος (epainos). n. masc. praise. Describing the quality and action of praise and honor.
This noun is used in the NT both of praise or approval given to humans (e.g., Rom 2:29; 1 Cor 4:5) and of praise given to God and his qualities (e.g., Phil 1:11). It occurs repeatedly in Eph 1, where the author uses it in a prayer to God which is offered “to the praise (epainos) of the glory of his grace” (Eph 1:6) and “to the praise (epainos) of his glory” (Eph 1:12, 14). A similar use occurs in Phil 1:11, where Paul prays that the believers might be “filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise (epainos) of God.”
ἐξομολογέω (exomologeō). vb. to confess, profess, offer praise. Describes the confession or proclamation of the praise of God.
This verb is the usual Septuagint translation of the Hebrew יָדָה (yādâ, “to give thanks”). In some instances it refers to giving thanks to God, including three main instances in which Jesus thanks the Father (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21; John 11:41). In other cases it refers to confessing sin (e.g., Matt 3:6).
ψάλλω (psallō). vb. to sing praise. Conveys the act of singing praise.
This verb is the usual Septuagint translation of the Hebrew זָמַר (zāmar, “to sing praise”). It occurs five times in the NT, where it denotes singing praise to God (e.g., 1 Cor 14:15; Jas 5:13).
ὑμνέω (hymneō). vb. to sing praise. Conveys the act of singing praise.
In the NT, this verb always refers to the singing of praise by the people of God (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26; Acts 16:25; Heb 2:12).
THANKSGIVING (תּוֹדָה, todah; εὐχαριστία, eucharistia). The act of offering thanks or being thankful, usually to God. Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship.
General Usage in the Bible
The concept of thanksgiving evolves theologically throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, it is closely tied with the verb “to bless” (בָּרַךְ, barakh; e.g., Deut 8:10). The most common Hebrew noun used for “thanks” (תּוֹדָה, todah) derives from the verb “to praise, confess” (יָדָה, yadah). While Genesis bears little evidence of individuals offering thanks to God, by the time of Leviticus the Israelites had instituted a thanks offering as part of the sacrificial system (Lev 7:11–15). Thanksgiving bears a prominent place in the Psalms, both on an individual (e.g., Psa 116) and communal (e.g., Psa 100) level.
In the New Testament, thanksgiving is tied to the concept of “grace” (χάρις, charis). Most Greek words related to “thanks” are semantically connected, including the noun “thanksgiving” (εὐχαριστία, eucharistia), the adjective “thankful” (εὐχάριστος, eucharistos), and the verb “to give thanks, be thankful” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō). People in the New Testament offer thanksgiving to God in worship (e.g., 1 Tim 2:1), individual prayer (e.g., Acts 28:15), and at meals (e.g., Matt 15:36–37). Expressions of thanksgiving appear throughout Paul’s writings (e.g., Phil 1:3–8). In the New Testament, thanksgiving is often a response to the redemptive work of Jesus (e.g., Rom 7:25). Texts like Luke 24:30 indicate that thanksgiving held an important part in Jewish and Christian meals.
Jewish Prayers of Thanksgiving
According to the Mishnah, the standard prayer for food begins with, “Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe” (Berakhot 6:1; Neusner, Mishnah, 9). Those praying then acknowledge God’s sovereignty over the specific item being blessed, whether fruit, wine, vegetables, or loaves of bread.
The Babylonian Talmud forbids anyone from enjoying any pleasure from the world until they have first offered a “blessing” to God, who has provided it (Berakhot 35a; Simon, Tractate Berakoth, 134–36). The Babylonian Talmud views the blessing as a means of thanks because pleasure is only made available through God’s goodness and love (Kadushin, The Rabbinic Mind, 168).
Jesus’ Prayers of Thanksgiving
The New Testament records Jesus offering thanksgiving to God on several occasions. For example, when reflecting upon the division between those who accepted Him and those who rejected Him, Jesus thanks God for hiding His plans from the wise and revealing them instead to little children (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21). Also, before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus thanks God for hearing Him (John 11:41–42). The most notable accounts of Jesus giving thanks are during His feeding miracles and at the Last Supper.
Feeding Miracles
Each Gospel account of Jesus multiplying loaves and fishes (Matt 14:14–21; 15:29–39; Mark 6:30–44; 8:1–13; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15) mentions that He “gave thanks” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō; or εὐλογέω, eulogeō) before miraculously distributing the food. While the two Greek terms used in these accounts hold slightly different meanings—εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) means “to give thanks,” while εὐλογέω (eulogeō) properly means “to bestow a blessing”—the term εὐλογέω (eulogeō) seems to be an idiomatic expression meaning “to give thanks” (Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 644). The idea is that Jesus was offering thanks to God as provider, not “blessing” the food in order that it might multiply.
The four main verbs used in the accounts of these miracles (“took,” “gave thanks,” “broke,” and “gave”) reflect the Jewish pattern of blessing at a meal (Boobyer, “Eucharistic Interpretation,” 162). The New Testament authors’ decision to include such specific details may demonstrate their intention to point toward the Last Supper (Marshall, The Gospel of Luke, 361–363). The most explicit support for this comes from the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel does not include an account of the Last Supper. Instead, it associates the feeding of the 5,000 with Passover (John 6:4) and follows the event with Jesus’ declaration that He is “the bread of life” whose flesh and blood provide eternal life (John 6:25–59).
At the Last Supper
The Synoptic Gospels’ accounts of the Last Supper record Jesus offering thanksgiving (Matt 26:17–29; Mark 14:12–25; Luke 22:7–38). Jesus acts as the “head of the family” at the meal by offering the thanksgiving prayer both for the bread and the wine. The verbs “gave thanks” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō) and “gave the blessing” (εὐλογέω, eulogeō) are used interchangeably in these accounts, sometimes for the bread (εὐλογέω, eulogeō; in Matthew and Mark, εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō; in Luke) and sometimes for the wine (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō; in Matthew and Mark, no mention in Luke). In 1 Corinthians 11:23–25 the Apostle Paul confirms the tradition by noting how Jesus “gave thanks” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō) between taking the bread and breaking it, and how “in the same way” He took the cup after the meal, presumably also giving thanks.
Scholars debate what type of meal the Last Supper actually was (Routledge, “Passover and Last Supper,” 205), whether a Passover Seder (Mark 14:12–16), a farewell meal (Matt 26:29), a preview of the end-of-the-age banquet (Luke 22:29–30; compare Rev 19:9), or something entirely new. Nodet suggests that the historical dating from the Jewish calendar and John’s association of the Passover with the crucifixion indicate the Last Supper could not have been a Passover meal (Nodet, “On Jesus’ Last Supper,” 348–369). However, Brumberg-Kraus notes that the Synoptic Gospels seem to have the Passover in mind in their narrations of the Last Supper (Brumberg-Kraus, “Not by Bread Alone,” 166).
According to the Mishnah, the Passover meal proceeds through four cups of wine with various food, elements, and stories between (Pesahim 10:1–7; Neusner, Mishnah, 249–251). Each person was “to regard himself as if he personally has gone forth from Egypt” (Pesahim 10:5; Neusner, Mishnah, 250). It is difficult to say how different a Passover meal in the first century would have been from the Jewish traditions of the Mishnah or today’s practices, but likely there would have been similarities (Routledge, “Passover and Last Supper,” 208).
If the Last Supper was or was modeled after the Passover, the bread for which Jesus gave thanks would likely have been the unleavened bread. However, rather than talking about it as the “bread of affliction” (Deut 16:3), Jesus described it as His own body (France, The Gospel of Mark, 568). The wine for which He gave thanks would likely have been either the second cup of the meal, which was closer to the eating of the unleavened bread, or the third, which was known as the “cup of blessing” and came after the meal (Bowman, Gospel of Mark, 263–265). Later tradition has each person drinking from their own individual cups (Pesahim 10:1; Neusner, Mishnah, 249), but it is difficult to tell whether this would have been true in the first century or whether Jesus intentionally passed only the one cup for emphasis.
Thanksgiving in the Early Church
Thanksgiving played an important role in the life of the early church, whether in letters, worship, the Lord’s Supper, or private prayer.
In New Testament Letters
Most of Paul’s letters contain a section of thanksgiving, typically after the formal greeting and address. This was a common feature of Hellenistic letters in Paul’s time, which offered thanks to the gods for personal blessings (O’Brien, “Letters,” 707). Paul offers thanks to God the Father, usually in regard to the faith of the specific church he is addressing (e.g., 1 Thess 1:2–10). His thanksgiving statements also serve to introduce the primary themes of his letters.
At Christian Meals
The book of Acts and the New Testament letters mention thanksgiving in relation to Christian meals. For example, the book of Acts recounts that after enduring a storm at sea, Paul “took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat” (Acts 27:35 NIV). Paul also mentions thanksgiving in association with meals in his discussions of proper eating for Christians.
• In Romans 14, Paul addresses a division between those who feel they can eat anything and those who eat only vegetables (Rom 14:2). He clarifies that each was acceptable to God because “Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Rom 14:6 NIV).
• In First Corinthians, Paul addresses whether Christians should eat meat that had previously been sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 10:25–28). After encouraging his audience to be sensitive so as not to offend another’s conscience (1 Cor 10:28–29), he states, “If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?” (1 Cor 10:30 NIV).
• In First Timothy, Paul counters false teachers who forbid marriage and the eating of certain foods (1 Tim 4:3). He argues that God created all foods as good and they should be received with “thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth” (1 Tim 4:3–4 NIV). To Paul, “nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim 4:4–5 NIV).
In Communal Worship
Thanksgiving seems to have been a regular part of the early church’s worship life (e.g., 1 Cor 14:16). Paul instructs the churches to give thanks to God for all things (Eph 5:20), which was part of God’s will for them (1 Thess 5:16–18). They were to be anxious about nothing, but instead to present their requests to God with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6). First Timothy 2:1–2 notes that as part of worship, Christians should offer petitions, intercessions, prayers, and thanksgiving for all people, including earthly rulers (1 Tim 2:1–2). News of the spreading of the gospel and generosity were to result in thanksgiving overflowing toward God (2 Cor 4:14–15; 9:11–12). In the visions of Revelation, the four living creatures (Rev 4:9), the angels (Rev 7:12), and the 24 elders (Rev 11:17) in the heavenly throne room provide a model for offering thanksgiving to God.
At the Lord’s Supper
Thanksgiving was likely an important part of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. In First Corinthians, Paul indicates that “the cup of blessing” (εὐλογία, eulogia) was the cup for which they “offer a blessing” (εὐλογέω, eulogeō; 1 Cor 10:16). This followed the tradition of Jesus, who “gave thanks” before passing the bread and wine (1 Cor 11:24–25). Paul notes that he had received this tradition himself and subsequently handed it down to the Corinthian church (1 Cor 11:23).
The Didache refers to the Lord’s Supper as the Eucharist (Didache 9:1; Milavec, Didache, 31), which comes from the Greek noun for “thanksgiving” (εὐχαριστία, eucharistia). The document presents the prayer for the cup as follows: “We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy vine of your servant David which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus. To you is the glory forever” (Didache 9:2; Milavec, Didache, 31). The prayer for the bread is: “We give you thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus. To you is the glory forever. Just as this broken loaf was scattered over the hills, and, having been gathered together, became one; in like fashion, may your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. Because yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever” (Didache 9:3–4; Milavec, Didache, 31–33). The name Eucharist reflects the church’s view of the Lord’s Supper as an occasion of “thanks” for Christ’s offering of Himself in redemption. Ignatius (To the Philadelphians 4:1; To the Smyrnaeans 7:1; 8:1) and Justin (First Apology 66:1) also mention the name Eucharist.
In Private Prayer and Life
Guthrie notes that thanksgiving is a characteristic of the entire Christian life (Guthrie, Theology as Thanksgiving, 181–216). Christians are to thank God for creating and sustaining the world and for His ongoing redemption of it through Jesus. They are expected to pray to God privately (Matt 5:6) and thank Him for what He has done (Luke 17:12–19). The Psalms display individual prayers of thanks (Psa 69:30–36), and the New Testament includes individual thanks for fellow believers (Phlm 1:4). Thanklessness is regarded as a rejection of God, which leads to further sin and eventual judgment (Rom 1:21).
Ultimately, Christians are to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col 3:17). From this perspective, all of an individual’s life in Christ—whether in worship, at meals, or otherwise—becomes an opportunity to offer thanks.
THANKSGIVING (תּוֹדָה, todah; εὐχαριστία, eucharistia). The act of offering thanks or being thankful, usually to God. Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship.
General Usage in the Bible
The concept of thanksgiving evolves theologically throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, it is closely tied with the verb “to bless” (בָּרַךְ, barakh; e.g., Deut 8:10). The most common Hebrew noun used for “thanks” (תּוֹדָה, todah) derives from the verb “to praise, confess” (יָדָה, yadah). While Genesis bears little evidence of individuals offering thanks to God, by the time of Leviticus the Israelites had instituted a thanks offering as part of the sacrificial system (Lev 7:11–15). Thanksgiving bears a prominent place in the Psalms, both on an individual (e.g., Psa 116) and communal (e.g., Psa 100) level.
In the New Testament, thanksgiving is tied to the concept of “grace” (χάρις, charis). Most Greek words related to “thanks” are semantically connected, including the noun “thanksgiving” (εὐχαριστία, eucharistia), the adjective “thankful” (εὐχάριστος, eucharistos), and the verb “to give thanks, be thankful” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō). People in the New Testament offer thanksgiving to God in worship (e.g., 1 Tim 2:1), individual prayer (e.g., Acts 28:15), and at meals (e.g., Matt 15:36–37). Expressions of thanksgiving appear throughout Paul’s writings (e.g., Phil 1:3–8). In the New Testament, thanksgiving is often a response to the redemptive work of Jesus (e.g., Rom 7:25). Texts like Luke 24:30 indicate that thanksgiving held an important part in Jewish and Christian meals.
Jewish Prayers of Thanksgiving
According to the Mishnah, the standard prayer for food begins with, “Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe” (Berakhot 6:1; Neusner, Mishnah, 9). Those praying then acknowledge God’s sovereignty over the specific item being blessed, whether fruit, wine, vegetables, or loaves of bread.
The Babylonian Talmud forbids anyone from enjoying any pleasure from the world until they have first offered a “blessing” to God, who has provided it (Berakhot 35a; Simon, Tractate Berakoth, 134–36). The Babylonian Talmud views the blessing as a means of thanks because pleasure is only made available through God’s goodness and love (Kadushin, The Rabbinic Mind, 168).
Jesus’ Prayers of Thanksgiving
The New Testament records Jesus offering thanksgiving to God on several occasions. For example, when reflecting upon the division between those who accepted Him and those who rejected Him, Jesus thanks God for hiding His plans from the wise and revealing them instead to little children (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21). Also, before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus thanks God for hearing Him (John 11:41–42). The most notable accounts of Jesus giving thanks are during His feeding miracles and at the Last Supper.
Feeding Miracles
Each Gospel account of Jesus multiplying loaves and fishes (Matt 14:14–21; 15:29–39; Mark 6:30–44; 8:1–13; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15) mentions that He “gave thanks” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō; or εὐλογέω, eulogeō) before miraculously distributing the food. While the two Greek terms used in these accounts hold slightly different meanings—εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) means “to give thanks,” while εὐλογέω (eulogeō) properly means “to bestow a blessing”—the term εὐλογέω (eulogeō) seems to be an idiomatic expression meaning “to give thanks” (Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 644). The idea is that Jesus was offering thanks to God as provider, not “blessing” the food in order that it might multiply.
The four main verbs used in the accounts of these miracles (“took,” “gave thanks,” “broke,” and “gave”) reflect the Jewish pattern of blessing at a meal (Boobyer, “Eucharistic Interpretation,” 162). The New Testament authors’ decision to include such specific details may demonstrate their intention to point toward the Last Supper (Marshall, The Gospel of Luke, 361–363). The most explicit support for this comes from the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel does not include an account of the Last Supper. Instead, it associates the feeding of the 5,000 with Passover (John 6:4) and follows the event with Jesus’ declaration that He is “the bread of life” whose flesh and blood provide eternal life (John 6:25–59).
At the Last Supper
The Synoptic Gospels’ accounts of the Last Supper record Jesus offering thanksgiving (Matt 26:17–29; Mark 14:12–25; Luke 22:7–38). Jesus acts as the “head of the family” at the meal by offering the thanksgiving prayer both for the bread and the wine. The verbs “gave thanks” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō) and “gave the blessing” (εὐλογέω, eulogeō) are used interchangeably in these accounts, sometimes for the bread (εὐλογέω, eulogeō; in Matthew and Mark, εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō; in Luke) and sometimes for the wine (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō; in Matthew and Mark, no mention in Luke). In 1 Corinthians 11:23–25 the Apostle Paul confirms the tradition by noting how Jesus “gave thanks” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō) between taking the bread and breaking it, and how “in the same way” He took the cup after the meal, presumably also giving thanks.
Scholars debate what type of meal the Last Supper actually was (Routledge, “Passover and Last Supper,” 205), whether a Passover Seder (Mark 14:12–16), a farewell meal (Matt 26:29), a preview of the end-of-the-age banquet (Luke 22:29–30; compare Rev 19:9), or something entirely new. Nodet suggests that the historical dating from the Jewish calendar and John’s association of the Passover with the crucifixion indicate the Last Supper could not have been a Passover meal (Nodet, “On Jesus’ Last Supper,” 348–369). However, Brumberg-Kraus notes that the Synoptic Gospels seem to have the Passover in mind in their narrations of the Last Supper (Brumberg-Kraus, “Not by Bread Alone,” 166).
According to the Mishnah, the Passover meal proceeds through four cups of wine with various food, elements, and stories between (Pesahim 10:1–7; Neusner, Mishnah, 249–251). Each person was “to regard himself as if he personally has gone forth from Egypt” (Pesahim 10:5; Neusner, Mishnah, 250). It is difficult to say how different a Passover meal in the first century would have been from the Jewish traditions of the Mishnah or today’s practices, but likely there would have been similarities (Routledge, “Passover and Last Supper,” 208).
If the Last Supper was or was modeled after the Passover, the bread for which Jesus gave thanks would likely have been the unleavened bread. However, rather than talking about it as the “bread of affliction” (Deut 16:3), Jesus described it as His own body (France, The Gospel of Mark, 568). The wine for which He gave thanks would likely have been either the second cup of the meal, which was closer to the eating of the unleavened bread, or the third, which was known as the “cup of blessing” and came after the meal (Bowman, Gospel of Mark, 263–265). Later tradition has each person drinking from their own individual cups (Pesahim 10:1; Neusner, Mishnah, 249), but it is difficult to tell whether this would have been true in the first century or whether Jesus intentionally passed only the one cup for emphasis.
Thanksgiving in the Early Church
Thanksgiving played an important role in the life of the early church, whether in letters, worship, the Lord’s Supper, or private prayer.
In New Testament Letters
Most of Paul’s letters contain a section of thanksgiving, typically after the formal greeting and address. This was a common feature of Hellenistic letters in Paul’s time, which offered thanks to the gods for personal blessings (O’Brien, “Letters,” 707). Paul offers thanks to God the Father, usually in regard to the faith of the specific church he is addressing (e.g., 1 Thess 1:2–10). His thanksgiving statements also serve to introduce the primary themes of his letters.
At Christian Meals
The book of Acts and the New Testament letters mention thanksgiving in relation to Christian meals. For example, the book of Acts recounts that after enduring a storm at sea, Paul “took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat” (Acts 27:35 NIV). Paul also mentions thanksgiving in association with meals in his discussions of proper eating for Christians.
• In Romans 14, Paul addresses a division between those who feel they can eat anything and those who eat only vegetables (Rom 14:2). He clarifies that each was acceptable to God because “Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Rom 14:6 NIV).
• In First Corinthians, Paul addresses whether Christians should eat meat that had previously been sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 10:25–28). After encouraging his audience to be sensitive so as not to offend another’s conscience (1 Cor 10:28–29), he states, “If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?” (1 Cor 10:30 NIV).
• In First Timothy, Paul counters false teachers who forbid marriage and the eating of certain foods (1 Tim 4:3). He argues that God created all foods as good and they should be received with “thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth” (1 Tim 4:3–4 NIV). To Paul, “nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim 4:4–5 NIV).
In Communal Worship
Thanksgiving seems to have been a regular part of the early church’s worship life (e.g., 1 Cor 14:16). Paul instructs the churches to give thanks to God for all things (Eph 5:20), which was part of God’s will for them (1 Thess 5:16–18). They were to be anxious about nothing, but instead to present their requests to God with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6). First Timothy 2:1–2 notes that as part of worship, Christians should offer petitions, intercessions, prayers, and thanksgiving for all people, including earthly rulers (1 Tim 2:1–2). News of the spreading of the gospel and generosity were to result in thanksgiving overflowing toward God (2 Cor 4:14–15; 9:11–12). In the visions of Revelation, the four living creatures (Rev 4:9), the angels (Rev 7:12), and the 24 elders (Rev 11:17) in the heavenly throne room provide a model for offering thanksgiving to God.
At the Lord’s Supper
Thanksgiving was likely an important part of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. In First Corinthians, Paul indicates that “the cup of blessing” (εὐλογία, eulogia) was the cup for which they “offer a blessing” (εὐλογέω, eulogeō; 1 Cor 10:16). This followed the tradition of Jesus, who “gave thanks” before passing the bread and wine (1 Cor 11:24–25). Paul notes that he had received this tradition himself and subsequently handed it down to the Corinthian church (1 Cor 11:23).
The Didache refers to the Lord’s Supper as the Eucharist (Didache 9:1; Milavec, Didache, 31), which comes from the Greek noun for “thanksgiving” (εὐχαριστία, eucharistia). The document presents the prayer for the cup as follows: “We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy vine of your servant David which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus. To you is the glory forever” (Didache 9:2; Milavec, Didache, 31). The prayer for the bread is: “We give you thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus. To you is the glory forever. Just as this broken loaf was scattered over the hills, and, having been gathered together, became one; in like fashion, may your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. Because yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever” (Didache 9:3–4; Milavec, Didache, 31–33). The name Eucharist reflects the church’s view of the Lord’s Supper as an occasion of “thanks” for Christ’s offering of Himself in redemption. Ignatius (To the Philadelphians 4:1; To the Smyrnaeans 7:1; 8:1) and Justin (First Apology 66:1) also mention the name Eucharist.
In Private Prayer and Life
Guthrie notes that thanksgiving is a characteristic of the entire Christian life (Guthrie, Theology as Thanksgiving, 181–216). Christians are to thank God for creating and sustaining the world and for His ongoing redemption of it through Jesus. They are expected to pray to God privately (Matt 5:6) and thank Him for what He has done (Luke 17:12–19). The Psalms display individual prayers of thanks (Psa 69:30–36), and the New Testament includes individual thanks for fellow believers (Phlm 1:4). Thanklessness is regarded as a rejection of God, which leads to further sin and eventual judgment (Rom 1:21).
Ultimately, Christians are to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col 3:17). From this perspective, all of an individual’s life in Christ—whether in worship, at meals, or otherwise—becomes an opportunity to offer thanks.
Thankfulness—gratitude for blessings
A. Described as:
Spiritual sacrifice
Ps. 116:17
Duty
2 Thess. 2:13
Unceasing
Eph. 1:16
Spontaneous
Phil. 1:3
In Christ’s name
Eph. 5:20
God’s will
1 Thess. 5:18
Heaven’s theme
Rev. 7:12
B. Expressed for:
Food
John 6:11, 23
Wisdom
Dan. 2:23
Converts
1 Thess. 1:2
Prayer answered
John 11:41
Victory
1 Cor. 15:57
Salvation
2 Cor. 9:15
Lord’s Supper
1 Cor. 11:24
Changed lives
1 Thess. 2:13
C. Expressed by:
Healed Samaritan
Luke 17:12–19
Righteous
Ps. 140:13
Thanksgiving
Definition
The practice of expressing thankfulness to another, often in speech or with celebration.
Act
Activity
Thanksgiving
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SPECIAL THANKSGIVING TO THE FATHER
A Sermon
DELIVERED ON SABBATH EVENING, JANUARY 15TH, 1860, BY THE
REV. C. H. SPURGEON,
AT NEW PARK STREET CHAPEL, SOUTHWARK.
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”—Col 1:12, 13.
THIS passage is a mine of riches. I can anticipate the difficulty in preaching and the regret in concluding we shall experience this evening because we are not able to dig out all the gold which lies in this precious vein. We lack the power to grasp and the time to expatiate upon that volume of truths which is here condensed into a few short sentences.
We are exhorted to “give thanks unto the Father.” This counsel is at once needful and salutary. I think, my brethren, we scarcely need to be told to give thanks unto the Son. The remembrance of that bleeding body hanging upon the cross is ever present to our faith. The nails and the spear, his griefs, the anguish of his soul, and his sweat of agony, make such tender touching appeals to our gratitude—these will prevent us always from ceasing our songs, and sometimes fire our hearts with rekindling rapture in praise of the man Christ Jesus. Yes, we will bless thee, dearest Lord; our souls are all on fire. As we survey the wondrous cross, we cannot but shout—
“O for this love let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break,
And all harmonious human tongues
The Saviour’s praises speak.”
It is in a degree very much the same with the Holy Spirit. I think we are compelled to feel every day our dependence upon his constant influence. He abides with us as a present and personal Comforter and Counsellor. We, therefore, do praise the Spirit of Grace, who hath made our heart his temple, and who works in us all that is gracious, virtuous, and well-pleasing in the sight of God. If there be any one Person in the Trinity whom we are more apt to forget than another in our praises, it is God the Father. In fact there are some who even get a wrong idea of Him, a slanderous idea of that God whose name is LOVE. They imagine that love dwelt in Christ, rather than in the Father; and that our salvation is rather due to the Son and the Holy Spirit, than to our Father God. Let us not be of the number of the ignorant, but let us receive this truth. We are as much indebted to the Father as to any other Person of the Sacred Three. He as much and as truly loves us as any of the adorable Three Persons. He is as truly worthy of our highest praise as either the Son or the Holy Spirit.
A remarkable fact, which we should always bear in mind, is this:—in the Holy Scriptures most of the operations which are set down as being the works of the Spirit, are in other Scriptures ascribed to God the Father. Do we say it is God the Spirit that quickens the sinner who is dead in sin? it is true; but you will find in another passage it is said, “The Father quickeneth whom he will.” Do we say that the Spirit is the sanctifier, and that the sanctification of the soul is wrought by the Holy Ghost? You will find a passage in the opening of the Epistle of St. Jude, in which it is said, “Sanctified by God the Father.” Now, how are we to account for this? I think it may be explained thus. God the Spirit cometh from God the Father, and therefore whatever acts are performed by the Spirit are truly done by the Father, because he sendeth forth the Spirit. And again, the Spirit is often the instrument—though I say not this in any way to derogate from his glory—he is often the instrument with which the Father works. It is the Father who says to the dry bones, live; it is the Spirit who, going forth with the divine word, makes them live. The quickening is due as much to the word as to the influence that went with the word; and as the word came with all the bounty of free grace and goodwill from the Father, the quickening is due to him. It is true that the seal on our hearts is the Holy Spirit; he is the seal, but it is the Eternal Father’s hand that stamps the seal; the Father communicates the Spirit to seal our adoption. The works of the Spirit are, many of them, I repeat it again, attributed to the Father, because he worketh in, through, and by the Spirit.
The works of the Son of God, I ought to observe are every one of them in intimate connection with the Father. If the Son comes into the world, it is because the Father sends him; if the Son calls his people, it is because his Father gave this people into his hands. If the Son redeems the chosen race, is not the Son himself the Father’s gift, and doth not God send his Son into the world that we may live through him? So that the Father, the great Ancient of Days, is ever to be extolled; and we must never omit the full homage of our hearts to him when we sing that sacred doxology,
“Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
In order to excite your gratitude to God the Father to-night, I propose to dilate a little upon this passage, as God the Holy Spirit shall enable me. If you will look at the text, you will see two blessings in it. The first has regard to the future; it is a meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. The second blessing, which must go with the first, for indeed it is the cause of the first, the effective cause, has relation to the past. Here we read of our deliverance from the power of darkness. Let us meditate a little upon each of these blessings, and then, in the third place, I will endeavour to show the relation which exists between the two.
I. The first blessing introduced to our notice is this—“God the Father has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” It is a PRESENT BLESSING. Not a mercy laid up for us in the covenant, which we have not yet received, but it is a blessing which every true believer already has in his hand. Those mercies in the covenant of which we have the earnest now while we wait for the full possession, are just as rich, and just as certain as those which have been already with abundant lovingkindness bestowed on us; but still they are not so precious in our enjoyment. The mercy we have in store, and in hand, is after all, the main source of our present comfort. And oh what a blessing this! “Made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.” The true believer is fit for heaven; he is meet to be a partaker of the inheritance—and that now, at this very moment. What does this mean? Does it mean that the believer is perfect; that he is free from sin? No, my brethren, where shall you ever find such perfection in this world? If no man can be a believer but the perfect man, then what has the perfect man to believe? Could he not walk by sight? When he is perfect, he may cease to be a believer. No, brethren, it is not such perfection that is meant, although perfection is implied, and assuredly will be given as the result. Far less does this mean that we have a right to eternal life from any doings of our own. We have a fitness for eternal life, a meetness for it, but we have no desert of it. We deserve nothing of God even now, in ourselves, but his eternal wrath and his infinite displeasure. What, then, does it mean? Why, it means just this: we are so far meet that we are accepted in the Beloved, adopted into the family, and fitted by divine approbation to dwell with the saints in light. There is a woman chosen to be a bride; she is fitted to be married, fitted to enter into the honourable state and condition of matrimony; but at present she has not on the bridal garment, she is not like the bride adorned for her husband. You do not see her yet robed in her elegant attire, with her ornaments upon her, but you know she is fitted to be a bride, she is received and welcomed as such in the family of her destination. So Christ has chosen his Church to be married to him; she has not yet put on her bridal garment, and all that beautiful array in which she shall stand before the Father’s throne, but notwithstanding, there is such a fitness in her to be the bride of Christ, when she shall have bathed herself for a little while, and lain for a little while in the bed of spices—there is such a fitness in her character, such a grace-given adaptation in her to become the royal bride of her glorious Lord, and to become a partaker of the enjoyments of bliss—that it may be said of the church as a whole, and ot every member of it, that they are “meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.”
The Greek word, moreover, bears some such meaning as this, though I cannot give the exact idiom, it is always difficult when a word is not used often. This word is only used twice, that I am aware of, in the New Testament. The word may be employed for “suitable,” or, I think, “sufficient.” “He hath made us meet”—sufficient—“to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” But I cannot give my idea without borrowing another figure. When a child is born, it is at once endowed with all the faculties of humanity. If those powers are awanting at first, they will not come afterwards. It has eyes, it has hands, it has feet, and all its physical organs. These of course are as it were in embryo. The senses though perfect at first, must be gradually developed, and the understanding gradually matured. It can see but little, it cannot discern distances; it can hear, but it cannot hear distinctly enough at first to know from what direction the sound comes; but you never find a new leg, a new arm, a new eye, or a new ear growing on that child. Each of these powers will expand and enlarge, but still there is the whole man there at first, and the child is sufficient for a man. Let but God in his infinite providence cause it to feed, and give it strength and increase, it has sufficient for manhood. It does not want either arm or leg, nose or ear; you cannot make it grow a new member; nor does it require a new member either; all are there. In like manner, the moment a man is regenerated, there is every faculty in his new creation that there shall be, even when he gets to heaven. It only needs to be developed and brought out: he will not have a new power, he will not have a new grace, he will have those which he had before, developed and brought out. Just as we are told by the careful observer, that in the acorn there is in embryo every root and every bough and every leaf of the future tree, which only requires to be developed and brought out in their fulness. So, in the true believer, there is a sufficiency or meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. All that he requires is, not that a new thing should be implanted, but that that which God has put there in the moment of regeneration, shall be cherished and nurtured, and made to grow and increase, till it comes unto perfection and he enters into “the inheritance of the saints in light.” This is, as near as I can give it to you, the exact meaning and literal interpretation of the text, as I understand it.
But you may say to me, “In what sense is this meetness or fitness for eternal life the work of God the Father? Are we already made meet for heaven? How is this the Father’s work?” Look at the text a moment, and I will answer you in three ways.
What is heaven? We read it is an inheritance. Who are fit for an inheritance? Sons. Who makes us sons? “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” A son is fitted for an inheritance. The moment the son is born he is fitted to be an heir. All that is wanted is that he shall grow up and be capable of possession. But he is fit for an inheritance at first. If he were not a son he could not inherit as an heir. Now, as soon as ever we become sons we are meet to inherit. There is in us an adaptation, a power and possibility for us to have an inheritance. This is the prerogative of the Father, to adopt us into his family, and to “beget us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” And do you not see, that as adoption is really the meetness for inheritance, it is the Father who hath “made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light?”
Again, heaven is an inheritance; but whose inheritance is it? It is an inheritance of the saints. It is not an inheritance of sinners, but of saints—that is, of the holy ones—of those who have been made saints by being sanctified. Turn then, to the Epistle of Jude, and you will see at once who it is that sanctifies. You will observe the moment you fix your eye upon the passage that it is God the Father. In the first verse you read, “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father.” It is an inheritance for saints: and who are saints? The moment a man believes in Christ, he may know himself to have been truly set apart in the covenant decree; and he finds that consecration, if I may so speak, verified in his own experience, for he has now become “a new creature in Christ Jesus,” separated from the rest of the world, and then it is manifest and made known that God has taken him to be his son for ever. The meetness which I must have, in order to enjoy the inheritance of the saints in light, is my becoming a son. God hath made me and all believers sons, therefore we are meet for the inheritance; so then that meetness has come from the Father. How meetly therefore doth the Father claim our gratitude, our adoration and our love!
You will however observe, it is not merely said that heaven is the inheritance of the saints, but that it is “the inheritance of the saints in light.” So the saints dwell in light—the light of knowledge, the light of purity, the light of joy, the light of love, pure ineffable love, the light of everything that is glorious and ennobling. There they dwell, and if I am to appear meet for that inheritance, what evidence must I have? I must have light shining into my own soul. But where can I get it? Do I not read that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down”—yea verily, but from whom? From the Spirit? No—“from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” The preparation to enter into the inheritance in light is light; and light comes from the Father of lights; therefore, my meetness, if I have light in myself, is the work of the Father, and I must give him praise. Do you see then, that as there are three words used here—“the inheritance of the saints in light,” so we have a threefold meetness? We are adopted and made sons. God hath sanctified us and set us apart. And then, again, he hath put light into our hearts. All this, I say, is the work of the Father, and in this sense, we are “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”
A few general observations here. Brethren, I am persuaded that if an angel from heaven were to come to-night and single out any one believer from the crowd here assembled, there is not one believer that is unfit to be taken to heaven. You may not be ready to be taken to heaven now; that is to say, if I foresaw that you were going to live, I would tell you you were unfit to die, in a certain sense. But were you to die now in your pew, if you believe in Christ, you are fit for heaven. You have a meetness even now which would take you there at once, without being committed to purgatory for a season. You are even now fit to be “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” You have but to gasp out your last breath and you shall be in heaven, and there shall not be one spirit in heaven more fit for heaven than you, nor one soul more adapted for the place than you are. You shall be just as fitted for its element as those who are nearest to the eternal throne.
Ah! this makes the heirs of glory think much of God the Father. When we reflect, my brethren, upon our state by nature, and how fit we are to be fire-brands in the flames of hell—yet to think that we are this night, at this very moment if Jehovah willed it, fit to sweep the golden harps with joyful fingers, that this head is fit this very night to wear the everlasting crown, that these loins are fit to be girded with that fair white robe throughout eternity, I say, this makes us think gratefully of God the Father; this makes us clap our hands with joy, and say, “Thanks be unto God the Father, who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Do ye not remember the penitent thief? It was but a few minutes before that he had been cursing Christ. I doubt not that he had joined with the other, for it is said, “They that were crucified with him reviled him.” Not one, but both; they did it. And then a gleam of supernatural glory lit up the face of Christ, and the thief saw and believed. And Jesus said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, this day,” though the sun is setting, “this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” No long preparation required, no sweltering in purifying fires. And so shall it be with us. We may have been in Christ Jesus to our own knowledge but three weeks, or we may have been in him for ten years, or threescore years and ten—the date of our conversion makes no difference in our meetness for heaven, in a certain sense. True indeed the older we grow the more grace we have tasted, the riper we are becoming, and the fitter to be housed in heaven; but that is in another sense of the word,—the Spirit’s meetness which he gives. But with regard to that meetness which the Father gives, I repeat, the blade of corn, the blade of gracious wheat that has just appeared above the surface of conviction, is as fit to be carried up to heaven as the full-grown corn in the ear. The sanctification wherewith we are sanctified by God the Father is not progressive, it is complete at once; we are now adapted for heaven, now fitted for it, and we shall be by-and-bye completely ready for it, and shall enter into the joy of our Lord.
Into this subject I might have entered more fully; but I have not time. I am sure I have left some knots untied, and you must untie them if you can yourselves; and let me recommend you to untie them on your knees—the mysteries of the kingdom of God are studied much the best when you are in prayer.
II. The second mercy is A MERCY THAT LOOKS BACK. We sometimes prefer the mercies that look forward, because they unfold such a bright prospect.
“Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood.”
But here is a mercy that looks backward; turns its back, as it were, on the heaven of our anticipation, and looks back on the gloomy past, and the dangers from which we have escaped. Let us read the account of it—“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” This verse is an explanation of the preceding, as we shall have to show in a few minutes. But just now let us survey this mercy by itself. Ah! my brethren, what a description have we here of what maner of men we used to be. We were under “the power of darkness.” Since I have been musing on this text, I have turned these words over and over in my mind—“the power of darkness!” It seems to me one of the most awful expressions that man ever attempted to expound. I think I could deliver a discourse from it, if God the Spirit helped me, which might make every bone in your body shake. “The power of darkness!” We all know that there is a moral darkness which exercises its awful spell over the mind of the sinner. Where God is unacknowledged the mind is void of judgment. Where God is unworshipped the heart of man becomes a ruin. The chambers of that dilapidated herrt are haunted by ghostly fears and degraded superstitions. The dark places of that reprobate mind are tenanted by vile lusts and noxious passions, like vermin and reptiles, from which in open daylight we turn with disgust. And even natural darkness is tremendous. In the solitary confinement which is practised in some of our penitentiaries the very worst results would be produced if the treatment were prolonged. If one of you were to be taken to-night and led into some dark cavern, and left there, I can imagine that for a moment, not knowing your fate, you might feel a child-like kind of interest about it;—there might be, perhaps, a laugh as you found yourselves in the dark; there might for the moment, from the novelty of the position, be some kind of curiosity excited. There might, perhaps, be a flush of silly joy. In a little time you might endeavour to compose yourself to sleep; possibly you might sleep; but if you should awake, and still find yourself down deep in the bowels of earth, where never a ray of sun or candle light could reach you; do you know the next feeling that would come over you? It would be a kind of idiotic thoughtlessness. You would find it impossible to control your desperate imagination. You heart would say, “O God I am alone, alone, alone, in this dark place.” How would you cast your eyeballs all around, and never catching a gleam of light, your mind would begin to fail. Your next stage would be one of increasing terror. You would fancy that you saw something, and then you would cry, “Ah! I would I could see something, were it foe or flend!” You would feel the dark sides of your dungeon. You would begin to “scribble on the walls,” like David before king Achish. Agitation would cease hold upon you, and if you were kept there much longer, delirium and death would be the consequence. We have heard of many who have been taken from the penitentiary to the lunatic asylum; and the lunacy is produced partly by the solitary confinement, and partly by the darkness in which they are placed. In a report lately written by the Chaplain of Newgate, there are some striking reflections upon the influence of darkness in a way of discipline. Its first effect is to shut the culprit up to his own reflections, and make him realize his true position in the iron grasp of the outraged law. Methinks the man that has defied his keepers, and come in there cursing and swearing, when he has found himself alone in darkness, where he cannot even hear the rattling of carriages along the streets, and can see no light whatever, is presently cowed; he gives in, he grows tame. “The power of darkness” literally is something awful. If I had time, I would enlarge upon this subject. We cannot properly describe what “the power of darkness” is, even in this world. The sinner is plunged into the darkness of his sins, and he sees nothing, he knows nothing. Let him remain there a little longer, and that joy of curiosity, that hectic joy which he now has in the path of sin, will die away, and there will come over him a spirit of slumber. Sin will make him drowsy, so that he will not hear the voice of the ministry, crying to him to escape for his life. Let him continue in it, and it will by-and-bye make him spiritually an idiot. He will become so set in sin, that common reason will be lost on him. All the arguments that a sensible man will receive, will be only wasted on him. Let him go on, and he will proceed from bad to worse, till he acquires the raving mania of a desperado in sin; and let death step in, and the darkness will have produced its full effect; he will come into the delirious madness of hell. Ah! it needs but the power of sin to make a man more truly hideous than human thought can realize, or language paint. Oh “the power of darkness!”
Now, my brethren, all of us were under this power once. It is but a few months—a few weeks with some of you—since you were under the power of darkness and of sin. Some of you had only got as far as the curiosity of it; others had got as far as the sleepiness of it; a good many of you had got as far as the apathy of it; and I do not know but some of you had got almost to the terror of it. You had so cursed and swore; so yelled ye out your blasphemies, that you seemed to be ripening for hell; but, praised and blessed be the name of the Father, he has “translated you from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of his dear Son.”
Having thus explained this term, “the power of darkness,” to show you what you were, let us take the next word, “and hath translated us.” What a singular word this—“translated”—is. I dare say you think it means the process by which a word is interpreted, when the sense is retained, while the expression is rendered in another language. That is one meaning of the word “translation,” but it is not the meaning here. The word is used by Josephus in this sense—the taking away of a people who have been dwelling in a certain country, and planting them in another place. This is called a translation. We sometimes hear of a bishop being translated or removed from one see to another. Now, if you want to have the idea explained, give me your attention while I bring out an amazing instance of a great translation. The children of Israel were in Egypt under taskmasters that oppressed them very sorely, and brought them into iron bondage. What did God do for these people? There were two millions of them. He did not temper the tyranny of the tyrant; he did not influence his mind, to give them a little more liberty; but he translated his people; he took the whole two millions bodily, with a high hand and outstretched arm, and led them through the wilderness, and translated them into the kingdom of Canaan; and there they were settled. What an achievement was that, when, with their flocks and their herds, and their little ones, the whole host of Israel went out of Egypt, crossed the Jordan, and came into Canaan! My dear brethren, the whole of it was not equal to the achievement of God’s powerful grace, when he brings one poor sinner out of the region of sin into the kingdom of holiness and peace. It was easier for God to bring Israel out of Egypt, to split the Red Sea, to make a highway through the pathless wilderness, to drop manna from heaven, to send the whirlwind to drive out the Kings; it was easier for Omnipotence to do all this, than to translate a man from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son. This is the grandest achievement of Omnipotence. The sustenance of the whole universe, I do believe, is even less than this—the changing of a bad heart, the subduing of an iron will. But thanks be unto the Father, he has done all that for you and for me. He has brought us out of darkness; he has translated us, taken up the old tree that has struck its roots never so deep—taken it up, blessed be God, roots and all, and planted it in a goodly soil. He had to cut the top off, it is true—the high branches of our pride; but the tree has grown better in the new soil than it ever did before. Who ever heard of moving so huge a plant as a man who has grown fifty years old in sin? Oh! what wonders hath our Father done for us! He has taken the wild leopard of the wood, tamed it into a lamb, and purged away its spots He has regenerated the poor Ethiop—oh, how black we were by nature—our blackness was more than skin deep; it went to the centre of our hearts; but, blessed be his name, he hath washed us white, and is still carrying on the divine operation, and he will yet completely deliver us from every taint of sin, and will finally bring us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Here, then, in the second mercy, we discern from what we were delivered, and how we were delivered—God the Father hath “translated” us.
But where are we now? Into what place is the believer brought, when he is brought out of the power of darkness? He is brought into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. Into what other kingdom would the Christian desire to be brought? Brethren, a republic may sound very well in theory, but in spiritual matters, the last thing we want is a republic. We want a kingdom. I love to have Christ an absolute monarch in the heart. I do not want to have a doubt about it. I want to give up all my liberty to him, for I feel that I never shall be free till my self-control is all gone; that I shall never have my will truly free till it is bound in the golden fetters of his sweet love. We are brought into a kingdom—he is Lord and Sovereign, and he has made us “kings and priests unto our God,” and we shall reign with him. The proof that we are in this kingdom must consist in our obedience to our King. Here, perhaps, we may raise many causes and questions, but surely we can say after all, though we have offended our King many times, yet our heart is loyal to him. “Oh, thou precious Jesus! we would obey thee, and yield submission to every one of thy laws; our sins are not wilful and beloved sins, but though we fall we can truly say, that we would be holy as thou art holy, our heart is true towards thy statutes; Lord, help us to run in the way of thy commandments.”
So, you see, this mercy which God the Father hath given to us, this second of these present mercies, is, that he hath “translated us out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son.” This is the Father’s work. Shall we not love God the Father from this day forth? Will we not give him thanks, and sing our hymns to him, and exalt and triumph in his great name?
III. Upon the third point, I shall be as brief as possible; it is to SHOW THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO VERSES.
When I get a passage of Scripture to meditate upon, I like, if I can, to see its drift; then I like to examine its various parts, and see if I can understand each separate clause; and then I want to go back again, and see what one clause has to do with another. I looked and looked again at this text, and wondered what connection there could be between the two verses. “Giving thanks unto God the Father, who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Well, that is right enough; we can see how this is the work of God the Father, to make us meet to go to heaven. But has the next verse, the 13th, anything to do with our meetness?—“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” Well, I looked it over, and I said I will read it in this way. I see the 12th verse tells me that the inheritance of heaven is the inheritance of light. Is heaven light? Then I can see my meetness for it as described in the 13th verse.—He hath delivered me from the power of darkness. Is not that the same thing? If I am delivered from the power of darkness, is not that being made meet to dwell in light? If I am now brought out of darkness into light, and am walking in the light, is not that the very meetness which is spoken of in the verse before? Then I read again. It says they are saints. Well, the saints are a people that obey the Son. Here is my meetness then in the 13th verse, where it says “He hath translated me from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son.” So that I not only have the light, but the sonship too, for I am in “the kingdom of his dear Son.” But how about the inheritance? Is there anything about that in the 13th verse? It is an inheritance; shall I find anything about a meetness for it there? Yes, I find that I am in the kingdom of his dear Son. How came Christ to have a kingdom? Why, by inheritance. Then it seems I am in his inheritance; and if I am in his inheritance here, then I am meet to be in it above, for I am in it already. I am even now part of it and partner of it, since I am in the kingdom which he inherits from his Father, and therefore there is the meetness.
I do not know whether I have put this plainly enough before you. If you will be kind enough to look at your Bible, I will just recapitulate. You see, heaven is a place of light; when we are brought out of darkness, that, of course, is the meetness for light. It is a place for sons; when we are brought into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, we are of course made sons; so that there is the meetness for it. It is an inheritance; and when we are brought into the inherited kingdom of God’s dear Son, we enjoy the inheritance now, and consequently are fitted to enjoy it for ever.
Having thus shown the connection between these verses, I propose now to close with a few general observations. I like so to expound the Scripture, that we can draw some practical inferences from it. Of course the first inference is this: let us from this night forward never omit God the Father in our praises. I think I have said this already six times over in the sermon. Why I am repeating it so often, is that we may never forget it. Martin Luther said he preached upon justification by faith every day in the week, and then the people would not understand. There are some truths, I believe, that need to be said over and over again, either because our silly hearts will not receive, or our treacherous memories will not hold them. Sing, I beseech you, habitually, the praises of the Father in heaven, as you do the praises of the Son hanging upon the cross. Love as truly God, the ever-living God, as you love Jesus the God-man, the Saviour who once died for you. That is the great inference.
Yet another inference arises. Brothers and sisters, are you conscious to-night that you are not now what you once were? Are you sure that the power of darkness does not now rest upon you, that you love divine knowledge, that you are panting after heavenly joys? Are you sure that you have been “translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son?” Then never be troubled about thoughts of death, because, come death whenever it may, you are meet to be a “partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Let no thought distress you about death’s coming to you at an unseasonable hour. Should it come to-morrow, should it come now, if your faith is fixed on nothing less than Jesu’s blood and righteousness, you shall see the face of God with acceptance. I have that consciousness in my soul, by the witness of the Holy Spirit, of my adoption into the family of God, that I feel that though I should never preach again, but should lay down my body and my charge together, ere I should reach my home, and rest in my bed, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” and more, that I should be a “partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light.” It is not always that one feels that; but I would have you never rest satisfied till you do, till you know your meetness, till you are conscious of it; until, moreover, you are panting to be gone, because you feel that you have powers which never can be satisfied short of heaven—powers which heaven only can employ.
One more reflection lingers behind. There are some of you here that cannot be thought by the utmost charity of judgment, to be “meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.” Ah! if a wicked man should go to heaven without being converted, heaven would be no heaven to him. Heaven is not adapted for sinners; it is not a place for them. If you were to take a Hottentot who has long dwelt at the equator up to where the Esquimaux are dwelling, and tell him that you would show him the aurora, and all the glories of the North Pole, the poor wretch could not appreciate them; he would say, “It is not the element for me; it is not the place where I could rest happy! And if you were to take, on the other hand, some dwarfish dweller in the north, down to the region where trees grow to a stupendous height, and where the spices give their balmy odours to the gale, and bid him live there under the torrid zone, he could enjoy nothing; he would say, “This is not the place for me, because it is not adapted to my nature.” Or if you were to take the vulture, that has never fed on anything but carrion, and put it into the noblest dwelling you could make for it, and feed it with the daintiest meals, it would not be happy because it is not food that is adapted for it. And you, sinner, you are nothing but a carrion vulture; nothing makes you happy but sin; you do not want too much psalm singing, do you? Sunday is a dull day to you; you like to get it over, you do not care about your Bible; you would as soon there should be no Bible at all. You find that going to a meeting-house or a church is very dull work indeed. Oh then you will not be troubled with that in eternity; do not agitate yourself. If you love not God, and die as you are, you shall go to your own company, you shall go to your jolly mates, you shall go to your good fellows; those who have been your mates on earth shall be your mates for ever; but you shall go to the Prince of those good fellows, unless you repent and be converted. Where God is you cannot come. It is not an element suited to you. As well place a bird at the bottom of the sea, or a fish in the air, as place an ungodly sinner in heaven. What is to be done then? You must have a new nature. I pray God to give it to you. Rremember if now you feel your need of a Saviour, that is the beginning of the new nature. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ;” cast yourselves simply on him, trust in nothing but his blood, and then the new nature shall be expanded, and you shall be made meet by the Holy Spirit’s operations to be a “partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light.” There is many a man who has come into this house of prayer, many a man is now present, who has come in here a rollicking fellow, fearing neither God nor devil. Many a man has come from the ale house up to this place. If he had died then, where would his soul have been? But the Lord that very night met him. There are trophies of that grace present here to-night. You can say, “Thanks be to the Father, who hath brought us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” And if God has done that for some, why cannot he do it for others? Why need you despair, O poor sinner? If thou art here to-night, the worst sinner out of hell, remember, the gate of mercy stands wide open, and Jesus bids thee come. Conscious of thy guilt, flee, flee to him. Look to his cross. and thou shalt find pardon in his veins, and life in his death.
THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER
A Sermon
DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1863, BY THE
REV. C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.”—Psalm 65:11.
POSSIBLY objections might have been raised to a day of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest if it had been ordered or suggested by Government. Certain brethren are so exceedingly tender in their consciences upon the point of connexion between Church and State, that they would have thought it almost a reason for not being thankful at all if the Government had recommended them to celebrate a day of public thanksgiving. Although I have no love to the unscriptural union of Church and State, I should on this occasion have hailed an official request for a national recognition of the special goodness of God. However, none of us can feel any objection arising in our minds if it be now agreed that to-day we will praise our ever-bounteous Lord, and as an assembly record our gratitude to the God of the harvest. We are probably the largest assembly of Christian people in the world, and it is well that we should set the example to the smaller Churches. Doubtless many other believers will follow in our track, and so a public thanksgiving will become general throughout the country. I hope to see every congregation in the land raising a special offering unto the Lord, to be devoted either to his Church, to the poor, to missions, or some other holy end. Yes, I would have every Christian offer willingly unto the Lord as a token of his gratitude to the God of providence. I had almost forgotten that to-day we have to ask your contributions for the support of two ministers of our own body, labouring in Germany; it is well that it so happens, because it furnishes an object for the practical expression of the thanks which we feel to Almighty God; while as the sum required for this object will at once be raised, our beloved college will be a worthy object for friends at a distance to assist with their free-will offerings.
Without any preface, we will divide our text as it divides itself. Here we have crowning mercies calling for crowning gratitude; and in the same verse, paths of fatness, which should be to us ways of delight. When we have talked upon these two points, we may meditate for a few moments upon the whole subject, and endeavour, as God shall help us, to see what duties it suggests.
I. First of all, we have here CROWNING MERCIES, SUGGESTING SPECIAL AND CROWING THANKSGIVING.
All the year round, every hour of every day, God is richly blessing us; both when we sleep and when we wake, his mercy waits upon us. The sun may leave off shining, but our God will never cease to cheer his children with his love. Like a river his lovingkindness is always flowing, with a fulness inexhaustible as his own nature, which is its source. Like the atmosphere which always surrounds the earth, and is always ready to support the life of man, the benevolence of God surrounds all his creatures; in it, as in their element they live, and move, and have their being. Yet as the sun on summer days appears to gladden us with beams more warm and bright than at other times, and as rivers are at certain seasons swollen with the rain, and as the atmosphere itself on occasions is fraught with more fresh, more bracing, or more balmy influences than heretofore, so is it with the mercy of God: it hath its golden hours, its days of overflow, when the Lord magnifieth his grace and lifteth high his love before the sons of men.
If we begin with the blessings of the nether springs, we must not forget that for the race of man the joyous days of harvest are a special season of excessive favour. It is the glory of autumn that the ripe gifts of providence are then abundantly bestowed; it is the mellow season of realization, whereas all before was but hope and expectation. Great is the joy of harvest. Happy are the reapers who fill their arms with the liberality of heaven. The Psalmist tells us that the harvest is the crowning of the year. What if I compare the opening spring to the proclamation of a new prince, the latest born of Father Time? With the musical voices of birds, and the joyful lowing of herds, a new era of fertility is ushered in. Every verdant meadow and every leaping brook hears the joyful proclamation and feels a new life within. The little hills rejoice on every side; they shout for joy; they also sing. Throughout the warm months of summer the royal year is robing itself in beauty, and adorning itself in sumptuous array. What with the plates of ivory, yielded by the lilies, the rubies of the rose, the emeralds of the meads, and all manner of fair colours from the many flowers, we may well say, that “Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” No studs of silver or rows of jewels can vie with the ornaments of the year. No garments of needlework of divers colours can match the glorious vesture of Time’s reigning son. But the moment of the coronation, when earth feels most the sway of the year, is in the fulness of autumn. Then when the fields are covered with a cloth of gold, and fruits are glowing with the rich hues of ripeness, and the leaves are burnished with inimitable perfection of tint and shade, then with a coronal of divine goodness, amidst the glad shouts of toiling swains, and the songs of rejoicing maidens, the year is crowned. Upon a throne of golden corn, with the peaceful sickle for his sceptre, sits the crowned year bearing the goodness of the Lord as a coronet upon his placid brow. Or, what if we compare the year to a conqueror, striving at first with stern winter, wrestling hard against all his boisterous attacks, at last joyfully conquering in the fair days of spring; riding in triumph throughout the summer along a pathway strewed with flowers, and at last mounting the throne, amidst the festivities of harvest, while the Lord in lovingkindness puts a diadem of beauty and goodness upon its head?
“Cheerfulness and holy pleasure
Well become our happy isle,
When our God in copious measure
Deigns to bless us with his smile;
Joyful, then, all people come,
Celebrate the harvest home.”
We may forget the harvest, living as we do, so far from rural labours, but those who have to watch the corn as it springs up, and track it through all its numberless dangers, until the blade becomes the full corn in the ear, cannot, surely, forget the wonderful goodness and mercy of God when they see the harvest safely stored. My brethren, if we require any considerations to excite us to gratitude, let us think for a moment of the effect upon our country of a total failure of the crops. Suppose to-day it were reported that as yet the corn was not carried, that the continued showers had made it sprout and grow till there was no hope of its being of any further use, and that it might as well be left in the fields. What dismay would that message carry into every cottage! Who among us could contemplate the future without dismay? All faces would gather blackness. All classes would sorrow, and even the throne itself might fitly be covered with sackcloth at the news. At this day the kingdom of Egypt sits trembling. The rejoicing and abounding land trembles for her sons. The Nile has swollen beyond its proper limit, the waters continue still to rise, and a few more days must see the fields covered with devastating floods. If it be so, alas for that land, in other years so favoured as to have given us the proverb of “Corn in Egypt.” My brethren, should we not rejoice that this is not our case, and that our happy land rejoices in plenty? If the plant had utterly failed, and the seed had rotted under the clods, we should have been quick enough to murmur; how is it that we are so slow to praise? Take a lower view of the matter, suppose even a partial scarcity; at this juncture, when one arm of our industry is paralysed, how serious would have been this calamity! With a staple commodity withdrawn from us, with the daily peril of war at our gates, it would have been a fearful trial to have suffered scarcity of bread. Shall we not bless and praise our covenant God who permits not the appointed weeks of harvest to fail? Sing together all ye to whom bread is the staff of life, and rejoice before him who loadeth you with benefits. We have none of us any adequate idea of the amount of happiness conferred upon a nation by a luxuriant crop. Every man in the land is the richer for it. To the poor man the difference is of the utmost importance. His three shillings are now worth four; there is more bread for the children, or more money for clothes. Millions are benefitted by God’s once opening his liberal hand. When the Hebrews went through the desert, there were but some two or three millions of them, and yet they sang sweetly of him who fed his chosen people; in our own land alone we have ten times the number, have we no hallowed music for the God of the whole earth? Reflect upon the amazing population of our enormous city—consider the immense amount of poverty—think how greatly at one stroke that poverty has been relieved! A generous contribution, equal to that made for the Lancashire distress, would be but as the drop of a bucket to the relief afforded by a fall in the price of bread. Let us not despise the bounty of God because this great boon comes in a natural way. If every morning when we awoke we saw fresh loaves of bread put into our cupboard, or the morning’s meal set out upon the table, we should think it a miracle; but if our God blesses our own exertions and prospers our own toil to the same end, is it not equally as much a ground for praising and blessing his name? I would I had this morning the tongue of the eloquent, or even my own usual strength, to excite you to gratitude, by the spectacle of the multitudes of beings whom God has made happy by the fruit of the field. My sickness to-day, makes my thoughts wander and unfits me for so noble a theme, yet my soul pants to set your hearts on a blaze. O for heaven’s own fire to kindle your hearts. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us exalt the Lord our God, and come into his presence with the voice of joy and thanksgiving.
But how shall we give crowning thanksgiving for this crowning mercy of the year? We can do it, dear friends, by the inward emotions of gratitude. Let our hearts be warmed; let our spirits remember, meditate, and think upon this goodness of the Lord. Meditation upon this mercy may tend to nourish in you the tenderest feelings of affection, and your souls will be knit to the Father of spirits, who pitieth his children. Again, praise him with your lips; let psalms and hymns employ your tongues to-day: and to-morrow, when we meet together at the prayer-meeting, let us turn it rather into a praise-meeting, and let us laud and magnify his name from whose bounty all this goodness flows. But I think, also, we should thank him by our gifts. The Jews of old never tasted the fruit either of the barley or of the wheat-harvest, till they had sanctified it to the Lord by the feast of ingatherings. There was, early in the season, the barley-harvest. One sheaf of this barley was taken and waved before the Lord with special sacrifices, and then afterwards the people feasted. Fifty days afterwards came the wheat-harvest, when two loaves, made of the new flour, were offered before the Lord in sacrifice, together with burnt-offerings, peace-offerings, meat-offerings, drink-offerings, and abundant sacrifices of thanksgivings, to show that the people’s thankfulness was not stinted or mean. No man ate either of the ears, or grain, or corn ground and made into bread, until first of all he had sanctified his substance by the dedication of somewhat unto the Lord. And shall we do less than the Jew? Shall he, for types and shadows, express his gratitude in a solid manner, and shall not we? Did he offer unto the Lord whom he scarce knew, and bow before that Most High God who hid his face amidst the smoke of burning rams and bullocks? and shall not we who see the glory of the Lord in the face of Christ Jesus come unto him and bring to him our offerings? The Old Testament ordinance was, “Ye shall not come before the Lord empty;” and let that be the ordinance of to-day. Let us come into his presence, each man bearing his offering of thanksgiving unto the Lord. But enough concerning this particular harvest. It has been a crowning mercy this year, so that the other version of our text might aptly be applied as a description of 1863, “Thou crownest the year OF thy goodness.”
Furthermore, beloved, we have heard of heavenly harvests, the outflowings of the upper springs, which, in days of yore, awakened the Church of God to loudest praise. There was the harvest of Pentecost. Christ having been sown in the ground like a grain of wheat, sprang up from it, and in his resurrection and ascension was like the waved sheaf before the Lord. Let us never forget that resurrection which crowned the year of God’s redeemed with goodness. It was a terrible year indeed; it began in the howling tempests of Christ’s poverty, and want, and shame, and suffering, and death; it seemed to have no spring and no summer, but yet it was crowned with an abundant harvest when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Fifty days after the resurrection came the Pentecost. The barley-harvest had been passed wherein the wave-sheaf was offered; then came the days of wheat-harvest. Peter, and the eleven that were with him, became the reapers, and three thousand souls fell beneath the gospel sickle; there was great joy in the city of Jerusalem that day—nay, all the saints who heard thereof were glad, and heaven itself, catching the divine enthusiasm, rang with harvest joy. It is recorded that the saints ate their bread with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God. Pentecost was a crowning mercy, and it was remembered by the saints with crowning thanks.
May I not say that we have had the like crowning mercy shown to this our highly-favoured land, in the revivals which a few years ago were so plentiful among us, and which even now hover over our heads. The Spirit of the Lord suddenly fell upon many a city and village: where the gospel had been preached with dull and heavy tones, suddenly the minister began to glow—the cords which bound his tongue were snapped, and, like a seraph full of heavenly fire, he began to tell of the love of Jesus. Souls were moved as the trees of the wood are moved in the wind; spirits long dead in sin’s tremendous sepulchre, woke up at the quickening breath; they stood upon their feet as a great army—they praised the Lord. Other towns and other villages received the like Pentecostal shower, and we had hoped—O that our hopes had been realised—that all England would have been filled with the same divine enthusiasm, and that the effects would have continued among us. To a great extent the revival has departed, and many of our Churches are more stolid and cold than ever; and our denomination—never too zealous, seldom guilty of excessive heat, seems to have now, I think, as little earnest life as it ever had. Back to their old beds of slumber—back again to their old dens of routine—downward again to Laodicean lukewarmness have they stolen. Their goodness was as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it passeth away. O that the Lord would once again crown the year with his goodness, and send us revivals from the right hand of the Most High.
Here it is, O well-beloved flock of my care and love, that I ask your gratitude, mainly and chiefly. My brethren, how the Lord has cheered and comforted our hearts, while he has crowned our years with his goodness. Here these ten years have I, as he has enabled me, preached the gospel among you. We have seen no excitement, no stirrings of an unwarranted fanaticism; no wild-fires have been kindled, and yet see how the multitude have listened to the gospel with unceasing attention; and the surging crowds at yonder doors prove that, as in the days of John the Baptist, so it is now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and every man presseth into it. As for conversions, has not the Lord been pleased to give them to us as constantly as the sun rises in his place? Scarce a sermon without the benediction of the Most High—many of them preached in weakness, which none of you have known but the speaker, preached at times with throbs of heart and pantings of anguish, which have made the preacher go home mourning that he ever preached at all; and yet success has come, and souls have been saved, and the preacher’s heart has been made to sing for joy, for the seed rots not, the furrows are good, the field has been well prepared, and where the seed falls it brings forth a hundredfold, to the praise and honour of the Most High. Brethren, we must not forget this; we might have preached for nought; we might have ploughed the thankless rock and gathered no sheaves. Why then doth he bless us? Is it our worthiness? Ah, no. Is it for ought in the preacher or in the hearers? God forbid that we should think such a thing; it has been the sovereign mercy of God which has prospered his own truth among us, and shall we not for this praise and bless his name?
If we, as a Church, do not continue to be as prayerful and as earnest as we have been, the Lord may justly make us like Shiloh, which he deserted, until it became a desolation where not one stone was left upon another. Nay, I venture to say, if we do not progress in earnestness; if you, my hearers, do not become more than ever devoted to the Lord’s cause; if there be not more and more of an earnest missionary spirit stirred up and nurtured among us, we may expect the Lord to turn away from us, and find another people who shall more worthily repay his favours. Who knoweth but ye may have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. Perhaps the Lord intends, by some of you, to save multitudes of souls, to stir up his Churches, and to awaken the slumbering spirit of religion. Will ye prove unworthy? Will ye say, “I pray thee have me excused.” Will ye not rather, in looking back upon the plentiful harvest of souls reaped in this place, consider that you are in debt to God, and therefore give to him the fullest consecration that believers can offer, because of the crowning mercies which we as a Church receive. “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.”
Beloved, one more remark here. We are looking forward to a time when this world’s year shall be crowned with God’s goodness in the highest and most boundless sense. Centuries are flying, and yet the darkness lingers; time grows old, and yet the idols sit upon their thrones. Christ reigns not yet; his unsuffering kingdom has not come; the sceptres are still in the hands of despots, and slaves still fret in iron bonds. In vain, in vain, O earth, hast thou expected brighter days, for still the thick and heavy night rests o’er thy sons. But the day shall come—and the signs of its coming are increasing in their brightness—the day shall come when the harvest of the world shall be reaped. Christ has not died in vain; he redeemed the world with his blood, and the whole world he will have. From eastern coast to western, Christ must reign; yet will the seed of the woman chase the powers of darkness back to their evil habitations; yet shall he pierce the crooked serpent, and cut leviathan that is in the depths of the sea; yet shall the trumpet ring, and the multitudes represented in him when he rose as the great wave-sheaf, shall rise from the dead from land and sea; and yet, in the day of his appearing, shall the kings of the earth yield up their sovereignty, and all nations shall call him blessed. Tarry awhile, beloved, wait ye yet a little season, and when ye shall hear the shout, “Hallelujah, hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,” then shall ye know that he crowneth the year with his goodness.
II. But we must leave this point, and turn to the next. PATHS OF FATNESS SHOULD BE WAYS OF DUTY. “And thy paths drop fatness.”
When the conqueror journeys through the nations, his paths drop blood; fire and vapour of smoke are in his track, and tears, and groans, and sighs attend him. But where the Lord journeys, his “paths drop fatness.” When the kings of old made a progress through their dominions, they caused a famine wherever they tarried; for the greedy courtiers who swarmed in their camp devoured all things like locusts, and were as greedily ravenous as palmer-worms and caterpillars. But where the great King of kings journeys, he enriches the land; his “paths drop fatness.” By a bold Hebrew metaphor—and the Hebrew poetry certainly seems to be the most sublime in its conceptions—the clouds are represented as the chariots of God—“He maketh the clouds his chariot:” and as the Lord Jehovah rides upon the heavens in the greatness of his strength, and in his excellency on the sky, the rains drop down upon the lands, and so the wheel-tracks of Jehovah are marked by the fatness which makes glad the earth. Happy, happy are the people who worship such a God, whose coming is ever a coming of goodness and of grace to his creatures.
We see, then, dear friends, that in providence, wherever the Lord comes, his “paths drop fatness.” He may sometimes seem to pinch his people and bring them into want, but if there be not a fatness of outward good, there will be a fatness of inward mercy. Even the trials which the Lord scatters like coals of fire in his path, do but burn up the weeds and warm the heart of the soil. Do but trust the Lord, and appeal to him in all your straits and difficulties, and you shall find that when he cometh forth out of his hiding-place for your help, his paths shall drop fatness; your poverty shall be removed, and your dejection of spirit shall be cheered.
Beloved, we believe that our text has a fulness of meaning if it be viewed in a spiritual sense: “His paths drop fatness.” In the use of the means, the sinner will find God’s paths drop with fatness. Art thou hungry and thirsty? Does thy soul faint within thee? Art thou longing to be satisfied with favour? Then, sinner, wait upon the Lord, and hearken diligently unto the message of his gospel; be thou constantly searching the Scriptures, or listening to his truth as it is proclaimed in thine ears. Especially, sinner, remember that the ways of the Lord are to be seen in the person of Christ. Go to those hands which are the trackways of divine justice; go to those feet which are the pathways of infinite love; explore that side where deep affection dwells, and you shall find fatness of mercy dropping there. No sinner ever did come to God and was sent empty away. You may attend the means, I grant you, and yet find no comfort, for means are not always God’s paths; but you cannot come to Christ, you cannot rest in him and be disappointed. Trust in him at all times, and however deep your poverty, it shall have a superabundant supply. “His paths drop fatness.”
You also who are his people, I know that sometimes your souls grow faint. Weary with the wilderness, worn with its cares, torn with its briars, you come up to the house of God, and oh, if you come there to see your Master, and not merely to join in the routine of service; if you come there seeking after him, and panting for him as the hart panteth for the water brooks, you will find that the commonest services—poor though be the minister, and plain the place, and simple the people; though the music may have but little charm for the ear of taste, and the words of the speaker may have none of the trappings of oratory, yet sweet to you shall be the worship of God’s house, and you shall find that “his paths drop fatness.” So, too, in the use of those precious ordinances—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. You that know the truth, and are made free by it, shall find that those paths drop fatness. I believe many of you are lean and starved, because you are not obedient to your Lord’s command in Baptism. You know what he bids you do, but you stand back from it. You comprehend your duty, and perhaps you say you are Baptists in principle, forgetting that this very principle of yours is that which will condemn you unless you carry it out. In keeping that commandment there is a great reward; and many besides the Ethiopian noble of queen Candace’s empire, have gone on their way rejoicing from the baptismal stream. It is peculiarly so at the Lord’s Table. I would not give up the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace for ought that could be devised. To the godless it must ever be a condemnation; but to the saint of God who cometh there, desiring to be fed with the flesh of Christ, it becomes a feast indeed. I do trust, dear friends, that in a very short time we shall celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sabbath-day. I am convinced that a weekly celebration is Scriptural, and I see more and more the need of it. I think it is an ordinance to which we ought not to prescribe our own times and our own seasons, where the Word of God is so very express and so plain. Such was apostolic custom; search for yourselves and see. Indeed, if there were no apostolic precedent, methinks the sweetness of the service and the delightful nature of the ordinance might suggest to Christians that it was well to have it frequently. We cannot be satisfied once a month with communion with Christ, and methinks we hardly ought to be satisfied with the sign itself so seldom. God’s paths drop fatness: happy are they who diligently walk in them.
Beloved, the Lord has other paths besides those of the open means of grace, and these too drop fatness. Especially let me mention to you the path of prayer. No believer ever says, “My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me,” who is much in the closet. Starvling souls generally live at a distance from the mercy-seat. Close access to God in wrestling prayer is sure to make the believer strong—if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much assurance; little alone with God, your religion will be very shallow; you shall have many doubts and fears, and but little of the joy of the Lord. Let us see to it, beloved, that since the soul-enriching path of prayer is open to the very weakest saint; since no high attainments are required; since you are not bidden to come because you are an advanced saint, but freely invited if you be a saint at all, let us see to it, I say, that we be often in the way of private devotion. Be much on your knees, for so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel’s fields.
The like, certainly, I may say of the secret path of communion. Oh! the delights which are to be had by that man who has fellowship with Christ! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy mirth of the soul that leans on Jesus’ bosom. Few Christians understand it, they live in the lowlands and seldom climb to the top of Nebo; they live outside; they come not into the holy place; they take not up the privilege of priesthood. At a distance they see the sacrifice, but they sit not down with the priest to eat thereof, and to enjoy the fat of the burnt offering. Brother, sister, sit thou ever under the shadow of Jesus; come up to that palm-tree, and take hold of the branches thereof; let thy beloved be unto thee as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and thou shalt find a never-failing fruit, which shall ever be sweet unto thy taste.
I must not forget that the path of faith, too, is a path that drops fatness. It is a strange path—few walk in it, even of professors; but they who in temporals and in spirituals have learned to lean on God alone, shall find it a path of fatness. As we spoke the other morning concerning the cedars up there upon that stormy ridge, unwatered by a single river, and yet always green, so shall the Christian be who lives alone upon his God. Wait thou only upon God; let thine expectation be from him. The young lions may lack and suffer hunger, but thou shalt not want any good thing, for the paths of the Lord shall drop fatness to thee.
O my dear hearers, I would to God the Lord would come into the midst of our Churches and congregations by his Spirit, then would his path drop fatness. We have a multitude of complaints at different times of the dulness and lethargy of the Churches; but what we need is more of the presence of the Holy Spirit—more of the holy baptism of his sacred influences. In a very quaint sermon by Matthew Wilkes, I remember he said that ministers were like pens—some of them were common goose-quills, writing very heavily, and often requiring nibbing; others of them, he said—the college men—were like steel-pens, and while they could make good fine up-strokes, they could not make such heavy down-strokes as some of the quills could; but, he said, neither the one pen nor the other could do anything without ink; and therefore, he said, our ministers want more ink. The ink is the Holy Spirit—“written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.” And so, Mr. Wilkes suggested that people, instead of finding fault with the minister, would do well to pray, “Lord, give him more ink—give him more ink!” There was much in that prayer, for we need often to be dipped in that ink, or else we cannot make a mark on your hearts. However experienced we may be in sacred service, you and I cannot serve God effectually, nor see any power resting on our ministry, except as we get more of the Spirit of the living God. I would that the Churches laid to heart more and more the real need of the times. We have been building hosts of chapels lately, and raising thousands of pounds, and because there were revivals, and we hear of them every now and then, we have been thinking that we are in a good state. Now, I venture to say that all our denominations are in a bad state. There is one which I mention with profound respect, whose statistics cause me sincere sorrow. I believe that in that large, wealthy, and most earnest body of Christians, the Wesleyans, the clear increase of all the Wesleyan Chapels in the whole metropolis, including a wide district around London, for the whole of this year, is far from equal to the annual increase of this one Church. If I am not mistaken, the increase throughout the whole of the United Kingdom is about four thousand five hundred, being scarcely two per cent. upon the whole body. If our Baptist denomination could have as good and clear statistics, I exceedingly much question whether we should be found, taking the whole of us together, to be in a much better state. The fact is, denominations, when they are poor and despised, and live upon God, and are all earnest, always increase and have many conversions; but we are getting all of us so respectable, building fine chapels, and looking after schools and all sorts of things, and the Spirit of God is departing from us, we are losing the divine anointing and the blessed unction—we are congratulating ourselves upon an enlightenment which does not exist, and upon an advancement that is all moonshine. Look at the journals for last week, and see with horror a picture of superstition worthy of the dark ages exhibited in a country village, where, to my knowledge, there is both an Independent and Baptist Chapel, and yet the people believe in witchcraft still! Is this, is this the effect of religion? Why, our places of worship do not operate as they should upon the people. They are, in most places, mere clubs where good people spend their Sundays, but the outlying mass is not touched. We have lost the old fire to a great extent, the divine enthusiasm, the Pentecostal furor; that sacred flame of the first apostles, which is so much needed if ever we are to startle a dying world, is almost extinct. And in this place, where God has favoured us with much of his presence, we are getting into very much the same condition. How many of you who once were earnest are now as cold as slabs of ice! Some of you do hardly anything for my Lord and Master. Converted, I trust, you are, but where is your first love? Where is the love of your espousals which made some of you talk of Jesus by day, and dream of him by night? O for a return to God’s paths—O for a revival once again in the midst of the Churches. Ten years ago we could speak honestly that the Churches were almost dead, but I think they are worse now, because they have cherished the idea that they are not so dead as they were. We are as bad as ever, with a name to live, whereas we are dead. O that some trumpet voice could wake our sleeping Churches once again. Can ye live without souls saved? If ye can, I cannot. Can ye live without London being enlightened with the light of God? If ye can so live, I pray my Master let me die. Can ye bear to fight and win no victories? to sow, and reap no harvests? Brethren, if ye are right, ye cannot endure it, but ye must endure it till the Lord comes forth. Let us pray therefore with might and main, with a holy violence which will take no denial, let us pray the Lord to come forth out of his hiding-place, for his “paths drop fatness,” and there is fatness to be found nowhere else besides.
III. And now I close. The whole subject seems to give us one or two suggestions as to matters of duty. “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.” One suggestion is this: some of you in this house are strangers to God, you have been living as his enemies, and you will probably die so. But what a blessing it would be if a part of the crown of this year should be your conversion! “The harvest is past and the summer is ended, and ye are not saved.” But oh, what a joy, if this very day you should turn unto God and live! Remember, the way of salvation was freely proclaimed last Sabbath morning, it runs in this style—“This is the commandment, that ye believe on Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.” Soul, if this day thou trustest in Christ, it shall be thy spiritual birthday, it shall be unto thee the beginning of days; emancipated from thy chains, delivered from the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, thou shalt be the Lord’s free man. What sayest thou? O that the Spirit of God would bring thee this day to turn unto him with full purpose of heart.
Another suggestion. Would not the Lord crown this year with his goodness if he would move some of you to do more for him than you have ever done before? Cannot you think of some new thing that you have forgotten, but which is in the power of your hand? Can you not do it for Christ to-day?—some fresh soul you have never conversed with, some fresh means of usefulness you have never attempted?
And lastly, would not it be well for us if the Lord would crown this year with his goodness by making us begin from this day to be more prayerful? Let our prayer meetings have more at them, and let everyone in his closet pray more for the preacher, pray more for the Church. Let us, everyone of us, give our hearts anew to Christ. What say you to-day, to renew your consecration vow? Let us say to him, “Here, Lord, I give myself away to thee once more. Thou hast bought me with thy blood, accept me over again; from this good hour I will begin a new life for a second time if thy Spirit be with me. Help me, Lord, for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen.