11-20-05-Psalm of Thanksgiving-Part 2
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV) A psalm. For giving thanks.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5 For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:4-5 (NASB) A Psalm for †Thanksgiving.
4 Enter His gates awith 1thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bbless His name. 5 For athe Lord is good; bHis lovingkindness is everlasting And His cfaithfulness to all generations.
Last week we began looking at Psalm 100 the only psalm, out of all 150 psalms, that is called “A Psalm for Thanksgiving.” We talked about needing to develop an Attitude of Gratitude in our lives! We said that GRATITUDE (is the) natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love. . . . 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.
We also looked at how the Jews showed their gratitude to God for everything that happened in their lives—both good and bad.
Then we looked at the structure of Psalm 100. We saw that there is a call to praise God (v. 1-2; 4), then it is followed by the reason for this praise (v. 3, 5). This pattern is repeated twice. The first call to praise God is based on His being our Creator. The second call to worship and is based on His Character. Seven elements of worship are suggested:
1. Shout joyfully (v. 1).
2. Serve the Lord with gladness (v. 2a).
3. Come before Him with joyful singing (v. 2b).
4. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving (v. 4a).
5. Enter His courts with praise (v. 4b).
6. Be thankful to Him (v. 4c).
7. Bless His name (v. 4d).
A call to praise God as our Creator (vs. 1-2):
The first three elements of worship: Shout joyfully (v. 1), Serve the Lord with gladness (v. 2a), and Come before Him with joyful singing (v. 2b) we said were for doing outside the church.
We saw that we should shout joyfully, serve the Lord with gladness, and sing joyfully to God because of who He is. Our Lord/God (v. 3a), Creator (v. 3b). Owner (v. 3c). Shepherd (v. 3d).
A call to worship God because of His character (v.4)
In v. 4 we are told to Enter into His gates with thanksgiving (v. 4a). Once again (as in v. 2) we are invited to come into God’s presence. As we look at vs. 4, I want you to think about going to a friend or family member’s house. When we knock on the door and they open it, once they recognize who we are they tell us to “come on in.” We are greeted with a welcome, a smile, and an invitation to enter into their house. God wants us to come into His house feeling welcome and glad to be there. What a privilege to enter into the house of the Lord!
Now this is more than just entering into the building, we call the church. This is an invitation to join the family of God, no matter where they meet. If you go to a family get-together at Thanksgiving time and it is held in a pool hall, (because that is the only place big enough to handle your large family) there is no question that you still belong as a part of the family. It does not matter where you meet, but it is the fact that you are meeting and the relationships you have with each other that is important. Wherever God’s people gather, we are invited to enter into the house of God with them and our God.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving (v. 4a). We are to come to God with gratitude in our hearts. The word for thanksgiving is “towdah” and it means “praise, confession, and thanksgiving.” This is why each week we lift up our praises to God by confessing what He has done that week in our lives. Telling of His marvelous works is a thanksgiving or a thank-offering (offering of thanks). By constantly confessing God’s goodness, we are praising Him and developing an attitude of gratitude.
8426 תֹּודָה [towdah /to·daw/] n f. From 3034; TWOT 847b; GK 9343; 32 occurrences; AV translates as “thanksgiving” 18 times, “praise” six times, “thanks” three times, “thank offerings” three times, and “confession” twice. 1 confession, praise, thanksgiving. 1a give praise to God. 1b thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship, hymn of praise. 1c thanksgiving choir or procession or line or company. 1d thank-offering, sacrifice of thanksgiving. 1e confession.[i]
Heb 13:15-16 (NIV). Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.
The fifth element of worship is to Enter His courts with praise (v. 4b). Now, we are moving from the door (gates) into the living room. We are being invited to sit and relax. We may be offered some coffee or tea to drink, cookies or some other refreshment. Our host is trying to make us feel welcome as a part of the family and not like a guest. This is where we are allowed to share what is going on in our lives in more details. We may tell stories or relate events from the day, but they are on a much more intimate level. We may laugh together, cry together, or pray together, but we are telling of the good things that are happening in our lives because we are serving God. This is why we praise God in our small groups—we are a member of the family of God. Let me add, that if you are not a part of a small group, you are missing out on a vital element of worship in your life.
The sixth element of worship is to Be thankful to Him (v. 4c). This may seem repetitious, but think of what it would be like to be invited into a friend’s house and not show appreciation for it. You have entered into the doors, sat down on the couch, your host has graciously served you coffee and refreshments, listened to you, prayed with you, and you never once said thank you for all he has done. I doubt there would be a very strong friendship and you probably would not be invited back.
Oh how we take for granted the privilege God has given us to come into His presence. He invites us in, asks us to sit and share our lives with Him, then we just get up and walk away. Not saying thank you for spending time with us, or even acknowledging His presence. We rush in and rush out of His holy presence and don’t think anything about it. We run off to do whatever it is that is pressing and forget all about the fact that the God of the universe took time to fellowship with us. Instead of thanking Him, we reject Him. It is so important that we “Give thanks to Him” (NASB) for simply allowing us to be in His presence.
The last element of worship is to Bless His name (v. 4d). The word for bless is “barak” and it means to “kneel, salute.” It is a word that speaks of showing honor and respect. To bless a home is to speak peace and grace upon it and all who live there. To bless the name of the one who lives there is to show honor and respect to the owners.
1288 בָּרַךְ, בָּרַךְ [barak /baw·rak/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 285; GK 1384 and 1385; 330 occurrences; AV translates as “bless” 302 times, “salute” five times, “curse” four times, “blaspheme” twice, “blessing” twice, “praised” twice, “kneel down” twice, “congratulate” once, “kneel” once, “make to kneel” once, and translated miscellaneously eight times. 1 to bless, kneel. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to kneel. 1a2 to bless. 1b (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself. 1c (Piel) to bless. 1d (Pual) to be blessed, be adored. 1e (Hiphil) to cause to kneel. 1f (Hithpael) to bless oneself. 2 (TWOT) to praise, salute, curse.[ii]
When we bow or kneel down, we are showing honor and respect to our King! We are acknowledging that He is worthy of the praise. He is greater than we are. When I was in the U.S. Air Force we were taught that the salute was a way to show respect and honor to a superior officer. You did not do it flippantly or disrespectfully! We salute God as our Commander in Chief, Almighty God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We declare that His name is higher than the name of any other god, satan, or human being.
Phil 2:9-11 (NIV) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The reasons to praise God (v. 5):
The psalm tells us not only how, but why we should praise God. There are 3 reasons: His goodness, His mercy, and His faithfulness.
1. His goodness—God is good no matter what is going on in our lives. Let me teach you a Hebrew word today—“Tov”—the word for good; it means to the benefit, well being, prosperity, highest best, or blessing—this is the expression that describes God
Psa 119:68a (NIV) You are good, and what you do is good;
(NLT) You are good (tov) and do only good (tov).
In fact in Genesis when God created everything, He said it was “tov.” In Gen 1:31 He said it was very good or “tov m’aod.”
Psa 25:8 (NIV) Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways.
Psalm 34:8 (NIV) Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 145:9 (NIV) The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.
Luke 18:19 (NIV) “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”
Romans 2:4 tells us that it is the “goodness of God” that leads men to repentance, not His judgment.
James 1:17 (NIV) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
God desires the good (tov)—absolute best, highest benefit or blessing—for each of us as His children. He never wants to see us have anything other than the best in our lives. His goodness is reason enough for us to praise Him!
2. His mercy—Not only is God good, but He is also merciful.
JUSTICE is getting what you deserve.
MERCY is NOT getting what you deserve.
GRACE is getting what you can never deserve.
God’s mercy is usually tied to His grace. When He revealed His name to Moses, He said He was gracious and merciful.
Ex 34:6 (NIV) “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate (merciful) and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
(NLT) “I am the Lord, I am the Lord, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness.”
Psa 103:8 (NIV) The Lord is compassionate (merciful) and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Notice that the word for mercy is also the same as compassionate. A compassionate God cares about what we are going through and wants to help us go through it. He is not a distant God who does not care about us. It is often repeated in the Psalms that, His mercy endures for ever (Psa. 118:1–4, 29; 136:1–26), in fact Psalm 136 uses this phrase in every other verse.
We can never praise God enough for His mercy—not giving us the punishment that we deserve—eternal death and separation from Him in hell. It was His act of grace and mercy that sent Jesus to die for us so we could live with Him forever! Praise God!!!
3. His faithfulness— Notice in the verse above when God revealed His name to Moses (Ex 34:6), that His faithfulness is also a part of that name. Faithfulness means reliability, stability, steadfastness, firmness, trustworthiness. Because God is faithful, He always does what He says He will do. We can trust His Word to be true and reliable. He never changes, so He is just as reliable today as He was last year, or when we first accepted Him as our God, or when He spoke in the days of the Old Testament. Jehovah is no fickle God, promising and then not performing. He is faithful generation after generation. He is God, He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. At the end of the age, when Jesus comes back riding on a white horse He is called “Faithful and True,” (Rev 19:11) and God’s words are said to be “faithful and true.” (Rev 21:5, 22:6). That is the God who we serve—a faithful and true God! Hallelujah!!
In Psalm 100 we have been given 7 ways to worship God: Shout joyfully (v. 1), Serve the Lord with gladness (v. 2a), Come before Him with joyful singing (v. 2b), Enter into His gates with thanksgiving (v. 4a), Enter His courts with praise (v. 4b), Be thankful to Him (v. 4c), and Bless His name (v. 4d). Then we have been given more than enough reasons for praising Him because He is our Creator and because of His goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. Now it is up to us to praise God everyday of our life. To give Him a Thanksgiving for who He is and for what He has done in our lives.
Knowing that the Lord is good is a sure foundation for our praise. We are secure in His faithfulness and saving grace. We are convinced of His desire to bless us and His compassion to help us. We belong to him. Let’s have an attitude of gratitude as we go about our daily lives and declare to the world how great our God really is!
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a Ps 95:1; 98:4, 6
† Or thank offering
a Ps 95:2; 116:17
1 Or a thank offering
b Ps 96:2
a 1 Chr 16:34; 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; Ezra 3:11; Ps 25:8; 86:5; 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; Jer 33:11; Nah 1:7
b Ps 136:1
c Ps 119:90
n n: noun
f f: feminine
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger
AV Authorized Version
[i]Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H8426). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.
v v: verb
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger
AV Authorized Version
[ii]Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H1288). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.