Give Thanks To The Lord

Having the LORD as God would have been much different than having any other god for the people living when this Psalm was written. The gods of the pagan nations around Israel were vengeful and mean. All the peoples around them lived in fear and at times even hatred of their false gods. Some of the false gods were portrayed as uninterested and distant. What a difference it must have made to know the truth about God. That he is the LORD who cares about his creation and provides for it.

Once we identify the true God as the LORD we can begin to connect with the call to worship in this Psalm of thanksgiving, "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." Our thoughts are directed beyond what God has done, or what he has given us to who he is. We give thanks to the LORD because he is God.

Then the focus becomes more direct, "Know that the LORD is God." When we use the word know we may have a number of meanings for it. To know may mean just to have a little knowledge about something. Or when we say we know something it may imply that we know it very well. In the original language this word means to know something very well. In connection with the LORD it means to know about him in our head but also to know and love him in our heart. The Psalm writer tells us knowing God means knowing him as the LORD.

Certainly the times have changed since this Psalm was written. The circumstances in the world have changed. The false gods that surrounded God’s people have changed. But new gods have taken there place. Now the gods of science, materialism, humanism, and all the other "isms" that surround us are just as uncertain as the pagan gods of ancient times. But the same LORD is God. Today this Psalm of thanksgiving calls us to shout, and worship, and know that the LORD is God. That is only place to begin the act of giving thanks.

When we give thanks for something we direct our attention from the gift to the person who gave it. Before we give thanks for all the blessings we enjoy let’s look to the One who is the giver of all good gifts. His Name is the LORD. We give thanks to the LORD because he is God.

The second thought taken up in this Psalm of thanksgiving is the LORD’s relationship to his people. It also leads us to give thanks. "It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." Again we don’t see a list of blessings or a long description of what God give and what he does. The Psalm writer doesn’t see things as important as focusing on God and how he loves his people.

Reflecting on the history of God’s chosen people someone once said, "How odd for God to choose the Jews." They weren’t the strongest, bravest or most noble of nations. In fact, they were actually small and rather insignificant. But God in his mind boggling mercy, and according to his incomprehensible plan called Abraham and made him into a great nation. The fact that the writer of Psalm 100 and his people belonged to God was the main reason for them to give thanks. No other nation was cherished in the same way as Israel was by God.