“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23
I know...Thanksgiving is over. I should be focused on angels and shepherds and a manger. Instead, I have Thanksgiving on the brain. Blame it on the tryptophan, or still lingering Thanksgiving décor. But the actual culprit is the Psalm of Asaph, Psalm 50, part of my devotional reading today as I am making my way through the Psalms.
As an aside, can I just say how consistently the power of God’s Word amazes me? You would think, after all these years, that it wouldn’t surprise me anymore, it would be old hat. But it’s not. For day by day I am amazed at just how profound is the truth of the Word of God. And today is yet another example of that reality.
Surprisingly, Psalm 50 is not an oft-quoted psalm. It does not contain any of the pithy statements that we find repeated in songs of praise, like Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.” That is a meaty charge. But there is nothing like that in Psalm 50.
What we do find in Psalm 50 is a proclamation of the greatness of God. The Psalm begins, “The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets…. Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages” (Psalm 50:1&3). Next, beginning in verse 7, we find a word of rebuke. Why a rebuke? Actually, God begins by clarifying why he is not rebuking his people, “I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me” (Psalm 50:8). In other words, God’s people are fulfilling their obligations. They are doing what is required of them. So, why the rebuke? What is lacking?
The answer is revealed in the exhortation that follows, “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:14-15). Thank offerings, or fellowship offerings (Leviticus 7:11-14), were not obligatory. Unlike the sin offering at the annual day of atonement or during other feasts, the thank offering was a completely voluntary act:
The peace offering (שֶׁ֫לֶם, shelem), or fellowship offering, celebrated the opportunity to be in fellowship with God. The peace offering was a voluntary offering; worshipers could offer it at will. It was also offered upon completion of a vow. (The Lexham Bible Dictionary)
And so, when the psalmist challenges us to sacrifice thank offerings, it is a challenge to spontaneous acknowledgement of the goodness of God. It is an act of gratitude. Sometimes such gratitude took the form of a vow to God, a promise to do something, or refrain from doing something, as an act of devotion and gratitude to God.
It makes me think of doing the dishes. Debbie, my beloved, does the lion’s share of dishes at our house. But the kids are asked, at various times, to pitch in. However, there are times when we will hear the dishes being done without being asked. It is simply a spontaneous act of service. This is Debbie’s love language. When one of our children chooses to serve, spontaneously, it is received as an act of devotion and gratitude.
I cannot help but feel that this is why God so appreciates, in Psalm 50, thank offerings. Sure, he desires the regular sacrifices. But he especially enjoys that which we give him in a voluntary manner—Sunday morning worship not as a mere recitation of words, but a heart-felt expression of love; acts of service in the body done not out of duty, but enthusiastically and with intentionality; generous giving motivated not by a sense of ought or for recognition, but simply out of gratitude for all that God has given us. (“God loves a cheerful giver” 2 Corinthians 9:7.)
Certainly, Thanksgiving provides a great opportunity to be reminded of the importance of giving thanks. But so does the advent season, as we celebrate Christ’s coming to earth, and the New Year, as we contemplate God’s faithfulness, and Easter, as we celebrate the greatest act of love this world has ever seen. The truth is, every season is a good season for giving thanks, not only because it touches the Father’s heart, but because it results in even more divine blessings. As the psalm concludes, “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23).
May we be a grateful people offering spontaneous acts of thanksgiving to our great God not just during the holidays but all year long!
In Christ, Pastor Dan