A brief word study on giving thanks

There are about 150 references to giving “thanks” in the Bible, and I’ve been reading through them as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.

Perhaps the most important truth about giving thanks that became apparent to me is that our primary reason for giving thanks is God’s grace to us. Paul’s epistles burst into praise constantly, about 35 times, and the first chapter of Ephesians is a prime example.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Giving thanks is a major theme from beginning to end of the Bible, and can be seen in the sequence of sacrifices and offerings in Leviticus. Commentators point out that offerings of thanksgiving tend to come at the end of the pattern, and are a culmination of worship. Burnt offerings and tribute offerings have to do with God’s transcendence and atonement for sins, which leads appropriately to the peace or thank offerings, where the worshiper praises God for His grace and goodness. As the covenant relationship with God is remembered and renewed, the worshiper is lead into thanksgiving. Liturgical services are consciously structured along this trajectory, but the pattern is so natural that it can often be observed in church services that aren’t deliberately planned that way.

There are many memorable examples of giving thanks in the Old Testament. In 1 Chronicles, David’s song after the defeat of the Philistines and the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem is recorded. It leads the nation in worship and calls the people to thanksgiving. It is often given the heading “David’s song of thanks.” It is in this tradition that our pilgrim forefathers and presidents have observed holidays and issued proclamations of thanksgiving. It’s a great passage to meditate on this Thanksgiving season. Here is the beginning:

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him; sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles and the judgments He uttered.

Of course many of the Psalms are by David as well, and they are overflowing with thanksgiving. There are about 50 references to giving thanks in the Psalms alone. We would do well to compare our contemporary worship songs with the Psalms, looking for a similar emphasis on thanksgiving to God for his grace in our lives.

On a more somber note, the neglect of giving thanks is a serious offense in the Bible. The Israelites neglected thanksgiving, became grumblers, and suffered for it. An important part of giving thanks is simply remembering the truth about God. We are fallen, finite, frail-minded people who can easily forget. We need to hear the truths about God and be thankful to Him by practicing the disiplines of prayer and Bible reading daily, and in corporate worship every Lord’s day. The first chapter of Romans explains that neglecting to give thanks to God is the beginning of the slide into spiritual darkness.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen.

Neglecting thanksgivng is a constant struggle, and Paul exhorts us to give thanks in all circumstances, even when we are suffering, and would naturally be tempted to complain. He was no stranger to suffering himself. Writing from prison to the Philippians, he begins his letter by giving thanks that his suffering is advancing the gospel, and then exhorts the Philippians to rejoice throughout the letter. To the Thessalonians he writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In Romans 5 he writes, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” This passage is very similar to James’s opening to his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

If Christ himself sets the most important theological precedents for us, look no further than the celebration of Passover, where he establishes the Lord’s supper and initiates it by giving thanks. (Matthew 26:27 and Mark 14:23).

There is even a sense in which the entire Bible culminates on a note of thanksgiving, as John describes the marriage supper of the Lamb and the new heavens and earth in Revelation. The book is often said to be properly titled “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” and it gives us many glimpses into heavenly worship. We see multitudes being lead in giving thanks to God (7:9-12).

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Consider the glorious future we have to look forward to (verses 15-17).

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in his temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

These are just some of the passages on giving thanks that would be great to read and meditate on as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this month.