A Thankful Heart [21mb]

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This is a sermon based on Psalm 136. It was preached on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving Day 2011 in a worship service that also included the Eucharist.

Written Excerpts:

Psalm 136:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Introduction:    Some have stated that ingratitude is the most prevalent sin of America. I’m not sure if that is true or if it even can be proven, but I am certain that it is one of the most prevalent sins in our nation.

Someone has illustrated the problem like this: Suppose a man comes up to my door one day and just hands me a $100 bill and says, “This is a gift for you. Have a good day.”

I might be shocked, suspicious, intrigued or experience any number of other emotions, but I would be very grateful. Suppose he does it every week for about 2 or 3 months. Then at the beginning of the next month on the same day that he has customarily stopped at my door, suppose he walks on by my door and stops at the next house and gives my neighbor a $100 bill. If I reacted like most people in our world, I would get angry and resentful because he passed me up and went to my neighbor. I might even open the door and yell to him, “Hey, where’s MY $100?

Most of us are far too quick to focus on the benefits we don’t have rather than to focus on the benefits and blessings we have been given in great abundance.

We certainly need to express our gratitude to God all year round, but especially at this time of the year when we in America have been granted a special holiday tradition for the purpose of giving thanks to our Creator and our God.

Transition:    In our Scripture lesson for today in Psalm 136 the author starts out with the exhortation to give thanks to the Lord.

This Hebrew poem seems to be written for liturgical use or public worship in the temple. The first line of each verse could have been sung as a solo or by a chorus, with the response possibly sung by the whole congregation of worshipers.

In this unusual song of thanksgiving, we are given numerous subjects for which to thank God. These subjects directly relate to the history of the people of Israel, but they have spiritual application for us even today.

Let us briefly explore the various reasons for which we are to give thanks to the Lord.

I.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His character. (v 1)

A.  He is good.

The psalmist declares the goodness of God as an established fact. We have discussed this attribute in earlier sermons, but this is a reminder that God is inherently good and He is the standard for goodness.

We often declare the goodness of God when we have received some special blessing that pleases us very much. However, the way we often express it gives the impression that God wouldn’t have been so good if that blessing had not been given. We must remember and declare that God is good all the time.

B. He is faithful.

In addition to this first description of God’s character (goodness), the response line that is used repeatedly throughout the psalm proclaims, “His mercy endureth for ever.”

Hebrew scholars tell us that the word “mercy” in these verses does not have a one-word equivalent in English or any other language. It conveys the compound idea of covenant faithfulness or steadfast, committed love or kindness. (Leupold)

The author of this psalm is emphasizing that the underlying nature of God that impacts all of His divine activity is His kindness and love that is rooted in His covenant-keeping faithfulness. The God of the Bible obligates Himself by covenants with Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob and He steadfastly demonstrates kindness because of His unfailing love and commitment to His people. What a stark contrast from the gods of other religions.

His covenant faithfulness is eternal, never-ending.

II.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His supremacy. (vv 2-3, 26)

A. He is God of gods and Lord of lords.

The psalmist is not teaching us that there actually are many other gods in the world over which Jehovah is supreme. But the point is that God is supreme and sovereign over everything, even those deities supposed to exist by heathens.

Some believe that the emphasis here stresses God’s sovereignty over all the priests and spiritual rulers of the pagans, as well as kings and magistrates of the world. (A. Clarke)

B. He is the God of heaven.

The heavens represent the wide expanse of God’s created universe and even there God is supreme and sovereign.

I thank God for His sovereignty and supremacy over every part of this world and this universe.

III.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His creative activity. (vv 4-9)

God’s creative activity is described generally (v.4) – “great wonders,” and specifically (5-9) – “the heavens,” “earth,” “waters,” and “great lights” (sun, moon & stars).

Time and again we have talked about the wonderful display of God’s power and His amazing design and creativity that is observable in our world of nature. All of these creative works of God are cause for thanksgiving.

It is an interesting thought that God’s creation is not only a reason to give Him praise and adoration (as indicated in Psalm 8 for example), but it is also a reason to offer thanks. I’m sure I do not fully comprehend the psalmist’s point here, but in some respect we need to thank God that His creation is so marvelous and awesome. Perhaps he is just emphasizing that the One to whom we give thanks is not only the Supreme Sovereign, but He is the Supreme Creator.

IV.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His deliverance. (vv 10-15, 24)

There are two kinds of deliverance referred to in this thanksgiving poem.

One is more specific in its detail and refers to the deliverance from the bondage in Egypt. (vv. 10-15)  The other (v. 24) is more general and seems to refer to deliverance from all enemies of Israel – and by application, all of God’s people.

The enemies referred to here were actual physical enemies of the people of God. But we can also apply this spiritually to every kind of enemy that would hinder or destroy our faith and love for God.

I thank God for every time He has delivered me from some enemy that was intent on my destruction.

V.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His providential care. (vv 16-25)

These verses describe God’s protection through the wilderness journeys of the Israelites as well as providing the land of Canaan for them to live in permanently. God destroyed the wicked kings and nations in the Promised Land so that His covenant people could inherit the land He had promised centuries earlier to their forefathers.

In addition to the protection and provision of land, God has also provided food for all flesh, man and beast. Although the reference here does seem to be quite general – “for all flesh,” yet with the contextual reference to wilderness wanderings, it may have specific reference to the manna and quail provided for them in the travels from Egypt to Canaan.

Conclusion:    Today we are observing communion which is always a celebration of thanksgiving for the salvation provided through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Let us now turn our attention to this blessed opportunity to remember our Lord’s sacrifice and suffering for us.