David appointed Asaph and his brothers to sing a special thanksgiving song on the day they brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Tabernacle in the City of David where it belonged. What was David thankful about, and how did he express his thanks on that glorious day?
David first gave thanks for God’s holiness, strength, and presence. He was thankful that God had chosen Israel to be His special people.
8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
1 Chronicles 16.8-13
make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He was thankful for God’s faithfulness to His word and that He had given Israel the land of promise.
14 He is the Lord our God;
1 Chronicles 16.14-22
his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,
as your portion for an inheritance.”
He thanked God for protecting His people from their enemies.
19 When you were few in number,
of little account, and sojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!”
He thanked God for saving His people and glorifying Himself among the nations. He thanked God that He is far above all other gods.
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
1 Chronicles 16.23-27
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.
David then called all nations to glorify God because He reigns! He is good and full of grace.
28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
1 Chronicles 16.28-34
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
30 tremble before him, all the earth;
yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
On Thanksgiving Day, what do we give thanks for? We speak of family, friends, and food. We thank God or our stuff, our house, our car, our computer, our video games, our refrigerator, our pets.
And we should.
But how often do we make the day about praising God for who He is? What do you think about spending some time this Thursday ascribing glory and honor to the King of kings and Lord of lords because He reigns and His mercy endures forever? Thank God for who He is: the always-and-everywhere-present, the almighty, the all-knowing One. Thanksgiving Day will be sweet when we gush out our praise.
At the end, David finished with this:
35 Say also:
“Save us, O God of our salvation,
and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!”Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
1 Chronicles 16.35-36