After today’s Topical Teaching I will begin my vacation and will be back Dec.4th with our daily bible studies and Dec.8th for the next Sunday teaching.
We all are celebrating Thanksgiving, but what does it really mean? Today I hope to explain what the Word has to say about that. First, the word Thanksgiving in the Hebrew is To-Daw’, H8426 in the Strongs’. And means Confession, Praise, Thanksgiving. A, give praise to God. B, thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship, hymn of praise. C, thanksgiving choir or procession or line or company. D, thank-offering, sacrifice of thanksgiving. E, confession. With that in mind and heart let’s begin with the Psalms 26 and it reads.
Psa.26:6] I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
I will come to you O LORD.
Psa.26:7] That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
To publish is to make known, with the voice of praise. We are going to keep it in the Psalms for a little while, let’s go to Psa.69 and it reads.
Psa.69:29] But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
Bringing in Jesus Christ right here.
Psa.69:30] I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
[31] This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
Taking away the sacrifices of the Old for the New.
Psa.69:32] The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
For this reason, we praise him publicly, that those that become humble and seek God will live. Now, let’s go to Psalms 95 and read.
Psa.95:1] O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
We bring our praise to the LORD for Jesus Christ, our Rock.
Psa.95:2] Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Singing psalms as a Choir. It makes our Father very happy. Finally, from the Psalms, we go to 147 and it reads.
Psa.147:5] Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
[6] The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
[7] Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
Singing and praise upon the harp, Liturgical song of praise. Now, let’s go to Isaiah and read 51:3-4.
Isa.51:3] For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
As the voice of melody, our praise for the LORD. And a thankfulness for what reason?
Isa.51:4] Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
Have ear to hear? Jesus is that Light, that’s right all the way back to the Old Testament, we find Jesus. We just read about the Rock and now about the Light. For this reason, we give thanks to the LORD. Now in Jonah we find Jonah still in the belly of the fish was promised by the LORD a great promise.
Jonah 2:9] But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
God promised us here in Jonah that he would be the Thanksgiving Sacrifice, that he would give us Salvation through Christ Jesus. Now, we can come to the New Testament, Salvation and the price thereof has been paid. Thanksgiving in the Greek is G2169 and means “To God as an act of worship.” Let’s go to 2Cor.4:14-15 reads.
2Cor.4:14] Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
[15] For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
Redound is “to come back to him”. What he said here was for the Glory of God, his sacrifice of his Son, would bring many of his children back to him. And for this we sing praises unto him, and confession. Now we go to 2Cor.9:10-11 and it reads.
2Cor.9:10] Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
Do you plant seeds? Do you have good fruits?
2Cor.9:11] Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
It is our Works that be our thanksgiving to God. And we are blessed here and now for them, and also given white robes in heaven for them. Let’s go to Revelations and pick it up with chapter 7:9, and it reads.
Rev.7:9] After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
All races are here in heaven standing before the Lamb of God.
Rev.7:10] And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Singing praises unto God like a choir.
Rev.7:11] And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
[12] Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
These are the seven Spirits of God. Thanksgiving is number four. For this Thanksgiving we need to be thankful to God that his plan all along was for our Salvation. He paid the price on the cross for you and me and our children to have Life Everlasting. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we love you and thank you for all our blessings. We ask that you bless and bring unto you all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.