Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV)
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34 (KJV)
Theme: Thanksgiving
The context for this verse is wonderful. The people of Israel had just returned the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, and they were celebrating. They were so excited — and so thankful — that they couldn’t help but sing praises to God. 1 Chronicles 16:34 is part of their song.
When I read through this passage, there’s one aspect, in particular, that really stands out to me. King David, as Israel’s leader, made it a national priority to honor God and thank Him for His goodness. David thought honoring God was so important that he appointed a team and made it their sole job to sing praises to the Lord. Here’s what he ordered that team to do:
Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
– 1 Chronicles 16:8
Wow. Can you imagine how different our country would be if we had similar priorities?
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, part of my prayer for our nation is that we’ll reflect on David’s example and make it a priority to honor our Lord. Our God is so good. His love for us, and the mercy He shows us, is never ending. We should say “thank you.”
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Another excellent post! And just to carry the historical aspect with regard to our nation one step further, the resolution adopted by Congress actually urged President Washington to declare “a national day of thanksgiving and prayer” (emphasis supplied), but in today’s times we seem to forget that second part.
In fact, the very first line of President Washington’s proclamation establishing our nation’s first Thanksgiving states “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor…” The full text of the proclamation is available at:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091
Our Founding Fathers recognized and gave thanks to God above all first and foremost, and we would be well-served to do the same!