What is thanksgiving? Here in America, it’s associated with pumpkin pie, football, and black Friday shopping. Sometimes it also involves taking time to share the good things we’re thankful for. We list friends, family, toys…whatever it might be. Here in this post, I’m going to talk about the Biblical meaning of thanksgiving. As we go through how the word thanksgiving (or the phrase “giving thanks”) is used throughout the Bible, we’ll realize that being thankful is so much more than just something we do around piles of food once a year. Thanksgiving should be an attitude, a way of life. And who we’re thankful to is important as well.
The Biblical Meaning of Thanksgiving
“Thanksgiving (תּוֹדָה, todah; εὐχαριστία, eucharistia). The act of offering thanks or being thankful, usually to God. Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship.”
Definition from the Lexham Bible Dictionary
This definition points out that thanksgiving in the Bible is usually towards God. Who else is more worthy of our thankfulness? No one. We have so much to thank Him for! I’m going to take you through scripture so we can examine more closely what thankfulness looks like in some of the Old Testament books, , the gospels, and the epistles. Once we’ve studied thanksgiving throughout the Bible, we’ll have a better idea of what thanksgiving should look like in our own lives.
Thanksgiving in the Old Testament
The first mention of thanksgiving is in the context of sacrifices and offerings. Leviticus 7:13-15 talks about bringing loaves of bread and meat as an expression of thankfulness to the Lord. So here we see, as the Lexham Bible Dictionary definition pointed out, the thankfulness is towards the Lord.
Thanksgiving comes up again in Nehemiah 12:27. As the Jews dedicated the wall of Jerusalem, they sang songs of thanksgiving and celebrated joyfully. The wall dedication was a big deal. It took place after many years of captivity under the Babylonians. Slowly over time, Jews from the Southern Kingdom of Judah had been returning home. During that period, a man named Ezra returned. He taught the Jews about the Lord and as a result many turned from the sins they had been participating in with neighboring cultures. A little bit later, a man named Nehemiah returned. He helped the Jews rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He also helped them restore their lives in general. So, you can see that after all the trials and captivity the Jews had gone through, having their wall rebuilt was huge. It was a landmark in restoring their way of life in their land and the holy city. It was something big to thank the Lord for.
Isaiah 51 talks about the believing remnant of Israel. These are those who are trusting in God’s promises to build his kingdom in Israel. Isaiah is comforting them saying that “in that day” the land will be filled with joy, gladness, and thanksgiving. So once again, thanksgiving is towards the Lord for his great provision.
Thanksgiving in the Psalms
Now let’s jump to the book of Psalms. Some of the Psalms are called “Psalms of Thanksgiving.” While there are many about thankfulness, I’m only going to focus on a few. The Psalm I most enjoyed looking into for this study on thanksgiving was one written by King David. Compared to many of the other passages, his circumstances were unique.
In Psalm 69, David spends the first half of the Psalm describing the horrible things happening to him. He describes feeling as though he’s drowning. He says his enemies outnumber the hairs on his head. He tells us that he’s in pain and afflicted. But then in verse 30 he says, “I will praise God’s name with song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” Things aren’t going great for David. Like, at all. But he still chooses to praise and thank the Lord. It reminds me of 1 Thessalonian 5:18 where we’re told to give thanks in all circumstances. David did that. He also pointed out towards the end of his Psalm that thanksgiving pleases the Lord more than sacrifices.
Now let’s look at Psalms 95 and 100. Neither of the Psalms say who wrote them, but they’re both great for the topic of thanksgiving. The Lord is called the “Rock of our salvation” in Psalm 95. It goes on to describe His greatness and tender care. Psalm 100 is a “Psalm of Thanksgiving”. The whole Psalm is about acknowledging the Lord’s goodness, love, and faithfulness. What should our response be to God and His character? Thanksgiving, joy, and praise.
Thanksgiving in the Gospels
Jesus is the son of God and He’s one with God since He’s part of the trinity. While we can learn some from David, we’re not called to be like him. We’re called to be like Jesus. As believers, we are being conformed to the image of Christ (see Romans 8:29). When looking for an example of how to live in scripture, Christ is the only perfect example. And Christ gave thanks too! When He fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish, He gave thanks to God for the food. At the last supper, He knew He was about to be crucified. He gave thanks to God for the cup of wine and the bread before he passed it out to the disciples. Jesus paused and thanked God even though He knew the suffering He was about to go through for us.
Thanksgiving in Paul’s Epistles
Giving thanks comes up again and again in the epistles as well. Paul often gives thanks for the believers he’s writing to. He also made sure those people knew he was thankful for them.
Paul talks negatively in Romans 1:21 of those who aren’t giving thanks to God or glorifying Him. When we’re not thankful to God we can become prideful, thinking we created whatever good in our own lives. Pride is a sin issue. It doesn’t glorify the Lord at all.
When writing to the early churches, Paul deals with issues of food laws and speaking in tongues. There was great debate among believers over these things. His response to both involved thanksgiving. Paul said it isn’t what we eat that’s important. What’s important is whether we thank God for it or not (Romans 14:6). When the issue of speaking in tongues came up in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul argued that speaking in tongues wasn’t helpful because others couldn’t understand what they were saying. It’s better for other to be able to hear you giving God thanks (1 Corinthians 14:17) There’s something special about hearing others thank God for things. It helps cultivate a heart of thankfulness in us.
When exactly are we to give thanks? We’re instructed to give thanks whatever we do (Colossians 3:12) and in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). If you can’t think of what to thank God for, think of the grace (1 Corinthians 1:4) and inheritance (Colossians 1:12) He’s given you. Those were both things Paul was thankful for and reminded others to be thankful for as well.
Biblical Thanksgiving in Our Lives
In light of these Bible passages about thanksgiving, what should it look like in our lives? Thanking each other for things or listing things we’re thankful for is important, but I think more of our thanks should be directed specifically toward God. Ultimately, every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17). Aside from being thankful for our daily physical needs being provided for, there are so many spiritual blessings we can be thankful for- salvation, God’s character, the grace we’ve been given, the inheritance we receive as God’s children…the list goes on and on! It’s easy to pray when we need things, but what if we spent more of our time thanking God for what He’s already given us? Looking back on all the Lord has given me helps me not be as anxious. When I see how He’s carried me through trials I remember that whatever trial I’m currently in isn’t too big for Him. And just like in David’s life, we can be thankful even when life isn’t going well for us. Thankfulness guards us against discontentment and fear. It helps us appreciate the hard moments. We can even thank God for the trials and how He’s helping us grow in our reliance on Him through them.
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