A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Psalm 100 is entitled “A Psalm of Praise,” or literally “A Psalm of Thanksgiving.” This is the only psalm bearing this precise inscription. The psalm itself shows us how to give thanks to God. The words are all ablaze with grateful adoration, and for this reason this psalm has been a great favorite with the people of God ever since it was written. It also tells why we should be so thankful. It exhorts the entire world to receive the Lord as its sovereign God and to give Him praise continually. It does this through a series of commands we are to follow in our worship.

The first command is straightforward: “Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!” (v. 1). It is a highly charged command for public praise. It speaks of God as the song and His people as the singers. The command goes out to the whole earth. Joyful abandon best describes the mood of this worship. The Hebrew word translated “joyful shout” signifies a glad shout, such as loyal subjects give when their king appears among them.

Two more commands follow: “Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing” (v. 2). He is our Lord and therefore He is to be served; He is our gracious Lord and therefore He is to be served with joy and gladness, that shows itself in our joyous singing.

A fourth command speaks of God as our creator and points out especially that we are His creation. “Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (v. 3). The Lord alone is God. He is the one who made us. Therefore as His unique creation we owe Him our all. The ESV says, “It is He who made us, and we are His.” We belong to God in Christ. He is the owner, His heart clings to man, His unique creation, and man owes himself entirely to Him. We owe our whole being to God. So He is described as the shepherd, while we are His sheep. We are to follow Him.

Two more closely related commands follow: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (v. 4). Here God is seen as the blessed one and we are His blessed ones. We may actually come into the Lord’s presence and bring Him worship that pleases Him. Let the praise be in your heart, as well as on your tongue, and let it all be for Him to whom it all belongs. He has blessed you, especially with the free gift of salvation; bless Him in return. Bless His name, His character, His person. Be thankful for all God has done for you.

The reason for obeying these commands of praise and thanksgiving is given in verse 5: “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” God is love and we are His loved ones. Praise the Lord because He is good, gracious, kind, bountiful, and loving. God is love, therefore praise Him with joy and gladness. The mercy of God is both everlasting and unchangeable. It is the reason we turn to Him in faith and it is the reason we continue steadfast in His love. That truth is also the reason for unceasing praise, both now and throughout eternity. Amen.