Thanksgiving

A HEBREW SAGE MIGHT SAY. . .
Time is GOD'S way of preventing everything from happening all at once.

BEING THANKFUL
"Enter HIS gates with praise and thanksgiving, HIS courts with acclamation. Praise Him! Be thankful to HIM! Bless HIS Name!" [Psalms (Tehillym) 100. 4 Tanakh, Kethuvim]

The majority of occurrences of the word thankful or thanks in the OLD COVENANT are translated from the Hebrew word "yadah" which means to "hold out the hand, to extend an empty hand, revere or worship with extended hands."

A truly thankful person is one who has come to grips with certain realities about his need before CREATOR GOD. The ALMIGHTY ONE commands us to be thankful. It was a duty given to the Levitical priests "to be present every morning to praise and extol the LORD, and at evening too." [1 Chronicles (Dibre Hayamin Alef) 23. 30 Tanakh, Kethuvim] When the HOLY ONE, blessed be HE, brought the Israelites back to Jerusalem in the times of Nehemiah "he began with thanksgiving, with prayer and praise" [Nehemiah (Nechemah) 11. 17 Tanakh, Kethuvim] and the Levites "led the thanksgiving psalms and songs." [Nehemiah (Nechemah) 12. 8 Tanakh, Kethuvim]

The Hebrew word used by the OLD COVENANT writers is a picture of one holding out an empty, thankful hand to the ETERNAL ONE. There is nothing we can bring to GOD that causes HIM to bless us. Our empty hands picture our inadequacy to accomplish the will of the EVERLASTING FATHER (in our own strength), or to provide for our own needs or the needs of others.

The prophet Jonah "prayed to the LORD his GOD from the belly of the fish" [Jonah (Yonah) 2. 1 Tanakh, Nevi'im] and even in this loathsome dilemma proclaimed, "but I, with loud THANKSGIVING, will sacrifice to YOU; what I have vowed I will perform. Salvation is of the LORD." [Jonah (Yonah) 2. 9 Tanakh, Nevi'im]

Nebuchadnezzar had to learn this lesson. Although he had been warned to repent of his arrogant, boastful, self-importance he still uttered, "There is great Babylon, which I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence for the glory of my majesty!" [Daniel (Danyel) 4. 30 Tanakh, Kethuvim] This great king was driven out by OMNIPOTENT GOD and caused to eat grass "like the cattle and beasts of the field" - and when his senses returned, Nebuchadnezzar realized that even a mighty king's hands are empty unless the MIGHTY KING of kings fills them.

In our generation people deny their dependency upon their HEAVENLY CREATOR. "Because that, when they knew GOD, they glorified HIM not as GOD, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened." [Romans 1. 21] Our witness to this darkened world is to live with the reality of our own empty hands extended in thankfulness to "The ONE" Who supplies all our needs. "O LORD, YOU open YOUR hand, they (and we) are well satisfied." [Psalms (Tehillym) 104. 28 Tanakh, Kethuvim]




Sha'alu (Pray) for the Shalom (Peace) of Jerusalem and all of Israel !
Happy Thanksgiving dear ones! We give thanks the whole year through as we remember and praise our Almighty Creator & SAVIOUR, HE is the most splendid GIFT we have all been given. Faith celebrates even before the victory is seen!

Please note Dr Denis says... has been spammed so that I will be off line for the next 2 weeks... Sorry to my readers