Reflections on the Word: Offering thanks for deliverance of faithful

1 Chronicles 16:8-10 “Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!"

King David wrote that when he was finally able to return the ark of the Covenant to God’s tabernacle. David would go on to repeat those same words in several of his Psalms because they are so important.

First David tells the believer to give thanks to the LORD. Having just celebrated Thanksgiving Day, here we are reminded to give thanks to: “The LORD”. Whenever you see the title, LORD in all capital letters it’s the name of YAHWH, or Yehovah. It means; the self-existent eternal God. Actually, we don’t know how to pronounce God’s name because his name was considered so holy among the Jewish scribes, they only wrote out the consonants and left out the vowels. Be that as it may, our text tells us that thanksgiving goes to the LORD as we call upon his name. If you’re a follower of Jesus he is your LORD and you give thanks as you call upon the name of Jesus, that’s above every other name.

When King David wanted to celebrate the Ark coming home, he said; “Make known His deeds among the people.” For Israel, they would be reminded of God’s deliverance and provision. He delivered them from the bondage of Egypt and provided a new land for them. For the Christian, we too think of God’s deliverance and provision. If you’re a Jesus follower you have been delivered from the bondage of sin, and he’s provided for you a new land, the land of heaven.

John 3:16 says; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Through Christ, God has provided eternal life in the new land of heaven.

Our text ends with a call to worship in singing and to tell of God’s wondrous works! In those words, David gives us what worship is all about. Singing and praising God for his wonderful works. God is worthy of our praise so in worship we lift him up, as the one who delivered and provided for us.

Finally, King David tells the believer to Glory and rejoice in the holy name of the Lord. The bible tells us that, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” There is a joy in knowing God. You were created in his image and created to be in relationship with him, but sin separated us from God, so God did something about our sin. Romans 5:8 tells us what God did; “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That is the great love of God, when we were undeserving and lost in sin, God sent Christ to be sin for us. For that we are thankful and say with King David; “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people!”

Pastor Rich Lammay of High Sierra Fellowship is a member of the Carson Valley Ministers’ Association