David’s Psalm, In Thanks To The Lord

In 1 Chronicles 16, there is a most beautiful psalm that is also found in a combination of different places in Psalms, namely, chapters 96, 105 and 106. All of David’s psalms are wonderful and praiseworthy, for they lift up the name of the Lord God Almighty. And now, even outside of the Book of Psalm, we can also read one of these songs or messages. It reads, ¹“then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance; When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it. And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” (1 Chronicles 16:7-22)

This psalm continues and reads, ¹“sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.” (1 Chronicles 16:23-36) Wow, praise the Lord, for I could not have said this any better. Surely, the Lord God deserves all the praise and honor, so what David said and sang out this day was so amazing. He surely gave Him honor and great glory to His holy Name.

From this psalm, there are many key points for every Christian to understand. We are to give thanks unto God often throughout the day because of all He does for us, especially His mercy. Make known to people what God has done for your life and give Him the glory. Let everyone know that Jesus saves and the Lord reigneth. Offer your life and time to serving God and doing His will. Remember to worship Him in holiness to His Name, for He is holy. Sing out to God and proclaim His wonderful works. Give glory to Jesus, your Savior and Lord. As you seek the Lord often, rejoice in His goodness and grace. While seeking God, allow His presence to build you up and give you strength. Read the Bible and understand His marvelous works, wonders, teachings, and judgments. As we are grafted into the covenant of God, through faith in Christ, we are also His chosen people. We know that God is for us and that His judgments are upon the earth, because of the wicked. Be mindful of God’s covenant and what is taught in God’s Word. Our God is to be feared and not to be slandered or disrespected in any way. Anything that goes before Him are idols. And most importantly, we are to give our lives to Jesus. Tell Him that we are a sinner and need Him to save us. Call upon His Name, that He may gather you and deliver you from the hands of the wicked. Then, when God comes and showcases His mercy while cleansing you of all your sins, give Him thanks, the glory, and praise that He deserves. For ¹“blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.” (1 Chronicles 16:36)

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, thank You for this great life that You have prepared for me, even from the foundation of the world. You knew I would be living in darkness while seeking all the wrong things until I found You, but You never gave up hope in me. So many times did You come and convict me of my sins, in order to draw me unto You in repentance. I just didn’t listen and obey. In my early years, I was very defiant and reckless in my bad choices, because of the lusts of the flesh, but You continued to come after me anyways. Not once did You stop believing in the person I could become. I just needed to stop and believe in You. And so I finally listened and poured out my heart to You in prayer. In my confessions, the guilt was no longer hanging over me, but only Your love was there. I may have distanced myself from You, but in this moment You were drawn near to me, and my life has never been the same again. That one prayer has changed everything about how I live my life. Because You were there for me then, I knew that You would be with me now and forever. I don’t have to worry about having the guidance, and counsel that I need, for You deliver it to me daily. In prayer, You have spoken to me and breathed into me new life. If I am different, it is because the Holy Spirit is in me now, which is the comforter. Thank You, Lord. I give You glory and praise. I sing out to You and give You thanks because of Your mercy and grace. You are so good to me, God. I love You with all my heart, mind, and strength. I am strengthened, because of Your love in my life. It is a pleasure to offer You my life. What I do with my time now is to serve You and to proclaim the Name of Jesus to the world. Amen.

1 Chronicles 16

¹1 Chronicles 16 (KJV)
1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.
2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
4 And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:
5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;
6 Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
8 Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
11 Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.
12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;
16 Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;
17 And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;
19 When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.
20 And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;
21 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
23 Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.
24 Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
28 Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
29 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.
32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.
33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.
34 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.
37 So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required:
38 And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:
39 And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon,
40 To offer burnt offerings unto the Lord upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel;
41 And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever;
42 And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.
43 And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.