"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people."
1 Chronicles 16:8
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It had been many years since the Ark of the Covenant was lost in battle to the Philistines. Before it was lost, this most sacred of the Tabernacle furniture had become little more than a “magic box” in people’s thinking, a sort of good luck charm to be carried into battle for protection. Nationally, the Ark was a symbol representing the glory of God and His presence with Israel. And now after many years away, finally, it is back home in Israel again. David makes sure the nation knows, and they celebrate its return.
Our verse for today comes from David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving, he wrote to thank Jehovah for bringing the Ark home. (This is a great time to read David’s Psalm, it is in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36).
In our verse (v. 8), there are three things that we do well if we remember in our relationship to the LORD. Thank God; Seek God; and Celebrate God’s Work.
“Give thanks unto the LORD,”
Thank God! We do well to continually be giving thanks to Jehovah for what He does in our lives. There are many ways to thank Him for what He does for us. Here are some of David’s thoughts. We can thank Him by singing to Him, and we can talk about His works, sharing with others what He has done.
“Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works,” (1 Chronicles 16:9).
We can bring glory to His name, making Him great, make Him famous.
“Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD,” (1 Chronicles 16:10).
“Call upon his name,”
Seek God! When we call upon the LORD’S name, we are seeking Him. We need to be seeking His face, what is it that He wants for us in our lives? To seek His face is to look for His blessing in our lives as we look to Him in our need. David says we need to seek His face continually.
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually,” (1 Chronicles 16:11).
“Make known his deeds among the people.”
Celebrate His Works! He did great things for Israel here, we need to remember what He does for us and thank Him. Our remembering should include, His marvelous works – His extraordinary works. His wonders – display of His power, miracles.
And His judgments – great wisdom in making decisions, justice.
“Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,” (1 Chronicles 16:12).
If we do not “remember” what God has done for us how can we adequately thank Him? A time like Thanksgiving is a great time to remember what He has done, and to celebrate His great works, and to share the story of His work in our lives with others.