The Hundredth Psalm
Rev. Michael H. Browder
November 21, 2010
When I think of Thanksgiving, there is no better scripture to read than the 100th Psalm. It celebrates many of the joys that we lift up at this time of the year. Today, I want us to look closely at this psalm, verse by verse, the old fashioned way.
The holiday of Thanksgiving is grounded in our agrarian roots, in our history as a nation of farmers. When I started out life, we lived on my grandfather’s farm, and I feel deep roots with this way of life. The early Pilgrims, who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts, were people who survived by farming.
Farming is an act of faith. Farmers of the Pilgrim’s day, just as in the Bible, had to take grain that was left to them in the spring, and put it in the ground, so that new crops would grow. Now think about this. Suppose the winter had been harsh. What happened if there was not much grain left? If they planted it in the ground, they had nothing left to eat now. If they didn’t plant it in the ground, there would be nothing to eat next year. If they planted it in the ground, and drought destroyed it, or hail, or wild animals, then they would have nothing to eat either now or next year. When food is scarce, planting is truly an act of faith.
What makes that faith worthwhile, what really makes it pay off is the harvest. When the harvest is bountiful, there is grain in abundance. There is enough to eat this winter, and plenty left over to plant in the spring. To a farmer, the harvest is the most wonderful thing in the world.
This was the world I grew up in. Farmers borrowed money from the local store all year long. And then, when the peanut crop came in, or the tobacco crop, or the corn crop, they paid their bills. Many a church I have served could not pay its apportionments until the crops had been sold. Only then could the farmers could pay their tithes. If the crop did well, the church did well. If the crop did poorly the church did poorly, and the finances struggled.
Every farmer knows that he is in the hands of God. He may plant his best, and work his hardest, but he depends on the Lord to send the sun and the rain in its season. Planting is the work of man, but harvest is the work of God, the Lord’s blessing to those who have labored faithfully.
Psalm 100 was written for the harvest season. It is set in the temple, where people are coming to give thanks for the Lord’s blessings. It is a time of joy. It is a time of abundance. It is a time of thanksgiving, and joy, and praise.
If you have a King James Bible, or a few other versions, you will see a little notation at the beginning of Psalm 100, verse 1, that says, “A Psalm of Praise.” That is translating a couple of words that are there in the original Hebrew to explain the purpose of the Psalm. A better translation might be, “A Psalm of Thanksgiving.” That’s a pretty good title for this time of the year, don’t you think?
But, you know what? I like what the actual Hebrew words say even better. They say: “A Psalm to say ‘Thank you.’” A Psalm to say “Thank you”! When is the last time you did that? When is the last time you got down on your knees and said, “Thank you, O God.” “Praise you for the bounty of your blessings to me.” “Lord, I know you have blessed me. And I want you to know, dear Savior, how much I appreciate all of your care for me.”
Do you have a thankful heart? Or do you simply take what you have for granted? Jesus indicates that 9 out of 10 people take what God has done for them for granted. Do you remember when Jesus healed the 10 lepers?
(Lk. 17:12) Only one of them said “Thank you.” Can you imagine that? Leprosy! In Jesus’ day, leprosy was a death sentence. And Jesus healed them from this terrible disease. But only one of them came back to say thanks. Think of that! Healed from Leprosy, and only one came back. Even Jesus asked with surprise, “Did only one of you come back?” He could not believe their ingratitude. But aren’t you and I just like that?
God has done so much for us. And we so often forget to say “Thank you.”
But the writer of Psalm 100 did not forget to give thanks. In fact, he says that everybody and everything on earth ought to shout for joy with thanksgiving. We should worship the Lord, and we should do it with gladness. With joy! Simcha in Hebrew. When we come worship to God, there ought to be joy in our worship. There is too much worship of God today, there are too many churches, where there is just no joy. And may God have mercy on us. I believe in reverence during worship, I do. But if we don’t have joy, we have missed the point indeed.
And then the psalmist tells us to come into God’s presence with a lot of noise. Some translate this as “singing.” But the King James has it right when it says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” A joyful noise. That gives me hope. I may not be able to sing worth a lick, but I can make a joyful noise.
Next the psalmist affirms that the LORD is God. Wherever you have
L-O-R-D spelled with 4 capital letters, the original Hebrew was using the personal name of God. We sometimes refer to this special name with the letters YHWH. We sometimes pronounce it as Yahweh, or Jehovah. Actually, Jehovah is a misreading of Hebrew. Those Jews, who actually speak Hebrew, think that we are so funny, when we use that word Jehovah.
But anyway, the Bible is saying that the God we worship is not just any god from some false pantheon. We actually worship the Lord of the universe. And we remember that Jesus too, is Lord and God.
The psalm reminds us that God is the one who made us. We did not create ourselves. This means to stop and think about who God is. God is not limited like us. God is beyond everything.
So, we are meant to be God’s people. And when you commit yourself to Jesus Christ, you are indeed one of God’s people. As his people, we are the sheep of his pasture. That reminds me of the 23rd Psalm.
Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Looking back at Psalm 100. It says to enter the Lord’s gates with thanksgiving. When you come to God’s house, you come to say, “Thank you.” And here the psalm says to enter the courts of the sanctuary with praise. Actually, it literally says to come into God’s house with a “Hallelujah!” Let me hear you say that: “Hallelujah!” “Give thanks to him,” says the Bible. Stop and give God thanks. “Bless his name.” For us, that means to lift up blessings to the wonderful name of Jesus.
In the last verse, Psalm 100 makes three more statements about God. Each statement kind of repeats the other. Did you ever notice that the psalms often repeat themselves? That’s because repetition is what makes something poetry in Hebrew. In English, we create poetry by rhyme (or meter), but in Hebrew it is created by repetition.
Verse 5, the last verse of Psalm 100, makes three statements about God. Verse 3 already made 3 statements. Remember? (1) The LORD is God. (2) He made us. And (3) we are his people and sheep.
Now three final statements: First, “The Lord is good.” We need to remember that, because we sometimes want to question God. But, in the midst of it all, the Lord is good. I love that greeting that has come to us from Africa. When I say, “God is good,” you say, “All the time!” And when I say, “All the time,” you say, “God is good!” Amen!
Statement 2: God’s mercy is everlasting. This word for mercy is what Jesus calls grace. A good Methodist word: Grace! And the psalm says that the grace of God lasts forever. It never ends.
And final statement of Psalm 100 says, “His truth endures to all generations.” This truth is the truth of God’s faithfulness. The grace of God is not just some nebulous thing out there. It is something that we experience. Each one of us is touched by it. Each generation experiences it. And each one of us must respond to it. You must accept Christ for yourself. Your parent cannot do it for you. God has no grandchildren.
And so that’s the Hundreth Psalm. I love this old psalm. We had to memorize it when I was in school. Miss Nicholson’s first grade class, at Disputanta Elementary School, we memorized the One Hundreth Psalm.
I will never forget it. I treasure it every time I recite it. Let me share it with you one more time in honor of this Thanksgiving Sunday.
Psalm 100 (A Psalm of praise.) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
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When the pastor asked the children, “What are you thankful for on Thanksgiving?”
One little boy answered, “I am thankful that I'm not a turkey!”
Do you know why the police arrested the turkey?
They suspected it of fowl play.