484_Thanksgiving as a sacrifice

Psalm 50:1-6 The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.

3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge! Selah

14-15 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

In a room filled with emotion, a woman named Mary Johnson sat across from the man who had murdered her only son. It had been years since the tragedy—years filled with grief, anger, and emptiness. The man, named O’Shea Israel, had been a teenager when he pulled the trigger in a gang-related incident. Mary, though a committed Christian, wrestled with bitterness for years. Until one day she made a radical decision. She visited him in prison. At first, their meetings were cold and strained. But over time, something began to change. Mary started to see not just a killer, but a broken young man in need of grace. Eventually, she forgave him. Not only that, she welcomed him into her neighborhood when he was released and treated him like a son.

When asked how she could do it, Mary said, “I chose to forgive because I realized I couldn’t worship God with bitterness in my heart. My healing came when I let go and gave thanks—not for what happened, but for what God was doing through it.”

Psalm 50 celebrates a God who is not impressed with outward religion, but who commends a heart of trust and thanksgiving as that which glorifies him.

Asaph, the psalmist, paints a majestic and terrifying courtroom scene. God, the righteous Judge, summons all people from east to west. He appears not in silence or gentleness, but with fire and tempest, radiating glory from Zion. The heavens are called to witness, not to the sin of the world, but to the judgment of His own people. In verse 5, God declares, “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” These were not outsiders or unbelievers. These were His covenant people, covenanted by sacrifice.

The heavens declare God’s righteousness, Asaph says, for He is the true and perfect Judge. As Psalm 89:14 reminds us, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” This Judge is holy, just, and consistent. And now, He brings forth His complaint.

In verses 7 to 15, God turns to His people and begins with startling words: “I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.” Outwardly, they were doing everything right. The rituals were in place. But something vital was missing: their hearts.

We hear the irony as God reminds them that he neither hungers nor thirsts, doesn’t need their gifts. He would not beg them for food, for every beast of the forest is His, the cattle on a thousand hills. The true sacrifice of his people is heartfelt thankfulness and open trust.

Israel forgot the reason they offered sacrifices. It was never about appeasing God, but about expressing dependence, reverence, and joy. Sacrifices offered while harboring ingratitude or living in disobedience were hollow. Rather than expressing transactional religion, sacrifices to God should express the heart’s trustful obedience, for only this truly honors Him.

In verse 15 he says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” This is the relationship He desires: not cold religion, but living faith. A heart that turns to Him in need and responds with grateful praise.

Verses 16 to 22 are addressed to the wicked and the hypocrites. Professing to be his people, these speak God’s words and claim His covenant, yet defy His commands. They recite His statutes, but despise His discipline. They flatter themselves while keeping company with thieves and adulterers. Their tongues drip with deceit and slander, even against their own families.

They mistake God’s silence for approval rather than the longsuffering it conveys. Verse 21, “You thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.” Patience, when ignored, eventually runs its course. “Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!” (v.22). The writer of Hebrews echoes this when he says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

This is not just a warning for Israel—it’s a sobering wake-up call for us. God sees through all our pretense. He sees the worship leader unrepentant in his sin, the believer whose mouth praises God on Sunday but curses others on Monday, the one who posts Scripture online while harboring jealousy and bitterness in the heart. He is not mocked. He is holy.

Therefore, He calls us to the kind of worship that pleases him: “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God.” (v.23)

This is the sacrifice God wants— a continual, daily offering from the heart. “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth,” says the psalmist in Psalm 34:1. This is the sacrifice that glorifies God.

True thanksgiving is not always easy. It means thanking God in the midst of loss. It means praising Him when the answers don’t come. It means believing, like Jesus did in Psalm 22:3, that even when we feel forsaken, God is still worthy of all worship and the utmost trust. Hanging on the cross of torture, Christ declared His trust in God—and God delivered Him. There was no abandonment—only the unfolding of a divine plan.

In our own lives, let us start with a heart of gratitude. Not just when life is easy, but especially when it’s not. When you’re passed over at work, or your child rebels, or sickness strikes, thank God for His timing, his deliverance, his sustaining grace. It is not about pretending that everything is fine—but about choosing to trust the One who is.

Thanksgiving as a sacrifice means living a life that reflects the goodness of God, even in the hardest places. It means letting our worship overflow as faith into our daily choices—into how we speak, how we forgive, how we treat others, and how we trust God in the quiet places no one sees.

“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.” Because ultimately, it’s not our sacrifices that move the heart of God. It’s our trust. And the truest evidence of trust is a thankful heart. Let that be the defining characteristic of our life. God bless.