Thanksgiving and the Worship of Heaven
The Worship of Heaven
Recently as we studied the worship of heaven, we found that David’s Tabernacle reflected the pattern of worship from Revelation 4 and 5. David placed the Ark of the Covenant in the middle of the tent and surrounded it with singers and musicians, just as it is in heaven: the Lamb on the throne, surrounded by worship. As we worship today, we come again before the throne of God and join all of creation in adoring this beautiful Lamb crucified, risen, and exalted.
Thanksgiving in Heaven
Another key aspect of the worship of heaven is the centrality of thanksgiving. Recently I was challenged to have a spirit of thankfulness in all things. As a result, I decided to study the Scriptures on the topic and was amazed by what I found.
In my Bible app, I began searching for thankful, thanks, thanksgiving, and similar words. One of the first references I found was 1 Chronicles 16: the very passage in which David places the Ark of the Covenant in the middle of the tent and surrounds it with worshippers. This account tells us, “He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord” (1 Chron. 16:4). They were to do 3 things: “to commemorate [remember], to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel.”
The Levites had three duties: remember what He has done, thank Him, and praise Him.
In Revelation 4:9, we find that those around the throne in heaven also do 3 things: give Him glory, honor, and thanks. Thus, thanksgiving is a third of heaven’s worship. In Revelation 11:17, the 24 elders fall down before the Lamb and say, “We give You thanks.” We were created to give our thanks and praise to the Lord.
Speaking of David’s Tabernacle, 1 Chronicles 16:41 continues: “Heman and Jeduthun and the rest . . . were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because His mercy endures forever.” This was an entire group of people who had only one job: to give thanks to the Lord.
His Mercy Endures Forever
On that day when David’s dream of a lifetime came true – on that first day of worship in his tabernacle – David wrote a song that is recounted in 1 Chronicles 16:7-36. This song ends with a statement that should sound familiar to anyone who has read the Psalms: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” In this verse, the Hebrew word for mercy is hesed, which refers to His covenant-keeping love. We may fail Him, but He will keep His covenant toward us.
Throughout the Psalms, we find this statement often: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever” (Ps. 107, 118, 136). In Ezra and Nehemiah we are told that this particular phrase was instituted and commanded by David (Ezra 3:10-11; Neh. 12:24), just as the Davidic pattern of worship was “the commandment of David...for the commandment was from the Lord” (2 Chron. 29:25).
What if this could be one of the songs of heaven? What if David, as a shepherd singing in the fields and ministering to the Lord, may have discovered these words in the heart of God and in the worship of heaven? “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.”
Thanksgiving in Everyday Life
When we understand the value of thanksgiving in heaven’s worship, it provides a backdrop for us to better understand the Scriptural commands to be thankful:
“Giving thanks always for all things” (Eph. 5:20).
“In everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18).
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Ps. 100:4-5).
Thanksgiving and Communion
Receiving communion is also an act of thanksgiving. The early church referred to communion as the Eucharist, or the Greek word eucharisteo, which means “thanksgiving.” When they spoke of receiving communion, they said, “When you receive the Thanksgiving…” We find this same language in Matthew 26:27, when Jesus “took the cup and gave thanks.”
Thanksgiving and the Garden of the Lord
The book of Isaiah contains an interesting verse related to the topic of thanksgiving: “For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord” (Isa. 51:3). The verse continues to tell us what Eden, the garden of the Lord, is like: “Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”
The garden of the Lord – the place where He loves to dwell – is marked by 4 things: joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and song.
Prayer and Thanksgiving
The Scriptures also speak of prayer and thanksgiving being connected:
“In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).
“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2).
Worship around the Throne
Every morning and evening, the Levites were to thank and praise the Lord (1 Chron. 23:30). When we give thanks, we too join the worship around the throne of heaven:
“We worship at Your throne – eternal, high, and glorious” (Jer. 17:12).
“Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne” (Ps. 132:7).