What does it mean- “Sacrifice to God Thanksgiving”?PSALM 50:23 “He who sacrifices [giving an offering of] thanks glorifies Me, and he who sets a way [who fulfills his vows in the great assemble before those who fear God], I will show him the salvation of God.’”
The purpose of the “thank offering” was to render an expression of thanks for deliverance or blessings granted. Emphasis was thereby given to God’s acceptance of the worshipers with a right attitude.
PSALM 22:25-26 (Psalm Attributed to Jesus) “From You (Jehovah) comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear You will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise Him- may your hearts live forever!”
The Vow – (God’s Will Be Done) “Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” PSALM 16:5-10
VOW.- A vow is a promise to make a concrete payment to God. Such a vow merges into the “Thank Offering” for the acknowledgement of the divine favors.
Matthew Henry Commentary (Paraphrased).- God is here dealing with those (the Jews) that placed all their religion in the observances of religious ceremony and thought those sufficient.
God laid down the original contract between Him and Israel, in which they had avouched (declared) Him to be their God, and they to be His people, and so both parties were agreed: “Hear, O my people! and I will speak.” Note, it is justly expected that whatever others do, when He speaks, His people should give ear; who will, if they do not?
Let us thankfully accept God’s mercy, and endeavor to glorify Him in word and deed.
Let us also remember, that the Lord requires us to reverence His name, His truths, His ordinances, and commandments. Let us beware of hypocrisy, and examine ourselves concerning our sinful defilement's, seeking to be purified from them in the blood of Christ.
Nor can the minister who loves the souls of the people, suffer them to continue in this dangerous delusion. He must call upon them, not only to repent of their sins, and forsake them; but to put their whole trust in the atonement of Christ, by faith in His name, for pardon and acceptance with God; thus only will the Lord make them holy, as His own people.
Hypocrisy is wickedness, which God will judge. And it is too common, for those who declare the Lord’s statutes to others, to live in disobedience to them themselves. This delusion arises from the abuse of God’s love-suffering, and willful mistake of His character and the intention of His gospel. Let those hitherto forgetful of God, given up to wickedness, or in any way negligent of salvation, consider their urgent danger. The patience of the Lord is very great. It is the more wonderful, because sinners make such ill use of it; but if they turn not, they shall be made to see their error when it is too late.
Matthew Henry Commentary (Paraphrased).- God is here dealing with those (the Jews) that placed all their religion in the observances of religious ceremony and thought those sufficient.
God laid down the original contract between Him and Israel, in which they had avouched (declared) Him to be their God, and they to be His people, and so both parties were agreed: “Hear, O my people! and I will speak.” Note, it is justly expected that whatever others do, when He speaks, His people should give ear; who will, if they do not?
Let us thankfully accept God’s mercy, and endeavor to glorify Him in word and deed.
Let us also remember, that the Lord requires us to reverence His name, His truths, His ordinances, and commandments. Let us beware of hypocrisy, and examine ourselves concerning our sinful defilement's, seeking to be purified from them in the blood of Christ.
Nor can the minister who loves the souls of the people, suffer them to continue in this dangerous delusion. He must call upon them, not only to repent of their sins, and forsake them; but to put their whole trust in the atonement of Christ, by faith in His name, for pardon and acceptance with God; thus only will the Lord make them holy, as His own people.
Hypocrisy is wickedness, which God will judge. And it is too common, for those who declare the Lord’s statutes to others, to live in disobedience to them themselves. This delusion arises from the abuse of God’s love-suffering, and willful mistake of His character and the intention of His gospel. Let those hitherto forgetful of God, given up to wickedness, or in any way negligent of salvation, consider their urgent danger. The patience of the Lord is very great. It is the more wonderful, because sinners make such ill use of it; but if they turn not, they shall be made to see their error when it is too late.
JEWISH VENERATION
(Justification by Law)
["Study Notes" - Out of Context & Altered Quote]: “It is God alone who can reveal the entire reality of the sacrificial process, reverse it through the resurrection of Christ, and structure an alterative option for human solidarity.”
["Study Notes" - Out of Context & Altered Quote]: “It is God alone who can reveal the entire reality of the sacrificial process, reverse it through the resurrection of Christ, and structure an alterative option for human solidarity.”
“This is why Christ is explicated in the New Testament as the truth, the life and the way.”
JESUS TAUGHT - Matthew 9:13 “…’No need have those being strong of a healer, but those having (physical, spiritual, or moral) illness. But learn what it is: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice;’ for not I (Jesus) came to call righteous (ones) but sinners to repentance (through confession and reformation).’”
(Review: A Jewish Translation)
JOHN 3:12-15 (Jesus Taught) “’If earthly things I told you and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you the heavenly things? And no one has gone up into Heaven [under the pretense of self-reparation for offenses of sin of the “iniquitous gifts” of the son’s of Israel] except he [breathing life to the witness of this testimony] out of heaven coming down [a man of contention to all the land], the son of man, who is in heaven [an exalted place- witnessed as the one- to be led before the Ancient of Days].’”
Verse 14 “’And as (accordingly) Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so to must be lifted up the son of man that every one believing in him [who humbly entreats that the legal demands of the law are powerless to save; that those who are under the law are accountable to God, yet] may not perish [who take refuge in Jehovah] but have everlasting life [through the turning away from sin, disobedience or rebellion back to God].’”
Matthew Henry Commentary.- To obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbor better than all burnt-offerings. We are here warned not to rest in these performances. And let us beware of resting in any form. God demands the heart, and how can human inventions please Him, when repentance, faith, and holiness are neglected? In the day of distress we must apply to the Lord by fervent prayer. Our troubles, though we see them coming from God's hand, must drive us to Him, not drive us from Him. We must acknowledge Him in all our ways, depend upon His wisdom, power, and goodness, and refer ourselves wholly to him, and so give him glory. Thus must we keep up communion with God; meeting Him with prayers under trials, and with praises in deliverances.
No; to obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbor better than all burnt-offerings, so much better that God by his prophets often told them that their sacrifices were not only not acceptable, but abominable, to Him, while they lived in sin; instead of pleasing Him, He looked upon them as a mockery, and therefore an affront and provocation to Him.
Proverbs 15:8-9 “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him. The Lord detests the way of the wicked but the loves those who pursue righteousness.”
Matthew Henry Commentary.- Thus Dr. Hammond understands it. When God shall set up the kingdom of the Messiah he shall abolish the old way of worship by sacrifice; He will no more have those to be continually before Him. For indeed He never appointed this as that which He had any need of, or took any pleasure in, for, besides that all we have is His already, He has far more beasts in the forest and upon the mountains, which we know nothing of nor have any property in, than we have in our folds; but He instituted it to prefigure the great sacrifice which His own Son should in the fullness of time offer upon the cross, to make atonement for sin, and all the other spiritual sacrifices of acknowledgment with which God, through Christ, will be well pleased.
He directs to the best sacrifices (as offerings) of prayer and praise as those which, under the law, were preferred before all burn-offerings and sacrifices, and on which then the greatest stress was laid. He shows us here what is good, and what the Lord our God requires of us, and will accept, when sacrifices are slighted and superseded. 1. We must make a penitent acknowledgment of our sins: Offer to God confession, so some read it, and understand it of the confession of sin, in order to our giving glory to God and taking shame to ourselves, that we may never return to it. A broken and contrite heart is the sacrifice which God will not despise, Ps. 51:17. If the sin was not abandoned the sin-offering was not accepted.
2. We must give God thanks for his mercies to us.
PSALM 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Thanksgiving magnifies God, because it gives Him credit for all that He has done and will do.
PSALM 140:13 “Surely the righteous will praise Your name and the upright (morally honorable) will live before You.
(Review: A Jewish Translation)
JOHN 3:12-15 (Jesus Taught) “’If earthly things I told you and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you the heavenly things? And no one has gone up into Heaven [under the pretense of self-reparation for offenses of sin of the “iniquitous gifts” of the son’s of Israel] except he [breathing life to the witness of this testimony] out of heaven coming down [a man of contention to all the land], the son of man, who is in heaven [an exalted place- witnessed as the one- to be led before the Ancient of Days].’”
Verse 14 “’And as (accordingly) Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so to must be lifted up the son of man that every one believing in him [who humbly entreats that the legal demands of the law are powerless to save; that those who are under the law are accountable to God, yet] may not perish [who take refuge in Jehovah] but have everlasting life [through the turning away from sin, disobedience or rebellion back to God].’”
Matthew Henry Commentary.- To obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbor better than all burnt-offerings. We are here warned not to rest in these performances. And let us beware of resting in any form. God demands the heart, and how can human inventions please Him, when repentance, faith, and holiness are neglected? In the day of distress we must apply to the Lord by fervent prayer. Our troubles, though we see them coming from God's hand, must drive us to Him, not drive us from Him. We must acknowledge Him in all our ways, depend upon His wisdom, power, and goodness, and refer ourselves wholly to him, and so give him glory. Thus must we keep up communion with God; meeting Him with prayers under trials, and with praises in deliverances.
No; to obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbor better than all burnt-offerings, so much better that God by his prophets often told them that their sacrifices were not only not acceptable, but abominable, to Him, while they lived in sin; instead of pleasing Him, He looked upon them as a mockery, and therefore an affront and provocation to Him.
Proverbs 15:8-9 “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him. The Lord detests the way of the wicked but the loves those who pursue righteousness.”
Matthew Henry Commentary.- Thus Dr. Hammond understands it. When God shall set up the kingdom of the Messiah he shall abolish the old way of worship by sacrifice; He will no more have those to be continually before Him. For indeed He never appointed this as that which He had any need of, or took any pleasure in, for, besides that all we have is His already, He has far more beasts in the forest and upon the mountains, which we know nothing of nor have any property in, than we have in our folds; but He instituted it to prefigure the great sacrifice which His own Son should in the fullness of time offer upon the cross, to make atonement for sin, and all the other spiritual sacrifices of acknowledgment with which God, through Christ, will be well pleased.
He directs to the best sacrifices (as offerings) of prayer and praise as those which, under the law, were preferred before all burn-offerings and sacrifices, and on which then the greatest stress was laid. He shows us here what is good, and what the Lord our God requires of us, and will accept, when sacrifices are slighted and superseded. 1. We must make a penitent acknowledgment of our sins: Offer to God confession, so some read it, and understand it of the confession of sin, in order to our giving glory to God and taking shame to ourselves, that we may never return to it. A broken and contrite heart is the sacrifice which God will not despise, Ps. 51:17. If the sin was not abandoned the sin-offering was not accepted.
2. We must give God thanks for his mercies to us.
PSALM 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Thanksgiving magnifies God, because it gives Him credit for all that He has done and will do.
PSALM 140:13 “Surely the righteous will praise Your name and the upright (morally honorable) will live before You.
