Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Psalm 100:4
Non-Thankfulness
A mother took her young boy to the grocery to buy fruits. He was very fascinated with the brightly coloured fruits until the shopkeeper realised. The shopkeeper then came and took one of the oranges and gave it to the little boy to eat. The mother was so grateful to the man and realised the boy had not said a word. She quickly asked, “what do you say to the nice man?”. The boy thought for a few seconds, and with such confidence, he looked at the shopkeeper, handing back the orange and exclaimed, “Peel it”.
Is non-thankfulness ingrained this much in our hearts, or is it just bad manners? Do you remember the ten lepers who were made clean by Jesus, and only one came back to give thanks? (Luke 17:11-19). One of the reasons we are ungrateful is because we take what we have for granted. We live in a time where it is far simpler to criticise than to praise, express discontent rather than thankfulness, moan rather than give thanks, and focus on our losses rather than our gains (2 Timothy 3:1-5). God not only values thanksgiving, but He is also offended by our lack of gratitude. Jesus was grateful for the return of the one leper, but you can sense he was unhappy that the other nine did not feel the need to return and express their gratitude (Luke 17:11-19). A lack of gratitude causes deeper spiritual concerns than we can realise.
The Gates
In the middle eastern culture, it was at the gates that people made business deals, announcements, legal conversations, and bargaining. The markets were also at the gates, and the main item gave name to the gate. For example fish gate, sheep gate, and horse gate (Nehemiah 3:1,3,28). The psalmist recommends entering the gates with joyful praise and thanksgiving. Jesus also refers to Himself as the gate and that whoever goes through Him will be saved (John 10:9). It is when we are inside that we realise we are the sheep of His pasture and know who we are and to whom we belong.
The weary traveller finds goodness at this gate; the broken traveller finds healing; the lost traveller finds love that endures over all sin. Reaching this gate, therefore, calls for celebration; it is a tremendous life-changing experience. Praise anticipates what is to come, entering the presence of God. Our joyful noise and praise at the gate are necessitated by the knowledge that we can not compare the joy we have at the gate to the glory we will find later inside the dwelling of God. Thanksgiving is all about exuberance, extolling God, and acknowledging all that He has done.
Bless His Name
We give God thanks because He is the Eternal Almighty Creator, the good God. God made us, and we are His. God loves us and keeps His promises to us. He mends the shattered relationships that sin causes in our life, whether with others or with God. I invite you today to reflect on your difficulties and relationships. Make a conscious decision to praise God and focus on what you have rather than what you lack.
King James Version (KJV)
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
New International Version (NIV)
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.”
New American Bible (NASB)
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
The Living Bible (TLB)
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”