Offer a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving to the Lord

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High. Psalm 50:14 (ESV)

The Psalmist encouraged his readers to perform or fulfill their vows to the Lord. That simply means we should honor the commitments we have made to God.

Consider the importance of following the instructions of that verse. Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, fulfill the promises you made to Him, and look at what He does.

Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:15

The writer began this Psalm by identifying God and His call to humanity. He summoned everyone on the earth to listen to what He had to say.

The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. Psalm 50:1

I believe some people think that God silently sits in heaven doing nothing. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. When He makes an entrance, He gets everyone’s attention.

It reminds me of when a world leader enters a room. He doesn’t sneak in or arrive unnoticed. His security team not only leads the way, but they also follow behind him.

Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. Psalm 50:3

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God Called a Family Meeting

The Lord called a family meeting. His family consists of all those who have made a sacrifice of thanksgiving covenant with Him. He also called witnesses to hear His judgment in the meeting.

He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people. “Bring my faithful people to me—those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.” Psalm 50:4-5

After He got the attention of His people, He said, “Here are my charges against you, O Israel.” The last place I’d want to be would be standing in front of God, who had charges against me.

Fortunately for them, God said He had no complaint about their sacrifices or the burnt offerings they constantly offered. However, the following sentence begins with the word “But.”

But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. Psalm 50:9

The Lord continued by explaining the intimate relationship He enjoys with His creation. Our God, who knows us inside out, also knows everything about His creation.

For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. Psalm 50:10-11

The Lord went on to say that He doesn’t need the food from their sacrifices of animals. Plus, He owns more than a thousand hills. It all belongs to Him.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? Psalm 50:12-13

Offer God a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

He didn’t expect an answer to those two hypothetical questions. He asked them as a way to set up His request, which consisted of, “Offer to Me a sacrifice of thanksgiving.”

We don’t offer animal sacrifices because God doesn’t mandate us to. So, does this Psalm hold any importance for us? It does, but it is not in line with the sacrifice of animals.

Many Christians today feel they need to make sacrifices to keep God happy. Also, in the name of serving the Lord, many give up different foods or activities for specific time periods.

Granted, Christians shouldn’t indulge in many activities because they are contrary to God’s Word. But that doesn’t constitute a sacrifice. It exhibits our obedience to Him.

Others will sacrifice their happiness because they believe God wants them to suffer for Him. What they don’t understand is Jesus said we will suffer. We don’t need to go looking for it.

Throughout the Psalms, we can find references to different ways of coming to the Lord with thanksgiving.

Singing a song of thanksgiving. Psalm 26:7
Honor him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Psalm 95:2
Enter his gates with thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4
Offer him a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Psalm 116:17

After God told the people in Psalm 50 to offer Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving, He addressed the wicked. The wicked consist of those who haven’t entered into a covenant with God.

A Word to the Wicked

But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant? For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash. Psalm 50:16-17

In other words, God doesn’t want thanksgiving from an unsaved person, He wants them to sacrifice their life. He wants the same from church attenders who don’t take Him seriously.

He wants those who fit into the two categories we just spoke of to repent of their wicked ways. The word repent means to turn away from sin and turn towards God.

Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. Psalm 50:22

The last verse in this Psalm brings us full circle to where this devotion started. We will make sacrifices during our lives, but God wants us to continually offer Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

“But thanksgiving is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23

Lord, we want to honor you in everything we do. Therefore receive our thanksgiving with the sacrifice of praise from our lips.

Check out these related posts on giving thanks to God.