This Week in the Word: Give Thanks to the Lord
Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts
or proclaim all the praise due him?
How happy are those who uphold justice,
who practice righteousness at all times.
Scripture has a tendency to be pretty repetitive. Sometimes, we catch ourselves thinking “haven’t I read this already? Can’t I just skip this part? They’ve talked about it like 15 times already!” It can be easy to skim or skip parts of scripture that on first glance seem redundant or unimportant.
Psalms 105 and 106 are a couple of great examples of passages where this can happen. In Psalm 105, we get a log of Israel’s history, and then in Psalm 106 we get a continuation where we read more of the history and again about how sinful the Israelites were. There are whole books dedicated to this history. Why do we need to read it again and again?
Much like the Israelites, we need the reminders of our need for grace. Like those who wandered the wilderness and were constantly provided for by God, we run the risk of being provided for yet discontent with the provisions we are given. And also like the people of ancient times, we need to be reminded constantly of our need for God and His goodness and plans, and the repentance of our own sin and wickedness.
These chapters and songs remind us again and again of the need for Jesus and what He did for you and for me. These tedious repetitions are there what feels like a million times throughout this massive text that is the Bible because we need the million reminders. This is an example of the grace of God who knows our needs further, deeper, wider than we know them ourselves and constantly gives us reminders of our need to help us draw closer to the source of our help and hope.
God constantly reminds us how much we need Him, and how much He provides for us out of His love for us. So as we for the 5,768th time read about the Lord’s faithful love having no end, we can be encouraged yet again that when we sin, His faithfulness still hasn’t run out. Reading again for the 7,457th time how those who treasure and guard God’s law and justice are blessed and happy, we remember that it is because He gives us our peace and provision.
I’ve read the Psalms through several times, but I never stop growing in my appreciation for these reminders. Why? Not because I am more righteous than you, or so much stronger in my faith than you – but because I am just as needy of the grace and mercy of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ as you. The Psalms are a beautiful reminder of what the depths of my soul really lack and actually need every day – the goodness, faithfulness, and mercy of God that perpetually exists and has no end because my need for it also has no end. I thank God He knows me better than I know myself and provides for me based on His understanding, not mine.
