The
Sacrifice of Praise
by Andy White
Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, "Were not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Arise, go your way, your faith has made you well."
We see in this account in Luke that one man saw the value of God's grace in hearing his prayer and healing him. Are you thankful for the grace of God in your life? One Greek scholar in commenting on this passage had this insight to share, "This incident does not necessarily imply that the other nine lacked faith; The point is rather that their faith was incomplete because it did not issue in gratitude." Is your faith manifested with an "Attitude of gratitude"? Thank You! Such a small sentence to convey a great feeling of gratitude. How often do we grope for the words to express our appreciation! Have you ever felt at a loss for words? Where "Thank you" just didn't seem to adequately convey your f feelings?
Thank You! It is the way we communicate the value of what we have received. Jesus asked, "Where are the others? Were there not ten of you?". It is a sorry condition of so many today, both in the church and in the world, that there is so much ingratitude. Paul tells us in 2Tim.3:2 that a manifestation of the last days is that men will be "...Unthankful...". A great many people have chosen to act in total disregard of the sacrifices and labor's of others!
The history of the Thanksgiving Holiday is a story replete with faith and thanksgiving for the grace of God; thanksgiving, even in the face of the most dire and trying circumstances. A true "Sacrifice of praise"! In 1621 Gov. William Bradford of Mass. proclaimed, "We have noted these things so that you may see their worth, and not negligently lose what your fathers have obtained with so much hardship." Noted what things?
The Pilgrims had a long hard trip from England, many died on the journey to the new world itself. When the Pilgrims stepped ashore in 1620, they were met by an Indian, named Squanto, who spoke perfect English. He was a member of the Pawtuxet tribe of Cape Cod. In 1605 he was kidnapped and taken to England. He was treated well and lived in London until 1614 when he was to return to America. Unfortunately, he was kidnapped again and taken to Spain. There he was sold as a slave to Christian friars. He was treated kindly, and under their influence he was baptized upon his profession of faith in Christ. During a war in 1619, Squanto escaped and made his way to England where a ship captain agreed to take him back to America.
The following year after his return, the Pilgrims landed. The winter of 1620 left 50 of the 100 Pilgrims dead, Gov. Bradford's wife was among those who died. In the Spring of 1621, Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn and native squash. He showed them how to hunt and fish. Had it not been for the English speaking Squanto, the Pilgrims might have all died. William Bradford wrote of Squanto, "...a special instrument sent from God for our good beyond expectation." It was Squanto who was sent to invite Chief Massasoit and his tribe to the thanksgiving feast in November 1621. Gov. Bradford though he had lost half of his company along with his wife chose to offer a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving to God. He was able to see beyond the immediate circumstances and trials to the greater vision and purpose of God and "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God." (1Thess. 5:18)
Thanksgiving is a form of worship. Psalm 50:23 tells us; "Whoever offers praise glorifies Me..."
The word for praise here in the Hebrew is TODAH. TODAH means a praise of thanksgiving. Very often it is a sacrifice of praise. For example, look at Leviticus 7:11, "This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings...if he offers it for a thanksgiving...", (The word here for thanksgiving is TODAH). Jeremiah 33:11 was the basis for a very popular praise chorus, "[We] bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord..."; Again, the word here for praise is TODAH. Thanksgiving is a conscience choice to worship God. The Pilgrims made a conscience choice to praise and thank God, even in the midst of their suffering and sorrow. They had felt tremendous pain and hardship and yet they still trusted that God was indeed good! Thanksgiving glorifies God. "Whoever offers thanksgiving glorifies me..." (Lit. translation of Ps. 50:23).
"Now one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks...So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? "Were there not any found to give glory to God...?" (Lk.17:15-18).
This holiday season let us be a people who will be thankful for the grace of God poured out upon our lives, a people who bring glory to the Living God from whom all blessings flow.
"And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will." (Lev.22:29)