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| Photo by SJ Baren on Unsplash |
Answer: Pausing for a moment to thank God for his
blessings.
It’s always a good time to give thanks to the Lord;
however, it is not always easy to get into the habit of regular giving of
thanks. How can you and I learn a lifestyle of thanksgiving?
I believe it is best to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ
as our example in this discipline and in everything we do. We can see from
the scripture that Jesus gave thanks on a regular basis and the one time he
seems to have most focused on this act was when receiving food.
This wasn’t anything new in the land of Israel. It was
a practice that preceded the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the days of Samuel, when Saul went to find him, it
is shown that the people would not eat until the prophet would give the
blessing of the sacrifice which would then be eaten.
…the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. (1 Samuel 9.13)
This was extended into the writings of the Rabbis
during the Babylonian captivity and the period between the two Covenants.
According to the rabbinic tradition … “It is forbidden
man to enjoy anything of this world without benediction,” b. Ber., 35a.
At good news one says: Blessed be he who is good and who does good. But at bad news one says: Blessed be the judge of truth … Man has a duty to pronounce a blessing on the bad as he pronounces a blessing on the good. 54a. (TDNT, Kittel, p 9.410)[i]
We can see from these writings that the blessing of
the name of the LORD was to be involved in every instance of life whether it
was perceived as being good or bad. This is backed by the passage in the book
of Job, when after great tragedy, Job states:
Naked I came from my mother's womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1.21)
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1.21)
We know Jesus always honored the law of God but he was not
really a traditionalist for the sake of tradition. Many of the rituals taught
by the Pharisees and religious leaders, Jesus paid no attention to. But the
tradition of blessing of food, or giving of thanks, he
held onto tenaciously.
Alfred Edersheim, the Jewish historian, actually confidently
affirms that most likely Christ's prayer would have been the typical
'thanksgiving':
‘Blessed art Thou, Jehovah our God, King of the world, who causes to come forth (הַמּוֹצִיא) bread from the earth.’ (Alfred Edersheim , The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 1.64)[ii]
Jesus prayed before eating
and led his disciples in the same. At the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 it says, “looking up to
heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the
disciples to the multitude.” (Matthew 14.19)
When he likewise fed the 7,000, we read, “he took the seven
loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his
disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” (Matthew 15.36)
At the last Passover meal of Jesus, as he instituted the Lord’s
Supper with his disciples, the bible says Jesus prayed before he passed the
cup, “He took the cup, and gave thanks” and as he distributed the bread, “He
took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them.” This meal was
strongly symbolic and showed his death – a very sorrowful event. Surely, we can
give thanks before the joyous occasion of Thanksgiving and on a regular basis
as we enjoy God’s provision.
So, when we sit down with family and friends to feast on turkey or
whatever we choose to eat on Thanksgiving Day, we would do well to bow our heads and give thanks
to God who gave it. But, let's not stop there. Let's keep it going. This will help us all to establish a lifestyle of thanksgiving for all God does.
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