Old Testament New Testament In Jewish tradition

Words in Scripture

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todah* Hebrew for thanksgiving or athank offering

l’hodot, Hebrew verb, to thank

eucharisteo, Greek verb, to thank

eucharistia, Greek noun, thanksgiving

eucharistos, Greek adjective, thankful

Note the similarity to Eucharist, the wordmany churches use for communion or theLord’s Supper.**

Thanks is offered for God Himself andHis character (1 Chron. 16:34; 2 Chron.7:3, 6; 20:21); or for His deliverance (1 Chr. 16:35). Certain psalms especiallyfocus on thanksgiving. Many thank Godfor His righteousness (7:17; 106:1; 107and 136 throughout) and for His greatdeeds (9:1; 26:7; 75:1).

Jesus and especially Paul thank God for awide variety of things, including God’srevelation (Mt. 11:25, Lk. 10:21); God’shearing Jesus at the raising of Lazarus (John 11:41); God’s provision of fellowbelievers (Acts 28:15; Rom. 16:4); God’s workin the lives of believers in many churches(Rom. 1:8, among many others); leaders,including the secular rulers (1 Tim. 2:1). Wealso see numerous examples of givingthanks at meals, for example, Luke 22:19,John 6:23 and Acts 27:35.

Most thanksgiving takes place in thecontext of communal worship, thoughsometimes it takes place individually(Jonah 2:9—Jonah could hardly havehad community in the belly of a fish!).The Psalms include examples of both.Worship included the thank offering(Leviticus 7:12; 22:29–30), which endedwith a meal for family and friends.

Israelites continued to bring thankofferings to the Temple until itsdestruction in 70 A.D. Paul mentionsthanksgiving within the worship service,1 Cor. 14:16–17.

Thanking God is a part of worship and reminds His people of why we can trust Himand rejoice. Thanksgiving in the Old Testament is shown by example and byexhortation, while the New Testament rounds out a “theology of thanks.” In Paul’sletters, thanksgiving is closely connected with peace rather than anxiety (Phil. 4:6, Col. 3:15), with living in all we do for the Lord (Col. 3:17) and with godly behavior (Eph. 5:4). Ephesians 6:18 encourages prayer “at all times,” whereby we are meant tocultivate a spirit of thanks in all situations, rather than a spirit of criticism or despair.Hebrews 13:15 describes thanksgiving as a sacrifice, perhaps because to properlythank God we need to give up something, be it time, convenience, or focus onourselves and our problems.

* Todah also means “thank you” in modern Hebrew.**The term thereby emphasizes that the congregation is giving thanks for what God has done in Christ.

Before meals, we bless and thank Godfor His good gifts with set blessings forcertain foods, and a catch-all for the rest.Want to bless God before eating anomelette or Reese’s Pieces? Say,“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King ofthe Universe, by Whose word everythingcame into being.”

A prayer called the Birkat Hamazon isrecited after meals; after all, how muchmore thankful can we be once we knowhow good the meal was? Actually thepractice is in accordance withDeuteronomy 8:10: “When you haveeaten and are full, then you shall blessthe LORD your God for the good landwhich He has given you.” This reminderwhen we are full and content, preventsus from forgetting that the food comesfrom God (see Deuteronomy 8:11–14).

Upon arising in the morning, traditionalJews recite a prayer called Modeh Ani,“I give thanks.” This simple prayer thanksGod for restoring our lives for yet anotherday and is one of the first prayers thatyoung children are taught.

A prayer called the Shehecheyanu isoften recited when a Jewish holidaybegins or when someone observes aJewish ritual for the first time: “Blessedare You, O Lord our God, King of theUniverse, who has kept us alive, and hassustained us, and has enabled us toreach this season.”

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