Today is the day before Thanksgiving here in America.  Thought we’d look at the word Thanksgiving.  Before today I always thought Thanksgiving was about thanking God for the things He’s given us.  I was surprised to discover that thanksgiving is something else all together.  The word Thanksgiving looks like this: Strong’s #8426

It is pronounced Toe dah –  If you say, “Todah,” to someone who speaks Hebrew, you are saying, Thank you or Thanks.

The word Thanksgiving is from the root word Strong’s #3034 and it looks like this: 

It is pronounced yadah, and it often appears as the word ‘praise,’ ‘give thanks,’ or ‘confess.’

Both of these words also have another thing in common.  They are to be expressed with hands extended in worship.

What surprised me the most however, was the fact that Thanksgiving has to do with confessing sin and then declaring the attributes of God.

1. 1. to confess (sin)
   2. to give thanks

The word Thanksgiving is used with the practice of giving a ‘peace offering.’ A peace offering was given when someone sinned and came to the Tabernacle or the Temple to confess their sin and be forgiven.

Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, be thankful to Him and bless His name.”

The repentant sinner would come through the gates saying, ‘I have sinned, and I’ve come to repent.’  Then in short order, he would begin declaring the attributes of God.  ie.  “God is Almighty.”  “God is all wise.”  “God is eternal.”  “God is merciful.” “God is Holy.” “God is Truth.” The more he declared the happier he became and with uplifted hands, he entered into praise.  So you see, he went from thanksgiving to praise.

Let’s look at the letters and see what we learn.

Yod 10 = The outcome or completion of something. Means: Hand, Right Arm, Power, Right hand of God’s power, a Deed Done, To Work, to Cover, Allow, Hollow, Open Hand 

Dallet  4 =  Earth or creation.  Means: Door, Gate, Impoverished man,

Hey  5 = Grace.  Means: Revelation – 5 is the number of Torah, Behold, Give Attention – (at the end of a word: comes from letter before)

(Dallet) When the impoverished man comes through the Door (Yeshua) he receives grace and revelation (Hey) of God’s right hand of supernatural power (Yod) to cover him, God’s goodness and he raises his hands in praise. (Hey)

David penned Psalm 32 with this in mind: verses 1-5

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
⁵ I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

 

Psalm 50:23 Whoever offers praise (the word praise here is thanksgiving) glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”

(Do you see the connection between thanksgiving and repentance.  Repentance is turning from our sin and re-aligning ourselves with God and His word.)

Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Lastly, take a look at this psalm.  It is declaring the attributes of God.

Psalm 95:1-7 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
³ For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
⁴ In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
⁵ The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
⁷ For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.

May you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  As you stop to consider the things we have to be thankful for, don’t forget to thank God for who He is.

Here is the link to the video teaching.