{"id":33755,"date":"2024-11-27T23:48:41","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T06:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2024-twofathers-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-11-28T00:00:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T07:00:22","slug":"2024-why","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2024-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Give Thanks?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: right;\">By Dr. Nicholas Schaser<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Thanksgiving&#8221; in Leviticus<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As with the modern Thanksgiving holiday, the ancient offering of \u201cthanks\u201d (\u05ea\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4; todah) included various foods. The thanksgiving sacrifice originates in Leviticus. God says that the priest \u201cshall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice (\u05d6\u05d1\u05d7 \u05d4\u05ea\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4; zevach hatodah) unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour\u201d (Lev 7:12).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33756 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/give-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/give-1-1.jpg 512w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/give-1-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/give-1-1-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/give-1-1-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/give-1-1-180x180.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In Israelite worship, meals were events in which God and the people participated together, and they signified the divine presence among the congregation. God commands the priests to \u201cset the bread of the presence (\u05dc\u05d7\u05dd \u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd; lechem panim) on the table before me regularly\u201d (Exodus 25:30), and the Lord even partakes in the sacrificial meal when the scent of the burnt offering ascends as a \u201cpleasing aroma\u201d (\u05e8\u05d9\u05d7 \u05e0\u05d9\u05d7\u05d7; reach nihoach; e.g., Genesis 8:21; Leviticus 1:9). These ancient communal feasts underscored the depth of Israel\u2019s thankfulness to God.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33757 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/bee5-80x80.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/bee5-80x80.gif 80w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/bee5-36x36.gif 36w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/bee5-180x180.gif 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Thanksgiving&#8221; in Psalms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Psalms provide many songs of thanksgiving, and several of them speak to God\u2019s enduring presence. For instance, Psalm 100 declares, \u201cServe the Lord with gladness; come into his presence (\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5; panav) with singing&#8230;. Enter his gates with thanksgiving (\u05ea\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4; todah), and his courts with praise. Give thanks (\u05d4\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5; hodu) to him; bless his name!\u201d (100:2, 4).<br \/>\nLiterally, the Hebrew for \u201cpresence\u201d (\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5; panav) means \u201cface,\u201d which shows that the psalmist offers thanksgiving with the expectation of seeing God in the Temple.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, offering of thanksgiving was an opportunity for fellowship between those on earth and in heaven. The psalmist tells God, \u201cI will offer to you the thanksgiving sacrifice (\u05d6\u05d1\u05d7 \u05d4\u05ea\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4; zevach hatodah) and call on the name of the Lord&#8230;. I will pay my vows to the Lord with all his people\u201d (Ps 116:17-18). Giving thanks is the communal activity of praising God\u2019s perpetual presence.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33758 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/give-2-1-e1732777193245.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":33756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"portfolio_entries":[29],"class_list":["post-33755","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_entries-29"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/33755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/portfolio"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33755"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/33755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33759,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/33755\/revisions\/33759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33755"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_entries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_entries?post=33755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}