S) "17 To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I shall pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,"
Psalm 116:17-18 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Psalm 116
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Psalm 116
O) These verses answer the question posed in v.12, about how to respond to the goodness of the LORD. This is the outcome of a life saved, as we read in the first part of this Psalm. In the Old Testament context, a sacrifice of thanksgiving was a literally sacrificing an animal, and this was a sacrifice to God aside from sacrifices of atonement. Likewise, there were many vows that people made to God, that were literally and physically done, like a Nazarene vow, or vowing a child to God (both of which we see in the life of Samuel the prophet).
A) The concept of sacrifice is integral to what Christianity really is. Christ died as the sacrifice that atones for sins, once for all. Before that, He instructed His disciples to serve one another, teaching that the last will be first and the first will be last. There are lots of Scriptures about what it means to sacrifice for others, preferring our neighbors more than ourselves, or sacrificially giving to support ministry. But, what does it mean to sacrifice to God under the New Testament? Perhaps the most clear answer comes from Romans 12:1, that I am to offer my body as a living sacrifice. That is my spiritual (or rational) service of worship to God. The next application is to repay my vows to the LORD, but first I need to know what (if anything) I have vowed to Him. Jesus actually addressed this much more directly. In Matthew 5:33-37, He said not to make oaths at all, but to let our statements be, "Yes, yes" or "No, no" because anything more than that is of evil. That was specifically His response to the concept of fulfilling vows to the LORD. With that in mind, in my youth I certainly made many promises to God and I invariably broke them all, eventually. I think maybe that is why Jesus was so sternly against that in the first place. Giving to God is one thing, but to take an oath and vow something to God is well beyond my ability to ensure. Furthermore, God doesn't want my promises, but my obedience. He knows how and when I will fail, and saying something special before I commit to doing something, will not convince God that I will do it (He already knows whether or not I will be successful in my obedience!). So then, instead of paying my vows to the LORD, under the new covenant I really just need to be committed to obedience, to being a disciple of Christ, and to submitting myself to His authority to live my life as He dictates. This is my response to Jesus Christ saving my life.
P) Father, You brought me from death to life. In Your good grace, I am alive. Help me to dwell on that truth. Help me to walk in an awareness of that, so my life is affected by it. This is the truth of Your Word, that I was redeemed at a price. Still, I confess that I have been disobedient. In my selfishness and shortsighted flesh, I have sinned. Please forgive me again, God. Father, I need Your discipline. I need to be trained to be holy as You are holy. Cleanse me again, God. Create in me a clean heart, to put no false god where only You belong. May the Holy Spirit be upon my life richly, all to the glory of Your name, Lord. Heal my spirit, and restore my strength, that I may be used for Your purposes. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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