Latest / Reformed Thinking / Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving (Psalm 100) | Charles Spurgeon

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Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving (Psalm 100) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reform Thinking. We are.
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We are thrilled you could join us today.
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Come pull up a chair right here with us.
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You are the third person in the room for a very specific,
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intensive investigation into the text.
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I am very glad to be here today. Our target is Psalm 100.
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We are looking at Charles Spurgeon's massive multi volume
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work The Treasury of David. Yes, and specifically we are
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focusing on his exposition, his explanatory notes, and the
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quaint sayings he collected from various theologians regarding
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this famous doxology. Our mission today is to unpack
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the theological weight, the historical context, and the
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daily application of this passage.
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And we will be looking at all of this through the lens of
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Reformed theology and the Westminster Confession.
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We want to make sure we get to the core of these ideas without
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getting bogged down and information overload.
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So settle in, because we are going to walk through this verse
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by verse, discovering how a Psalm written thousands of years
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ago speaks directly to your daily life right now.
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Let us look at the unique inscription first.
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Psalm 100 is the only Psalm in the entire collection bearing
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the precise title a Psalm of Praise, or, as some translators
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render it, a Psalm of Thanksgiving.
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Spurgeon notes with great enthusiasm that the text is
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entirely ablaze with grateful adoration.
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I mean, out of 150 psalms, this is the solitary 1 explicitly
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designated in this specific way. The historical and liturgical
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background of that specific title gives us a massive clue
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about how this text functioned in ancient Israel.
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Right. If we look at the notes from
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Samuel Berger, he points out a very specific contextual
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reality. He does.
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This song was likely sung when the sacrifices of Thanksgiving
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were actively being offered in the temple.
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He references Leviticus Chapter 7, verse 12, which details the
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peace offering. As those familiar with the
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Levitical system know, the peace offering was not given for the
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expiation of sin. It was purely an expression of
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gratitude. So picture the sensory reality
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of that ancient scene. You have worshippers bringing
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their offerings, acknowledging the goodness of Jehovah.
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You have the smell of the altar, the gathering of the community.
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And as that physical sacrifice was being prepared, this
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specific Psalm was the accompanying soundtrack.
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The Greeks even believed it was written by David to invite the
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entire world to join the Israelites in recognizing the
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divine sovereignty of God. It was not intended to be a
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localized song for a regional event.
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It was a universal summons tied to a very physical act of
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gratitude. That universal summons actually
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fits into a much larger structural picture within the
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Psalter itself. When you look at JJS Peron's
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commentary from the sources, he views Psalms 93 through 99 as
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one continuous prophetic oratorio.
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He calls this massive musical sequence Jehovah is King.
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When you read those preceding Psalms, you hear this building
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swelling theme of God's universal reign being
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established over the earth. And then we hit Psalm 100.
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Peron describes this specific Psalm as the grand doxology that
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closes that entire musical strain.
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It breathes this massive gladness and is filled with the
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hope that all nations, absolutely everyone, will bow
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down to him. To capture this feeling, the
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speaker's commentary uses a brilliant metaphor.
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It compares this promise of Christianity contained in Psalm
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100 to winter holding the promise of spring.
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You know that specific feeling when the clouds are heavy with
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rain, the light soil is ready, the sun is shining in its
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strength, and you are just waiting for a S wind to bring
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new life to everything. Yes, that is the prophetic
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tension of this doxology. That tension and release has
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resonated through centuries of church history, generating a
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massive musical legacy. Spurgeon points out how this
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Psalm has been a favorite for God's people as long as there
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have been loyal subjects to the great King.
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We have the famous old 100th which remains a staple in the
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Christian Church today. We have Isaac Watts majestic
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paraphrase, beginning before Jehovah's awful throne.
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And the classic Scottish version.
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All people that on earth do dwell.
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Spurgeon even mentions Tate and Brady rising beyond their usual
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standard when they translated it for congregational use.
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But the historical note from Ingram Cobbin adds another
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fascinating layer to this musical heritage.
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Cobbin notes that Martin Luther immortalized his name by writing
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the majestic air and harmony for this Psalm.
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Cobbin says Luther's arrangement when some in a truly worshipping
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frame seems to bring heaven down to earth and raise earth to
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heaven. It gives believers in
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anticipation of that pure sublime delight of the General
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Assembly and glory. The theology is carried by the
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harmony uniting the voice of the Church across centuries and
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continents. That concept of heaven brought
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to earth introduces the very first verse perfectly.
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Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
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Let us look at that phrase joyful noise for a moment.
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Spurgeon defines this original word not as a pleasant melody,
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but as a glad shout. He compares it to the
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spontaneous, overwhelming shout that loyal subjects give when
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their king suddenly appears among them.
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It is an involuntary, joyful roar of recognition.
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He argues that our happy God should be worshipped by a happy
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people because a cheerful spirit aligns entirely with his nature
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and his acts. Every land sees Jehovah's
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goodness, so every land should offer this glad shout.
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Spurgeon issues a striking statement here about the future
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of the world based on this verse.
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He says the world will never reach its proper condition
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until, with one unanimous shout, it adores the only God.
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The world's golden age is waiting for all nations to
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Revere him. Spurgeon's point about the
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Golden Age, waiting on this unanimous reverence reflects the
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core theological stance that God is not a tribal deity.
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Right, He is the sovereign ruler over every square inch of
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creation. A call for all lands to make a
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glad shout is a prophetic declaration of God's rightful
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ownership. Every nation, every culture,
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every individual owes this glad homage because his sovereign
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certainty is universal. In Reformed thought, recognizing
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God's absolute authority is not a burden, it is the source of
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true human flourishing. The rebellion of the nations is
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seen as a tragic anomaly, an unnatural state of blindness.
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The joyful noise, that glad shout of the loyal subjects, is
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the sound of creation functioning the way it was
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designed to function. It is acknowledging the
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absolute, uncontested kingship of Jehovah.
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How does this universal call actually influence how we
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approach our times of corporate worship?
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That brings us to verse 2. Carry out your duties to the
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Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with
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singing. Let us look at that first
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instruction regarding gladness. Spurgeon uses a brilliant
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analogy here. He says the invitation to
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worship is not a melancholy one. We are not being called to a
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funeral solemnity. Instead, it is a cheery,
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glansome exhortation, as though we were bidden to a marriage
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feast. So often people conflate
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reverence with misery. They assume that to be solemn
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and serious about God, you must be gloomy.
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But Spurgeon vehemently rejects that posture.
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He says we must come before him, not with weepings and wailings,
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but with psalms and hymns. Our approach must not be
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performed in the servility of fear.
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To add to this, Thomas Watson has a beautiful insight.
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He says it is a sign that the oil of grace has been poured
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into the heart, when the oil of gladness shines on the
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countenance. Watson states that cheerfulness
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actually credits religion. It makes the truth of the gospel
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visible and attractive to the watching world.
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The contrast between servile fear and genuine gladness is a
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critical distinction for anyone holding to the Westminster
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Confession. Servile fear is the dread of a
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slave anticipating punishment. Whereas the gladness Burgeon and
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Watson describe flows from filial awe, the joyful reverence
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of a child for a loving father. This naturally extends into the
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second part of verse 2, regarding singing as a constant
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approach to God. Spurgeon issues a very strong
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rebuke to anyone who forbids singing in public worship.
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He calls it a Riddle he cannot solve, wondering how any Society
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of brethren could find it in their hearts to suppress such a
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joyous exercise. He leans on Doctor Isaac Watts
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to make his point, quoting the famous lines.
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Let those refuse to sing, who never knew our God, but
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favorites of the heavenly King must speak his praise abroad.
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For Spurgeon, the measured, harmonious, hearty utterance of
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praise by a congregation is not an optional extra.
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It is delightful and necessary. It is an actual fit anticipation
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of the worship of heaven. In that eternal state, he notes,
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praise will absorb prayer, becoming the sole mode of
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adoration. That anticipation of heaven does
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not stop when the church service ends.
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This is where George Bone's perspective completely shifts
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the paradigm. Bowen takes his command to carry
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out our duties with gladness and applies it to the most mundane
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aspects of human existence. He says it is our privilege to
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please the Lord in all things, even in something as simple as
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losing the latchet of a shoe. We can enjoy the expression of
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his favor right there in that tiny everyday action.
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Bond paints a picture of a believer who is not hired for
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occasional tasks. We are not punching a time clock
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for God. We abide in the employ of our
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Master continuously. Whether a person eats, drinks,
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sleeps, walks, talks, or even finds recreation, it is all done
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by way of honoring God. Bowen's analogy of the dejected
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worker is incredibly convicting when you apply it to your daily
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routine. He asks if you could bear to be
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waited upon by a worker who goes moping and dejected to his every
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task. His conclusion is that you would
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rather have no worker at all than one who evidently finds the
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work cheerless and irksome. Applying this to our
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relationship with God, if we carry out our daily obligations
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with a constant spirit of dejection and resentment, we are
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fundamentally misrepresenting our Master.
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Whether that is managing a household, crunching numbers in
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an office, or interacting with our neighbors.
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Notice that joy is inextricably linked to glorification.
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When we approach our daily vocations with a settled, deep
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seated gladness, we are testifying to the goodness of
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God's Providence over our specific life circumstances.
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The oil of gladness changes the very nature of our everyday
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labor, turning ordinary tasks into acts of fragrant worship.
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Let us shift from the posture of our worship to the intellectual
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foundation of our faith. We are looking at verse 3.
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Know ye that the Lord He is God? Spurgeon lays down a massive
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marker here. He insists that our worship must
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be intelligent. We must know whom we worship and
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why we are doing it. He references the famous ancient
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aphorism Man Know Thyself, and says that while that is wise,
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knowing our God is truer wisdom. In fact, Spurgeon finds it
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highly questionable whether a person can actually know
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themselves at all until they first know their God.
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Knowing Jehovah in his exclusive character as God alone, and
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proving that knowledge through obedience, trust, submission,
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zeal, and love is an attainment that only grace can bestow.
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You cannot work up this knowledge on your own.
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It requires divine illumination to practically recognize His
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Godhead and offer acceptable praise.
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David Dixon builds on that necessity of divine grace by
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pointing out our inherent resistance to this truth.
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Dixon observes that from this exportation, to know that the
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Lord he is God, we learn a hard truth about human nature.
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We suffer from what he calls natural atheism.
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Because of this inherent condition, we require constant
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instruction again and again, and that the Lord is God, and that
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of Him, through Him and for Him are all things.
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Dixon is pointing St. to our total depravity.
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Here, as those who hold to the confession, we know the mind is
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affected by the fall, but Dixon phrases it as this stubborn
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internal atheism. Our natural disposition is to
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suppress the truth of God's sovereignty.
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Therefore, the command to know is not about gathering
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intellectual data. It is a call to actively fight
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against our internal resistance through the constant application
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of God's truth to our minds and hearts.
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We need to be repeatedly instructed because our default
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setting is to forget our creator and assume ownership of our own
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lives. That assumption of ownership is
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precisely what Spurgeon tackles next, and he does not hold back.
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He looks at the phrase, It is he that hath made us, and not we
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ourself. Spurgeon highlights how some men
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live as if they actually made themselves.
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They proudly claim the title of self-made men, and in doing so,
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they end up adoring their supposed creators, which is just
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themselves. But believers recognize the true
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origin of their being. They take absolutely no honor to
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themselves for existing or for being what they are.
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Spurgeon says the disclaiming honor for ourselves is, as
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necessary a part of true reverence as ascribing glory to
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the Lord. We dare not put even a single
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finger upon the glory, for it is the sole, right and property of
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the Almighty. The believers perpetual
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confession is not unto us, O Lord.
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Spurgeon directly addresses the philosophical arguments of his
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day concerning origins to drive this point home.
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To maintain strict impartiality, we are simply reporting
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Spurgeon's viewpoint from the text provided here.
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Spurgeon critiques the philosophy of development from
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atoms or natural selection, which posits that things have
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essentially made themselves. He argues that if this theory
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ever signs believers, there will remain no reason to accuse
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superstitious people of credulity.
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From his perspective, the amount of credence necessary to accept
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the dogma that floating atoms fashion themselves over a long
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chain of natural selections is a thousandfold greater than the
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belief required for absurd superstitions.
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Like winking Madonna's and smiling bambinos.
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He states that he finds it far easier to believe that the Lord
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made us. Spurgeon's stance is rooted in
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the conviction that any philosophy attributing the
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origin of life to unguided natural processes fundamentally
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contradicts the revelation of God's exclusive creative
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prerogative. To understand how exhaustive
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that creative prerogative really is, we need to look at David
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Clarkson's systematic breakdown. Clarkson outlines A4 point
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theological framework regarding God's property in all things,
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and it is incredibly detailed. First, Clarkson points out that
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God made all things for himself. He was not employed by anyone
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else to make the world for another owner.
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He undertook and finished the work for his own purposes and
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glory. He did not build this universe
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and then hand the keys over to humanity as if we were the
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primary beneficiaries. The entire structure exists for
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His glory alone. That first point sets the stage
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for the second, which is creation X Nilo out of nothing.
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Clarkson uses the analogy of a Potter to illustrate this.
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A Potter might form a clay vessel, but if the clay belongs
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to someone else, the Potter is not the full owner.
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The form is his, but the matter is in others.
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If the owner of the clay demands his material back, the Potters
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form is destroyed. But because God created out of
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nothing, he owns the matter and the form entirely.
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There is no pre-existing material that he had to
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negotiate with or borrow. This absolute origination of
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both the substance and the design gives him an uncontested
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claim over every atom in the universe.
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Clarkson's Third Point emphasizes the solitary nature
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of this work. He notes that God made all
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things without the help or concurrence of any other.
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There was absolutely no assistant cooperating with him
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in the work of creation. Often those who assist in making
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something can claim a share of ownership in the final product.
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A builder who works alongside an architect has some claim to the
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labor put into the house, but that claim does not exist here.
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The Lord alone did all of it, so all of it is exclusively His.
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There is no secondary party who can demand recognition or a
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share of the glory for how the universe was constructed.
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The fourth point is perhaps the most staggering for our daily
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reality. Clarkson notes that God upholds
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all things every single moment in the exact same manner as he
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created them. He continues their being.
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He does this of himself without any external support.
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If he did not actively bear them up every moment, all things
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would fall into nothing in an instant.
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This is the doctrine of Providence, and it is crucial we
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are not wound up like a clock and left to tick on our own.
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Our existence and our well-being are derived from Him
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continuously. Every breath you take is
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actively sustained by the will of the Creator.
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This continuous upholding cements His total unyielding
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ownership over us. How does this theological
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concept of God's absolute ownership provide comfort when
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the rubber meets the road in real life?
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The sources give us 2 incredible historical anecdotes that make
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this very concrete. The first comes from the year
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1237, recorded by Roger of Wendover.
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Emperor Henry was out hunting on King Kojisima Sunday, which is
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the Sunday right before Ash Wednesday for those keeping
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track of the liturgical calendar.
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He gets separated from his companions and comes unattended
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to the edge of a wood. He sees a church, goes in,
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feigns being a simple soldier and requests some ass.
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The priest there was known for his piety, but he was so
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physically deformed that this historical account says he
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seemed more like a monster than a man.
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The Emperor was actually wondering why God would permit
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someone so physically unappealing to administer
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sacraments. But then the service begins.
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A boy is chanting the passage, Know ye that the Lord he's God?
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And he sings it negligently. This deformed priest stops,
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rebukes the boy loudly and sings with a booming voice.
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It is he that has made us and not we ourselves.
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The emperor is so struck by the priest's piety and his complete
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joyful submission to the fact that God made him exactly as he
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was, that he elevates this priest to the Archbishop Brick
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of Cologne. The priest's acceptance of
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divine ownership completely transcended his physical
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reality. The second historical anecdote
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brings an immense emotional weight to this doctrine of
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ownership. We read a note from F Delich
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regarding the Protestant reformer of Philip Malanthon.
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In July of 1559, Malanthon was in Dresden, standing
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disconsolately sorrowful over the dead body of his son.
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In that moment of agonizing grief, Dilich notes that
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Melanthon drew massive consolation from this exact
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phrase. He made us and we are his.
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In the face of death and loss, the realization that the creator
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is also the owner brought an anchor to his soul.
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Dilich points out there is a rich mind of comfort here
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because the creator's heart clings to his creature.
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The creature owes its entire existence to him.
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When Melanthon looked at his son, he found solace in the fact
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that his son belonged entirely to the God who made him.
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A God whose love and ownership super sees even the finality of
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physical death. That picture of Melanxon finding
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such intense comfort in God's ownership is incredibly moving.
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But it makes me wonder, if God's ownership provides that kind of
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comfort in our darkest moments, how does it dictate our posture
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moving forward? We look at verse 4.
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Enter into his gates with Thanksgiving, and into His
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course with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless
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His name. Spurgeon points out that the
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word Thanksgiving occurring right here is likely where the
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Psalm gets its title. Says that in all our public
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gatherings the rendering of thanks must abound.
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He uses this beautiful imagery of the temple, saying our
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gratitude should be like the incense that completely filled
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the whole house with smoke. As long as we are receivers of
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mercy, we are obligated to be givers of thanks.
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And then he talks about moving into the courts, into whatever
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court of the Lord you enter. Your admission should be the
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subject of praise. Thanks be to God, the innermost
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court is now open to believers. We actually enter into that
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which is within the veil and we must acknowledge that high
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privilege with our songs. Jewish scholarship recognized a
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massive shift in the nature of these sacrifices, which ties
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directly into our access to that innermost court.
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George Phillips quotes the bold claim of Rabbi Manakshan
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regarding the Hebrew word used for the sacrifice of
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Thanksgiving in Leviticus. Rabbi Men actions stated all
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sacrifices will be abolished, but the sacrifice of
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Thanksgiving will remain. This insight is monumental.
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The expiatory sacrifices, the offerings required to cover sin,
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have reached their end. The ultimate sacrifice of Christ
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on the Cross fulfilled and abolished the need for any
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further expiatory offerings. Because the penalty has been
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paid, the veil is torn and the innermost court is permanently
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open to the believer. However, the sacrifice of
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Thanksgiving is never out of date.
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It remains as the perpetual, eternal response of the
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redeemed. Our access is secured by grace
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and our continual response is gratitude.
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That gratitude is not supposed to be conditional on our
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circumstances. Spurgeon gives a very direct
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instruction on how to apply the end of verse 4.
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Bless his name. He tells the reader to bless
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God's name, his character and his person.
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Whatever God does, you must be sure to bless Him for it.
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And here is the challenging part, Spurgeon says.
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We must bless him when he takes away as well as when He gives.
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We are commanded to bless him as long as we live under absolutely
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all circumstances. And to bless him and all his
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attributes from whatever point of view we consider him.
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This sounds simple enough when reading a commentary, but living
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it out requires a massive shift in how we view our trials.
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Why should you, the listener, care care about this level of
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unconditional gratitude? Because true gratitude is not
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dependent on your shifting external circumstances.
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If your thankfulness rises and falls based on your current
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financial status, your health, or your relational success, it
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is incredibly fragile. But the command here roots
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gratitude in the unchangeable character of God.
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You can bless him when he takes away because his nature remains
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constant. Your anchor is not the gift, it
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is the giver. Recognizing this protects the
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believer from the despair that comes when earthly circumstances
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inevitably crumble. It provides a stable, resilient
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foundation for the mind, knowing that the God who permitted the
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loss is the same, infinitely good God who provides the breath
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in your lungs. That unchangeable character of
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God is the massive crescendo of this entire text.
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Let. Us look at verse 5, the final
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verse. For the Lord is good, His mercy
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is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations.
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Spurgeon says this single verse sums up God's entire character
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and contains a mountain of reasons for our praise.
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He is good, gracious, kind, bountiful, loving.
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God is love. Spurgeon even states that anyone
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who does not praise the good is not good himself.
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The kind of joy and gladness demanded in the previous verses
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is perfectly urged upon us by this final argument regarding
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the essential goodness of God. And regarding his mercy, God is
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not stern, cold justice, His bells of compassion.
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Towards his own people, this mercy is conspicuously
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displayed. It has been theirs from all
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eternity and will be theirs, world without end.
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Matthew Henry synthesizes the attributes of Jehovah found in
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these verses into 7 distinct points.
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This provides a brilliant structural framework for
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understanding exactly who we are worshipping.
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First, He is the only living and true God, infinitely perfect and
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self existent. This separates him from the dead
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idols of the surrounding nations. 2nd He is our creator,
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the derived source of our being. We did not conjure ourselves
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into existence. Third, he is our rightful owner
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precisely because he made us out of nothing.
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We are his property. Henry's fourth point is that he
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is our sovereign ruler, the governor who gives laws to us as
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moral agents and will call us to account.
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He does not just own us and leave us be, He actively governs
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our actions. 5th He is our bountiful benefactor.
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He takes care of us as the sheep of His pasture, providing for
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our physical and spiritual needs. 6th.
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He is a God of infinite mercy and goodness.
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His governance is not tyrannical, it's characterized
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by deep compassion for his flock.
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And Henry's seventh point is that he's a God of inviolable
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truth and faithfulness. No word of His will ever fall to
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the ground as antiquated or revoked.
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Understanding these seven points guards the mind against creating
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a lesser localized version of God that caters to our modern
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preferences. When we grasp his inviolable
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truth, we understand that his promises are not subject to the
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shifting winds of human culture or personal failure.
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His truth endures to all generations, meaning the
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covenant he establishes is as secure today as it was when it
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was first spoken. I notice in the notes that
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Spurgeon goes on a massive theological defense here against
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the idea that believers can lose their salvation.
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How exactly does he connect the unchangeable character of God in
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verse 5 to the perseverance of the Saints?
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Spurgeon says that a changeable God would be an absolute terror
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to the righteous. If God were a fickle being,
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promising something and then forgetting it, believers would
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have no sure anchorage. Amid a constantly changing
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world, they would be driven to and fro and perpetual fear of
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shipwreck. Spurgeon states that it would be
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well if the truth of divine faithfulness were more fully
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remembered by some theologians. Because it would completely
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overturn their belief in the final fall of believers and
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teach them a much more consolatory system.
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He says. Our heart leaps for joy as we
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bow before One who has never broken His word or changed His
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purpose. He quotes the lines as well.
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Might he his being quit as break his promise or forget?
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Spurgeon is taking direct aim at the Armenian view here.
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He knows that if you compromise on God's immutability in verse
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5, you completely lose the grounds for the perseverance of
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the Saints. The doctrine of the perseverance
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of the Saints is intrinsically tied to the unchanging character
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of God, which is precisely what verse 5 declares.
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His truth endureth to all generations.
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If God's truth and covenant promises could fail based on
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human weakness, then God himself would be changeable.
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But the Reformed view holds that God's electing love and saving
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grace are unilateral and unbreakable.
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He enters into covenant with his people and he will never revoke
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it. As the Father's found him
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faithful, so will the sons and their seed forever.
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Your security is not based on your flawless performance, it is
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based entirely on God never breaking His word or changing
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His purpose. The command to rejoice in verse
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1 is only logically possible if the security outlined in verse 5
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is absolute. The joy of the psalmist is
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fueled by the ironclad guarantee of God's unchangeable truth.
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Let us look back over the massive ground we have covered
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today. We started with a unique title
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and the universal prophetic call for a glad shout from all lands
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acknowledging God's total sovereignty.
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We examine the posture of our worship, realizing that our
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daily duties, even down to the most mundane tasks, are meant to
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be carried out with the gladness of a marriage feast, not the
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gloom of a funeral. We looked at the firm reality of
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God as our sovereign Creator, completely dismantling any
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ideology of self making and resting in His total ownership
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of our lives. We walk through the gates of
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perpetual gratitude, learning to bless His name under all
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circumstances. And finally, we anchored
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ourselves in the secure theological comfort of his
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unchangeable covenant, knowing that His everlasting mercy and
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inviolable truth guarantee our eternal security.
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As we conclude, there is a final thought I want to leave with you
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to Mull over in your own time. It builds on a highly specific
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historical detail from the sources that we haven't touched
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on yet. Daniel Cresswell offers a
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fascinating note about the ancient liturgical practice
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surrounding this Psalm. He suggests that the first part
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of the Psalm was sung by a pre center, essentially the lead
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singer or worship leader who directed the congregation when
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the peace offering was brought to the altar.
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But this final verse, the declaration of God's goodness,
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mercy and truth, might have been the grand response sung by the
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entire company of singers at the exact moment the fire was
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applied to the offering. The climax of the song aligned
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perfectly with the consuming flame.
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So here is the question for you to consider today.
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If true worship requires offering up our own preferences,
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our own perceived ownership of our lives, what specific pieces
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of your daily life are currently waiting on the altar for the
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fire of gratitude to contend them today?
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That is a challenging thought to carry with you.
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Thank you so much for joining us for this intensive look into
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Psalm 100 on Reformed thinking. We love having you in the room
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with us for these discussions. Until next time, keep reading
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and farewell.