He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.
And to him who orders his way aright,
I shall show the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23
Asaph wrote this song about God’s self-sufficiency. In it he reminds us that God’s desire is not the sacrifice of bulls and goats, but of thanksgiving. Its true, that God has no need of animal sacrifices, for He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We do well to realize that when we give, serve and sacrifice to the God of the Universe, its more for our benefit than His. He seems far more concerned with our priorities (and that He is the first and foremost in our heart) than what we sacrifice to Him.
What then, can I offer God? What do You give someone who has everything? What’s it like when you own the cattle on one thousand hills? God owns it all. So, I will give Him my heart!
God, its a timely reminder, that as I give unto You, its a reminder that all I have has come from Your hand. Sometimes I think that the cattle on a thousand hills are speaking of Your great resources that can be made available to me. How self-centered is my thinking? The cattle on one thousand hills are certainly Yours. They stand as a symbol of Your self-sufficiency and a reminder that You have given me a free will that can be presented to You and conformed to Your image. It doing this, I will be offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving that honors You. This is salvation.
