What Must Die: Making sense of Psalm 50:14
Death. Sacrifice. And thanksgiving?
“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.”
—Psalm 50:14 NLT
“Make thankfulness your sacrifice.” I scratched my head over that phrase for a bit, pondering the ways gratitude could be a sacrifice in the way the Old Testament describes it. The Hebrew word for ‘sacrifice’ is zabach
to slaughter for sacrifice
Leviticus prescribes animals be slaughtered for sacrifice on the altar. The sacrificial death depicted the death Jesus Christ would die on our behalves one day at Calvary. We make small sacrifices in our daily lives, concessions for the benefit of another. For example, perhaps we sacrifice career advancement for the purpose of being available for family dinners. Or maybe we sacrifice an extra hour of sleep so we can attend the sporting event of someone we love. One thing dies so that another might live. But I couldn’t make sense of slaughtering thankfulness.
As I’ve reflected on this verse, it occurs to me that what must be subjected to death is our sense of entitlement. My sinful flesh has selfishness coursing through its veins. Only when the ugliness of my own covetous ways is put to death can gratitude be laid on the altar before our God.