Origins of Thanksgiving in Old Testament

A little boy went to a birthday party. On his return, his mother asked, “Bobby, did you thank your friend’s mother for the party?”

“Well, I was going to,” he said, “but the girl ahead of me said, ‘Thank you,’ and the lady told her, ‘Don’t mention it.’ So I didn’t.”

This is a time for us to mention it, to give thanks to God for all of the many blessings that he has given to us. We have just celebrated Thanksgiving Day, and we are reminded to thank God not only for the big things of life, but also for the little things. Not only for love...God’s great love for all humanity...the great love found for our children and grandchildren...the love that we have for friends. But this is a time in which we are also grateful for the little things. For a baby’s smile...a gigantic hug from your child...for children’s pictures on your bedroom wall...for a phone call...a letter...an email…a text message…a conversation with an old friend. Precious moments. In the ordinary circumstances of life. Yes, we are thankful to God not only for the big things, but the little, everyday blessings of life.

The origins of Thanksgiving are to be found in the Old Testament. 4,500 years ago, the Jews had a festival of ingathering after the harvest. It was very similar to our Thanksgiving. In the book of Leviticus, God says: “When you have gathered the fruit of the land in the fall, you shall have a great feast to the Lord...and be happy for seven days.”

And so, like the Jews of old, we remember to thank God for his abundant blessings that He has showered upon us.

Thanksgiving in the United States can be traced to the 1600’s when a Pilgrim leader, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of feasting to celebrate the first harvest after a long year of suffering. What you may not know is that, as the colonies grew more prosperous, the people forgot all about Thanksgiving.

We can learn a lot from this example of history. Of people turning to God when things are not going so well, and then forgetting all about God when blessings abound, not giving God the thanks. But there is something good about giving thanks. Giving thanks reminds us just how blessed we are. This is not to say that you and I do not have problems. We do, but for most of us, our blessings far outweigh our burdens.

So we focus on our blessings, and not on our burdens. Giving thanks reminds us just how blessed we are. Giving thanks reminds us of the source of our blessings. Giving thanks reminds us how much God loves us.

We need Thanksgiving to remind us of our blessings. But, let’s make it more than a one day a year experience. We can thank God every day for his many blessings.