O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
Psalm 105 is a psalm of remembrance, recounting the LORD’s faithfulness from Abraham through Israel’s deliverance. It calls God’s people not only to recall history, but to respond rightly to it. This opening verse gives a threefold duty: thanksgiving, prayer, and proclamation. When God’s works are understood, they must be answered with praise, dependence, and testimony.
“O give thanks unto the LORD.” Thanksgiving is the first response to God’s works. It acknowledges Him as the source of all good and confesses His mercy and faithfulness. As the psalmist elsewhere declares, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 106:1). Gratitude guards the heart from pride and forgetfulness. Israel’s repeated failure was not ignorance only, but ingratitude. Therefore, the call to give thanks is foundational to right worship.
This thanksgiving is directed “unto the LORD,” the name of God, who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the most high, but unto Moses as Jehovah. It is not vague gratitude, but worship according to who God is and what He has done. As the psalmist elsewhere taught, “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). When David brought up the ark, he first commanded, “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people” (1 Chronicles 16:8), showing that this duty has long marked the worship of God’s people. All praise must return to Him.
“Call upon his name.” This is the language of prayer and dependence. To call upon His name is to seek Him, trust Him, and draw near unto Him for help. The same God who has acted in the past is to be sought in the present. This psalm itself continues, “Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore” (v.4). Thanksgiving looks back; calling upon His name looks upward and forward.
This also shows that remembrance should lead to reliance. It is not enough to recount what God has done; we must seek Him to act again. The God who remembered His covenant with Abraham is the same God to be sought by us. The fathers walked in this way, for Abraham “called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 13:4), and Isaac likewise “called upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 26:25). Therefore, praise and prayer belong together, for those who remember His works should also seek His face.
“Make known his deeds among the people.” The works of God are not to be hidden. What He has done for His people must be declared publicly and passed on to others. As the psalmist says elsewhere, “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD” (Psalm 78:4). When the LORD delivered Israel, He said it was “that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.” (Exodus 10:2). God’s deeds are to be spoken of among all people, not confined to private memory.
This includes both His works in Israel and His greater works in Christ. The gospel is the chief declaration of His deeds, for in it is revealed His righteousness, mercy, and power to save. As the apostle writes, “But we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Thus, the command extends to all nations, that they may know what God has done.
This threefold duty shows the full response of a right heart: thankful toward God, dependent upon God, and declaring God. Many give thanks but do not pray; others pray but do not speak; others speak but lack gratitude. Scripture joins all three.
This verse sets forth the proper response to the LORD’s works: to thank Him, seek Him, and declare Him. Therefore, let the believer not forget His benefits, but return praise continually, call upon Him in every need, and make His works known to others. As the psalmist declares, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2), and again, “That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations” (Psalm 67:2).
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
Psalm 105 is a psalm of remembrance, recounting the LORD’s faithfulness from Abraham through Israel’s deliverance. It calls God’s people not only to recall history, but to respond rightly to it. This opening verse gives a threefold duty: thanksgiving, prayer, and proclamation. When God’s works are understood, they must be answered with praise, dependence, and testimony.
“O give thanks unto the LORD.” Thanksgiving is the first response to God’s works. It acknowledges Him as the source of all good and confesses His mercy and faithfulness. As the psalmist elsewhere declares, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 106:1). Gratitude guards the heart from pride and forgetfulness. Israel’s repeated failure was not ignorance only, but ingratitude. Therefore, the call to give thanks is foundational to right worship.
This thanksgiving is directed “unto the LORD,” the name of God, who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the most high, but unto Moses as Jehovah. It is not vague gratitude, but worship according to who God is and what He has done. As the psalmist elsewhere taught, “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). When David brought up the ark, he first commanded, “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people” (1 Chronicles 16:8), showing that this duty has long marked the worship of God’s people. All praise must return to Him.
“Call upon his name.” This is the language of prayer and dependence. To call upon His name is to seek Him, trust Him, and draw near unto Him for help. The same God who has acted in the past is to be sought in the present. This psalm itself continues, “Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore” (v.4). Thanksgiving looks back; calling upon His name looks upward and forward.
This also shows that remembrance should lead to reliance. It is not enough to recount what God has done; we must seek Him to act again. The God who remembered His covenant with Abraham is the same God to be sought by us. The fathers walked in this way, for Abraham “called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 13:4), and Isaac likewise “called upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 26:25). Therefore, praise and prayer belong together, for those who remember His works should also seek His face.
“Make known his deeds among the people.” The works of God are not to be hidden. What He has done for His people must be declared publicly and passed on to others. As the psalmist says elsewhere, “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD” (Psalm 78:4). When the LORD delivered Israel, He said it was “that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.” (Exodus 10:2). God’s deeds are to be spoken of among all people, not confined to private memory.
This includes both His works in Israel and His greater works in Christ. The gospel is the chief declaration of His deeds, for in it is revealed His righteousness, mercy, and power to save. As the apostle writes, “But we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Thus, the command extends to all nations, that they may know what God has done.
This threefold duty shows the full response of a right heart: thankful toward God, dependent upon God, and declaring God. Many give thanks but do not pray; others pray but do not speak; others speak but lack gratitude. Scripture joins all three.
This verse sets forth the proper response to the LORD’s works: to thank Him, seek Him, and declare Him. Therefore, let the believer not forget His benefits, but return praise continually, call upon Him in every need, and make His works known to others. As the psalmist declares, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2), and again, “That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations” (Psalm 67:2).