The Psalms - Psalm 100
Old Hundredth
by Rev. Jim Jester
November 23, 2025
SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 42:10-12
“Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. 11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.”
INTRODUCTION
Psalm 100 serves as a conclusion (or doxology) to the royal psalms. The well-known metrical tune used in churches since the sixteenth century called, “Old Hundredth,” is often used as a conclusion at some point in the church service. It begins, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Of all the psalms in the collection this rises to the highest pitch of gladness.
The subscript calls it, “A Psalm for Thanksgiving.” This was a hymn of procession, sung by pilgrims as they approached the gates of the temple. It likely was sung at the time of the giving of the thank offering in the temple. The term “thank offering” may also be translated “thanksgiving” or “praise.”
The thank offering or Peace Offering resembled the Meat Offering, and therefore, indicating that the offerer was already reconciled to, and in covenant with, their God. The Peace Offerings, unlike other sacrifices, were not ordained to be offered in a regular and fixed course. The only recurring Peace Offering appears to have been of the two firstling lambs at Pentecost (Lev. 23:19). The general principle of the offerings seems to have been that they were spontaneous and freely offered (Lev. 19:5), as occasion may arise.
“And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which one may offer to the LORD. 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thank offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well mixed with oil. 13 With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with cakes of leavened bread. 14 And of such he shall offer one cake from each offering, as an offering to the LORD; it shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a votive offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the morrow what remains of it shall be eaten, 17 but what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.” (Lev. 7:11-17)
The structure of this psalm gives the impression of two shorter hymns — verses 1-3 and verses 4-5. Apparently verses 1-3 were sung by the worshipers as they approached the Temple, and verses 4-5 were sung in response by a choral group already in the Temple. In each case there is a call to praise followed by the reasons for the call. These reasons constitute a confession of faith.
When the LORD’s kingdom is established, all nations of Israel are invited to offer a sacrifice of praise in Jerusalem: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations [of Israel] shall flow unto it” (Isa. 2:2).
The counterpart of this psalm of praise for us, in New Testament times, is found in Ephesians 1 and Revelation 5 (Eph. 1:3; Rev. 5:1);
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Eph. 1:3-6)
Ultimately, this psalm of thanksgiving will be sung when the Lord takes His rightful place as King over the earth.
THE CALL TO PRAISE (v. 1-3):
“Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Ps. 100:1-3, NKJV)
Make a joyful shout to the LORD: Unlike the several previous psalms, Psalm 100 does not begin with a declaration of God’s sovereignty or character. It begins with the simple exhortation for “all you lands” to praise God with “a joyful shout.” The Hebrew word for shout is rua, meaning to shout for joy or alarm. The KJV translated this as “noise,” which can be misleading; the context here is “singing,” therefore, “shout” is a more accurate translation. The original word rua, signifies a glad shout, such as loyal subjects do when their king appears among them. A “noise” is something your automobile makes when something has gone wrong.
Our Lord Jesus is in our worship. Biblical faith is singing faith.
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” (Jn. 15:11)
“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” (Jn. 16:22)
All you lands: The nations are invited to sing hymns to the Lord and to worship Him; but these are primarily Israel nations (tribes). This call extended far beyond Israel’s borders, for Israel did not stay within her borders. You will remember, she was dispersed in punishment. Other nations may be able to rejoice in the fulfillment of the kingdom of God on earth, but anyone contrary to God’s will must submit to His kingship.
Serve the LORD with gladness: The whole earth is invited to “serve the LORD.” The psalmist likely had in mind the service of worship or other temple rituals, but the principle applies to any service directed to God. Those who serve should do it with gladness. “His yoke is easy, and His burden light” (Matt. 11:30; ref. Rom. 12:1). Worship is intended to remove mankind’s misery and bring them happiness.
Come before His presence with singing: As in many places in the psalms, praise is expressed in song. Singing is not the only way to praise God, but it is the chief way. Perhaps that is why it has always been done in the Church.
Know that the LORD, He is God: We have many reasons to worship the national God, Yahweh, and the reasons begin with the recognition that He is the one true God, by His own Covenant, for the people of Israel.
It is He who has made us: The next reason to worship God is in proper recognition of His work as Creator. We certainly could not have made ourselves, so we worship the One “who has made us.”
“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:6 & 9)
Under the New Covenant, the Christian has another reason for praise—he or she is a new creation in Jesus Christ (II Cor. 5:17).
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture: The third reason to worship God is because He has chosen us as special people, and cares for us as “the sheep of His pasture.” This also confirms that this psalm is in the context of Jacob/Israel.
“As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” (Ez. 34:12)
“Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. 31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ez. 34:30-31)
“But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn. 10:26-27)
In this last verse, Jesus is speaking to the “Jews,” of whom He said were not sheep, were not of Israel. These jews were from another racial mixture (of Edomite extraction), not out of Isaac or any of the 12 tribes of Jacob/Israel.
God’s people stand in a special relationship to Him, namely, as sheep in relation to a shepherd. We see this in the Lord Jesus, who laid down His life for His sheep (Matt. 1:21). He brings them to “His pasture,” where He cares for them with all that is good (Ps. 23:1-6). This verse (Ps. 100:3) is a confession of faith about Israel’s origin. So likewise, “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (Ps. 95:7).
THE WHAT AND WHY OF GIVING THANKS (v. 4-5):
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.” (Ps. 100:4-5, NKJV)
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving: Now the psalmist pictures the people of God from “all you lands” (v. 1) entering through the gates and into the courts of the temple. As they approach, they should do so “with thanksgiving,” recognizing how much God has done for them.
Into His courts with praise: Thanks and praise merge together, as God’s people are thankful and “bless His name.” Under the New Covenant, not only are the gates and courts open, but even the way to the Holy of Holies is thrown open; “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19).
For the LORD is good: Praise is right in recognition of God’s goodness. He is good in His plans, good in His grace, good in His forgiveness, good in His covenant, and good in every aspect of His being.
His mercy is everlasting: The brief psalm ends with God’s unending mercy and truth. These are everlasting reasons to give thanks to God. Mercy is the grace of dealing with those who are weaker than we are, and with those who have wronged us. It also has the idea of “dealing otherwise with us than according to our just deserts.”
His truth endures to all generations: “His truth” here means his faithfulness—the fulfillment of the word or promise that he has spoken. It endures for all generations of Israelites, just as God’s covenant endures. Christians in general, and especially those of the judeo-Christian world, ought to realize that God’s everlasting covenant was only made with one people, not all people. That being the case, there is that consistent sameness of God to all generations of Israel. He always has, and always will be, the faithful Promiser. “Hath he said, and shall he not do it?” (Num. 23:19)
CONCLUSION
F. B. Meyer has commented on Psalm 100:
“If we could enter into the spirit of this psalm, every day would be a Thanksgiving Day. The psalmist invites all the earth to enter into the courts of God’s house with joyful songs. In many of the psalms the minor chords overpower the major ones, and weeping prevails over rejoicing. But this psalm is full of unclouded sunlight. The reason for this gladness is suggested in the words: We are His; His by creation, by providence, and by grace; and His also by the glad consecration of our hearts to His service. We belong to Him by right; it is for us to see to it that we are also His by choice. And His ownership involves His shepherd-care. We are His flock; it is for Him to lead us into green pastures and beside still waters.” (Meyer)
Five Kernels of Corn: A Thanksgiving Tradition
By Nikki Truesdell
The following Thanksgiving story is true, as published in 1622 in the short book “Mourt’s Relation; A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth” (The internet likes to say that this story is a myth, but it’s here in this firsthand account of the Pilgrim’s life in the New World). The book can be found at gutenberg.org.
“On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower dropped anchor in a natural harbor on the inside of the northern tip of Cape Cod. There it stayed. The location was not the Pilgrims’ first choice; they had planned to settle near the mouth of the Hudson.
The area where the ship made landfall had belonged to the Patuxets, a fierce tribe that took intense delight in murdering anyone who would dare invade their territory. A sickness, however, had wiped them out, leaving their land free for the taking. (Other Indians, fearing ‘bad spirits,’ would have no part of it.) The Pilgrims didn’t even have to clear fields for planting. They were already there for them.
The nearest neighbors were the Wampanoags, a civilized tribe ruled by Massasoit. The chief and his people accepted the Pilgrims and helped them. Squanto, a lone survivor of the Patuxets, made his home with the new inhabitants and taught them how to survive in this new and challenging land.
Although the bounty of the summer of 1621 brought a time of heartfelt gratitude (the first Thanksgiving), the Pilgrims’ obligation to repay the backers who had financed their voyage left them dangerously close to starvation. Food stores had all but disappeared.
At one point, a daily ration of food for a Pilgrim was 5 kernels of corn. With a simple faith that God would sustain them, no matter what, they pulled through. History records that not a single one of them died from starvation that winter.
The harvest of 1623 brought a surplus of corn, so much that the Pilgrims were able to help out the Indians for a change. So joyous were they that they celebrated a second Day of Thanksgiving and again invited Massasoit to be their guest.
He came, bringing with him his wife, several other chiefs and 120 braves. All sat down to a feast of 12 venison, 6 goats, 50 hogs and pigs, numerous turkeys, vegetables, grapes, nuts, plums, puddings and pies. But, lest anyone forget, all were given their first course on an empty plate.
They were each given 5 kernels of corn.”
From that time on, every harvest, the Pilgrims put five kernels of corn on each plate to remind them of how far they have come, with God’s help.
It is the Christian’s honor to have been chosen out of the world by the Good Shepherd, to be His own special property, guided and protected by His care. This thought alone should make every true worshipper a joyful worshipper. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
