"Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me."
Psalm 50:14-15
Part 1
“Offer unto God thanksgiving;”
When an Israelite offered his sacrifice to God, God expected more than just the slain animal and sheaf or cake offerings, He was looking at the hearts of the those making the offerings. God expected offerings to be made from the heart. It wasn’t enough to give a sacrifice to God if the heart wasn’t in it. The attitude of the giver was important to God. The offering must proceed from a heart of thanksgiving and praise.
“This is not to be understood as implying that God did not require or approve of the offering of bloody sacrifices, but as implying that a higher sacrifice was necessary; that these would be vain and worthless unless they were accompanied with the offerings of the heart; and that his worship, even amidst outward forms, was to be a spiritual worship.”1 (Barnes)
“And pay thy vows unto the most High:”
God is the greatest being in the universe, called here the “most High.” There is none greater than He. A “vow” is “a promise (to God); also (concretely) a thing promised: – vow.”2 (Strong) When you make a promise, a vow to God, He expects you to keep it. Do not renege on your promises!
“Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared,” (Psalm 76:11).
“Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay,” (Ecclesiastes 5:5).
What ever you say to God, do it!
1. Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
2. Strong, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, the electronic version in eSword.