Mowing is quite the chore when you live on several acres. Most of our acreage is forest, but there are still several acres that need to be mowed. It requires a chunk of time to knock it all out. Typically, I don’t mind this chore. It’s a great chance to listen to a book, podcast, or other teaching while driving around the yard on the mower. Other times, however, I just don’t have the time and it becomes a nagging source of stress.

I remember one time in particular when I wasn’t sure how I’d get to the mowing. As I drove home, I saw someone mowing our property! It was our neighbor’s dad, Jim. He would come to visit from time to time. He has some health issues which restricts most activities. One thing he could do and loved to do, was mow. That day Jim had mowed his daughter’s yard and then started right into our yard. He spent his entire day mowing. I was so excited and thankful, that night I baked a pie for Jim.

Have you ever been so thankful you just had to do something? What are some ways you have demonstrated your thanks? Some people give hugs or maybe a warm handshake. Others write and even make thank you cards. There’s also treating someone to a meal or whipping up a tasty treat. There are many ways to show thanks. What do all these methods have in common? They all involve the use of your hands. Hand, in Hebrew, is yad. Plug that away in your memory bank. We’ll come back to it later.

This being Thanksgiving week, I wanted to look into thanks and thanksgiving in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament as I’m learning Hebrew. What I found puzzled me. Verse after verse, I ran into a word for thanks that means to throw or cast. That didn’t seem right. How does throwing something have anything to do with giving thanks? I decided to look into the word itself. The root word is yadah. It is often translated as giving thanks or praise or confessing. Can you see? The word hand, yad, is part of this verb.

Next, I had to try it out. Maybe by experiencing this I could make connections between throwing and giving thanks. You can try this too. Actually, you really should give it a try. We’ll look odd together. This is what I did: While thinking thankful thoughts, I put my hands somewhat behind my head and thrust them up and forward over my head with my hands ending raised and open. Wow! It is an action of worship and adoration. It fits giving thanks perfectly. I must admit, I did this several times and also began jumping up and down in thanks. It was the natural progression of my spontaneous personal thanks session with God.

In America, our time of Thanksgiving leads into the advent season. Well, did I find something exciting that ties into this idea! Before I share, I need to explain something so that you can see it too. There isn’t a “j” sound in Hebrew. The “j” is a “y” sound in Hebrew. Jesus is Yeshua. Jerusalem is Yerushalayim, and so on. Ok, now back to advent. The gospels of Matthew and Luke share the most about Jesus’ birth, including genealogies. From which of the 12 tribes did Jesus descend?

Judah.

Judah (English) -> Yhudah (Hebrew) -> Yadah

Do you see the pattern? The name Judah is a play on the Hebrew verb yadah. Look back with me when Judah was born in Genesis 29:35 (NIV), “She [Leah] conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.” How appropriate that our Saviour would come from the tribe named for thanks and praise! It makes me want to throw my hands in the air! Wow! I love finding all these little details that demonstrate the planning and great love of the Father.

May this week be a week of great thanksgiving; one that leads you to be so thankful, you just have to use your hands! (and maybe jump a bit too!)

No links this week, but rather 6 verses with the verb yadah. The underlined words identify the English translation of yadah.

Psalm 52:9 (NASB): I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.
– What has God done in your life recently? Thank Him!
– How can you thank while waiting?

Psalm 139:14 (NASB): I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
– Have you given thanks for how you’ve been created? You may not like certain aspects, but God created you that way. Thank Him for your body.
– Think about thankfulness that comes from your very soul.

1 Chronicles 16:8-9 (NASB): Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders.
– What are you so thankful about, you just need to tell someone about it?
– Many times in the Bible, thankfulness leads to what? What do you find in the second sentence?

Isaiah 12:1 (NASB): Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, O Lord; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me.
– What is God’s ending stance here?
– Notice, we are living in “that day.” The price is paid. Repeat to yourself, “God is not angry with me.”

Isaiah 25:1 (NASB): O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
– God has worked wonders in the Old Testament, New Testament, and in your life. Consider examples from all three areas.
– God arranged so many details in His plan of redemption and they all have come together perfectly. Think of an example or two of how His works or wonders have foreshadowed, pointed to, or progressed the plan of redemption.

And, to get started in the advent season…
Genesis 49:8,10 (NIV): Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. ¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.