Psalm 100:4–5
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
In the Old Testament, God’s people traveled with a tabernacle, a sacred tent that moved with them through the wilderness until Solomon’s Temple was eventually built. This tabernacle wasn’t just a physical place; it served as a symbolic picture of something greater that would later be fully revealed in the New Testament.
The Layout of the Tabernacle
The tabernacle had gates, the first entry point into God’s house. Once inside the gates, you stepped into the courtyard, the space between the entrance and God’s dwelling place. The first object anyone encountered was the altar, where unblemished sacrifices were offered for repentance. Beyond that stood the laver, the basin where priests washed before entering the holy place.
Everything before entering God’s dwelling happened in this courtyard.
So when the psalmist declares, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving,” he’s giving us a principle for corporate worship that still applies today:
Thanksgiving Begins at the Door
Thanksgiving should be the first posture of the heart as we approach God. Before the music plays, before the preaching begins, before we unload our worries, gratefulness sets the tone.
Think about it:
What would happen if everyone walked through the church doors already thankful?
What would shift in a worship service if we verbalized gratitude first instead of our circumstances?
The Israelites walked into the courtyard carrying sacrifices, a reminder of sins and the heaviness of their past. And before forgiveness even took place, they were instructed to give thanks.
Before their life changed, before mercy was applied, before anything improved… the command was gratitude.
And the same is true for us.
Be Thankful Before the Miracle
Before God fixes the situation,
before the healing,
before the breakthrough,
before the provision…
Be thankful.
Instead of rehearsing what’s missing, begin naming what’s already in your hands. Gratitude shifts the mind, refocuses the heart, and prepares us to enter deeper into His presence.
Walter Hawkins captured this beautifully in the song “Thank You” when he wrote:
Tragedies are commonplace
all kinds of diseases, people are slipping away
economy’s down, people can’t get enough pay
but as for me all I can say
thank you, Lord, for all you’ve done for me
This is what it means to enter His gates with thanksgiving.
Enter His Courts with Praise
The courts represented the space between the gate and God’s dwelling place. In the Old Testament, the holy place and the Holy of Holies were restricted. Only priests could enter the holy place, and only the high priest could enter the holiest space — and only once a year.
Yet even those in the courtyard, those who could not enter God’s presence were instructed to give thanks, praise Him, and bless His name.
Imagine praising God while being unable to enter the holiest space.
How many of us would worship like that today?
But now everything has changed. When Christ died, the veil was torn. The barrier between us and God’s presence was removed. We are no longer limited to the courtyard.
If Israel could be thankful while restricted…
How much more should we be thankful with full access to Him?
The Full Message of Psalm 100
To understand the psalmist’s call to thanksgiving and praise, here is the entire chapter:
Psalm 100:1–5
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”
Charles Spurgeon once wrote,
“Our happy God should be worshipped by a happy people; a cheerful spirit is in keeping with his nature, his acts, and the gratitude which we should cherish for his mercies.”
“3 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.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
David Guzik adds,
“Thanks and praise are 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.”
And Spurgeon beautifully sums it up:
“So long as we are receivers of mercy we must be givers of thanks.”
The Call Still Stands
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.
Enter into his courts with praise.
Be thankful unto Him.
Bless His name.
Because the Lord is good.
Because His mercy endures.
Because His truth will never fail.
And because gratitude is always the first step into His presence.
