What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:12-13 (KJV)
To express his gratitude to God, the author asks himself a question to which he himself gives the answer. The first thing he will do is to lift up the cup of deliverance and the second thing will be to call upon the name of the Lord. By lifting up the cup, the author means that he will proclaim and celebrate the name of the Lord before His people so that they will know what the Lord has done for them in their distress. In this context, the cup of deliverance symbolizes his gratitude for God's protection, God's favor, the victories He has granted him, and His good care.
The cup of deliverance, better known in the Old Testament as the Cup of Salvation, refers to the communion or sacrifice of thanksgiving in which God was publicly thanked for His deliverances. Sacrifices were brought to God and He determined what should be offered to Him and how they should be presented in order for them to be accepted. We see the expression of this gratitude in Leviticus 7:11-18.
With the dispensation of grace, there is no longer any question of sacrificing animals or anything else to show gratitude to God. The sacrifice of thanksgiving and gratitude that God expects from you is your obedience to His word and your submission to His will. Whatever you do for the Lord, if you do it not with all your heart, with joy and a spirit of thanksgiving, it will not be accepted. The disposition of your heart is the cup of deliverance that you are to raise to the Lord.
May the grace and peace of God be with you all.
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