I don’t know why, but nothing really annoys me more than when you open the door for someone to behind you, only to have them walk straight through and ignore you completely. No nod, no hand wave, and especially no “thanks” muttered.
It probably shouldn’t bother me as much as it does, but I can’t help it. The gall of some people to just accept hospitality without even a mention! Come on!
But then, I think of all the times I’ve accepted blessings from God and not said anything about it. My life, my health, my friends and family, my job—all of it is given to me by Him. Have I said thank you for those recently?
This isn’t a modern problem. In the story of the Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19), Jesus gave each of them their health back, and yet only one—a Samaritan, at that—came back to say thank you. He was the only one who acknowledged where his healing came from.
Like it or not, sometimes we have to be reminded to say thank you for what we’ve been given, even if what we’ve been given is enormous.
Moses did as much in Deuteronomy 8:10 by telling Israel that after they’ve eaten and are satisfied, “they will bless the Lord” for all the good He gave them.
Apparently, there’s some disagreement on the translation of this verse. Either Moses means this as a natural course of action (“you’ll eat and then you’ll bless God”) or as a command (“you will eat and then you will thank God”).
Either way, the sequence is clear: You eat (or enjoy God’s blessings) and you thank God for them. Simple as that.
This also seems to be the genesis for the Jewish practice of Birkat HaMazon, or “grace after meals.” Whereas we traditionally thank God for the meal before we eat, this practice has the Jewish people thanking God after they eat.
Contextually, this idea of thanking God after you’ve enjoyed God’s blessings goes hand-in-hand with the theme of this chapter. Throughout Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminded the people to not forget about God in the prosperity of Canaan. If they do, they’ll start to drift away from Him.
Maintaining an attitude of thankfulness to Him is the surest way to keep that connection.