（诗100）诗篇100:1-5问答 (Psalm 100) Q&A on Psalm 100:1–5
(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）
I first noticed Psalm 100 in the early days of participating in church activities, when Pastor Gong mentioned some Psalms they had memorized as children, including Psalm 23 and Psalm 100. At the time, I already liked Psalm 23 very much, but was unfamiliar with Psalm 100. Later, when I read it, I came to love it. I even recall printing it out and put it together with Psalm 23 into a small notebook I carried with me when traveling.
In addition to the shepherd-and-sheep metaphor of Psalm 23, Psalm 100 touches on many theological concepts that Psalm 23 does not cover—such as thanksgiving, serving the Lord, the idea that the Lord made us, the collective identity as His people, and that the Lord is good. Since Psalm 100 is also connected to the thanksgiving offering we read about this week in the Torah, I wrote this Q&A-style introduction.
Verse 1: “A Psalm of thanksgiving. Make a joyful noise to the Creator, all the earth.”
1. Q: What does “Psalm of thanksgiving” mean?
A: Rashi says this is a psalm that is read when offering a thanksgiving sacrifice.
🔗 Rashi on Psalms 100:1 (Sefaria)
2. Q: When is a thanksgiving offering brought?
A: A thanksgiving offering is brought after a person has experienced some kind of deliverance, such as those mentioned in Psalm 107—like returning from sea travel, crossing the wilderness, being released from prison, or recovering from illness.
🔗 Rashi on Leviticus 7:12 (Sefaria)
3. Q: Now that the Temple is destroyed and Jews no longer offer sacrifices, when do they read Psalm 100?
A: Since we experience many daily miracles that we may not even recognize, many Jews recite Psalm 100 in their daily morning prayers, except on certain days when even in Temple times thanksgiving offerings were not brought. Jews also believe that in the future, when the issue of sin is completely resolved, sin offerings will no longer be needed—but thanksgiving offerings will still be necessary, because there will always be something to thank the Lord for.
🔗 Psalm 100 in Weekday Siddur (Sefaria)
4. Q: Which days were thanksgiving offerings not brought, even in Temple times?
A: Jews do not read Psalm 100 in morning prayers on Sabbaths (including festival Sabbaths), on the daytime before Yom Kippur, and during the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover week):
- On Sabbaths and festivals, only their specific sacrifices were offered—not personal thanksgiving offerings.
- On the day before Yom Kippur, meat from a thanksgiving offering (which must be eaten before midnight) would conflict with the fasting starting at sunset.
(See Leviticus 7:15: “The meat of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until morning.”) - During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, leavened bread is forbidden. But the thanksgiving offering would have to be brought with both unleavened and leavened bread.
(See Leviticus 7:13: “He shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving.”)
🔗 Why Psalm 100 Is Skipped on Certain Days (Yeshiva.co)
5. Q: When do Christians read Psalm 100?
A: There is no formal rule, but in our family we sometimes read it during a meal on Thanksgiving.
6. Q: What does “Creator” mean?
A: Humans cannot fully understand the Creator who made us. But we can get a glimpse from verse 3 about His works, which we’ll explain later.
Verse 2: “Serve the Creator with gladness; come before His presence with singing.”
1. Q: What does it mean to serve the Creator?
A: It means obeying His word and following the commandments He gave us in the Bible—for example: working six days and resting on the seventh, honoring parents, loving your neighbor as yourself, giving a tenth (tithe), and spreading the gospel to glorify Him.
2. Q: Why should we serve Him with gladness?
A: It is He who gave us life, abilities, and opportunities to do these things—and He also promises rewards. He gives us mouths to speak, hands to write so we can evangelize; He gives us the ability to earn money so we can tithe, help our parents, and support the poor. He gives us extra food so we can enjoy the Sabbath. To serve Him with what He has given us is our honor—and our joy.
Verse 3: “Know that the Creator is God; it is He who made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
1. Q: What does it mean that “He is God”?
A: The Hebrew word for “God” is also used for “Judge.” He is the ultimate Judge, deciding rewards and punishments, and the destiny of every person.
2. Q: What does it mean “He made us”? Aren’t we born of our parents?
A: It is the Creator who determined which family we were born into, our skin color, the era we live in, our IQ, personality, gender, DNA—even which planet humans would live on, and what elements make up our bodies. Our souls are also from Him. Even our faith and spiritual rebirth are shaped by Him.
3. Q: What does it mean that we are “His”?
A: We belong to Him. No event can happen to us unless He allows it. When I was younger, I sometimes felt chest pain and even fainted, and worried about my health. But later I understood—we belong to the Creator, and our fate is in His hands. No other power can take us away from His plan. Then I stopped being afraid. I even remember carrying Psalm 100 with me when flying, reminding myself not to worry about the possibility of a plane crash—because our lives belong to the Creator. He determines when and how to take us home. No other power can interfere. And He is good—see verse 5—so there is no need to worry.
4. Q: What does it mean that we are “His people”?
A: “People” here is singular. Our ultimate identity is not as citizens of America or China. Our King is the Creator Himself, and we obey His kingdom’s constitution. We are one people, transcending bloodlines and skin color.
5. Q: What does it mean that we are “the sheep of His pasture”?
A: He is the One who feeds us and leads us. Just like a shepherd guiding sheep—sheep don’t know where to find grass, but the shepherd does. I once changed majors because the old one wasn’t leading to a job. I was like a sheep who can’t see far. I needed the Lord to guide me step by step.
Verse 4: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.”
Q: What does it mean to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise”?
A: Before the sanctuary, there was a courtyard with a place to offer thanksgiving offerings. The courtyard had a gate on the east side. A person who had gone out to sea, traveled through the wilderness, been imprisoned, or been sick could not come to the sanctuary to offer sacrifices. But the Creator saved him and brought him back safely and healthily to His courtyard. How could he not want to give thanks and praise the Creator?
Verse 5: “For the Creator is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.”
1. Q: There’s so much suffering in the world—how can we say the Creator is good?
A: Much of the world’s suffering is caused by human sin. The Bible’s Genesis teaches that after the first humans sinned, suffering entered the world. The Creator punishes sin out of His justice—and to lead people to repentance. When the righteous suffer in this life for doing good, it is for the reward in the life to come.
2. Q: Why does it say “His steadfast love endures forever”?
A: His steadfast love is ultimately shown in eternity. Death is not the end. This life is only one part of our full existence—like sleep before waking. All the dead will rise and face judgment. In the life to come, sin will be completely destroyed, and the righteous will be rewarded. Only then will we truly experience how His love triumphs over suffering.
3. Q: Why does it say “His faithfulness to all generations”?
A: The Creator is not limited by normal time. Scripture says a thousand years are like a day to Him (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). One generation cannot observe the full arc of His work. His faithfulness in realizing biblical prophecies is often seen in the long course of history—such as the return of Israel as a nation, and the spread of the Gospel—both of which took nearly two thousand years.
（诗100）诗篇100:1-5问答
我第一次注意到诗篇100， 还是在参与教会活动初期，听龚牧师说到一些他们小时候就会背诵的诗篇，其中有诗篇23和诗篇100。我当时已经很喜欢诗篇23，但对诗篇100 还不熟悉。后来一看，就很喜欢，曾经把它专门打印出下来，与诗篇23一起放在一本旅行时随身携带的小本子里。除了对应于牧者的羊的比喻，诗篇100还讲到了很多诗篇23所没有覆盖的神学观念，例如感恩的观念，事奉主的观念，主造了我们的观念，集体的民的观念，主本为善的观念。因为诗篇100正好与本周读到的摩西五经的感谢祭也有关系，我就写一个问答形式的介绍。
第一节（称谢诗。）普天下当向造物主欢呼。
1。问：称谢诗是什么意思？
答：Rashi说这是献感谢祭时朗读的诗歌。https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Psalms.100.1?lang=bi
2。问：感谢祭是什么场合献的？
答：感谢祭，是经历过某种得救经历（在诗篇107所提到的航海归来，或经过旷野，或出狱，或病得医治）的人，事后所作的感恩献祭。https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Leviticus.7.12.1?lang=bi
3。问：现在圣殿被毁后犹太人不献祭了，那他们在那些场合阅读诗篇100这首称谢诗？
答：因为每天都有我们可能没有辨认出来的神迹，所以很多犹太人差不多每天早晨祷告都读诗篇100，除了在少数即使在圣殿年代也不适合献感谢祭的日子。犹太人还认为，等将来罪的问题被彻底解决了，赎罪祭等其它祭物不需要了，但感谢祭还需要献，因为我们总有事情需要感谢主。
4。问：哪些日子是即使在圣殿年代也不献感谢祭的日子？
答：犹太人在安息日（包括节日的安息日），在赎罪日开始前的白天，以及在逾越节无酵饼节期间不在早晨祷告时朗读诗篇100这首称谢诗，因为在这些日子，即使在圣殿时期也不献感谢祭。
安息日（包括节日的安息日）是除了与之相关的献祭，不献个人的感谢祭。
赎罪日的开始前的白天不献感谢祭，因为白天屠宰的感谢祭的肉需要在半夜前吃完，但太阳落山之后赎罪日的禁食就开始了。参见（利7:15）“为 感 谢 献 平 安 祭 牲 的 肉 ， 要 在 献 的 日 子 吃 ， 一 点 不 可 留 到 早 晨 。”
逾越节无酵饼节期间的非安息日也不献感谢祭，因为感谢祭需要配上素祭其中不但有三种无酵饼，还有一种有酵的饼，参见（利7:13）“要 用 有 酵 的 饼 和 为 感 谢 献 的 平 安 祭 ， 与 供 物 一 同 献 上 。” 而有酵的食物这是在无酵饼节的七天之内不允许吃的。
参见https://www.yeshiva.co/midrash/24446
5。问：基督徒什么时候读诗篇100？
答：没有明确的规定，但我们家有时在感恩节吃饭时阅读。
6。问：能否解释一下造物主的意思？
答：人类无法完全理解造我们的造物主，但是我们可以参照后面的第三节，初步了解一下祂的一些作为，这个我们以后再解释。
第二节 你们当乐意事奉造物主，当来向祂歌唱。
1。问：什么叫事奉造物主？
答：就是听造物主的话，遵守祂在圣经里给我们的诫命，特别是正面的（要主动去做什么）的诫命，比如六日劳碌作工，第七日安息，比如孝敬父母，比如爱人如己，比如十一奉献，比如传福音彰显祂的荣耀。
2。问：为什么要乐意事奉祂？
答：是祂给了我们生命、能力和机会我们才能做这些事，而且做这些事还会带来奖赏。祂让我们有嘴说话有手写作可以传福音，祂给我们能力赚钱可以十一奉献，可以帮助父母，可以救济穷人，给我们额外的食物可以在安息日享用，我们能用祂所赐的事奉祂，这是我们的荣幸，和快乐。
第三节 你们当晓得造物主是神，我们是祂造的，也是属祂的，是祂的民，也是祂草场的羊。
1。问：什么叫祂是神？
答： 神，在希伯来语与审判官是同一个词。祂是终极的审判者，决定了奖赏和惩罚，决定了每个人的命运。
2。问：什么叫我们是祂造的？难道我们不是父母生的吗？
答： 我们每个人出生在什么人的家庭，是造物主定的，我们是什么肤色，生在什么年代，有什么智商性格，是男是女，有什么基因，甚至出生在什么星球，人身体由什么元素构成，都是祂决定的。我们的灵魂也是祂赐予的， 我们的信心和属天的新生命，也是祂塑造的。
3。问：什么叫我们是属祂的？
答：我们是属祂的，没有什么遭遇可以不经祂的允许而临到我们。我年轻时有时胸痛，也晕倒过，会担心身体出问题，将来怎么办。后来知道我们是属造物主的，我们的命运在祂手里，没有别的力量可以把我们从祂的计划里夺走。我就不怕了。好像记得那段时间坐飞机时我还随身带着打印出来的诗篇100， 提醒自己对飞机出事故的可能性不用担心，因为我们的生命是属于造物主的，祂取回我们生命的时间与方式，是祂决定的，没有任何其它力量可以干涉。而祂本为善，参见后面的第五节，所以我们不用担心。
4。问：什么叫我们是祂的民？
答： 我们是祂的民，这个民是个单数，我们最终的身份，不是美国人民，或中国人民。我们的王是造物主自己，我们遵守祂的天国的宪法。我们是一个超越血缘肤色的民族。
5。问：什么叫我们是祂草场的羊？
答： 祂是喂养我们和带领我们的。就像牧人带领羊群，羊不知道哪里有草吃，但牧人知道。我以前曾经因为专业不好找工作而换专业。我就像羊一样，看不很远，需要主一步一步带领。
第四节：当称谢进入祂的门，当赞美进入祂的院。当感谢祂，称颂祂的名。
问：什么叫“当称谢进入祂的门，当赞美进入祂的院”？
答： 在圣所前有一个院子，院子里有可以献感谢祭的地方。而这个院子的东面有个门。出门航海的，在旷野旅行的，坐牢的，生病的人，本来因为种种原因无法来圣所前献祭，但造物主拯救了他，使他可以平安健康地回到造物主的院里，你说他怎么会不想称谢赞美造物主呢？
第五节： 因为造物主本为善，祂的慈爱，存到永远，祂的信实，直到万代。
1。问：这个世界上有很多苦难，为什么还说造物主本为善？
答：这个世界的苦难很多是人犯的错造成的。圣经创世记教导在人类始祖犯罪之后，世界上才出现了苦难。造物主惩罚人犯的罪是出于祂的公义，也是为了他们悔改。造物主让义人今生为义受逼迫是为了给他们来世的奖赏。
2。问：为什么说“祂的慈爱，存到永远”？
答： 祂的慈爱最终彰显在永恒之中。死亡不是终结。今生只是生命的一部分，就像人睡了总会醒来，所有的死人都将复活，接受审判。在来世罪恶将被彻底消灭，义人将得到奖赏。那时我们才能体会到祂的慈爱战胜了苦难。
3。问：为什么说“祂的信实，直到万代”？
答：造物主不受通常的时间限制。圣经说造物主看千年如一日（诗90:4，彼后3:8）。一代人无法观测造物主的长期作为。造物主的信实要在人类历史的长期发展里才能更好的认识到，例如圣经所预言的以色利复国，和福音的广传，经历了跨度近两千年的过程。