Psalm 100:4 says to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. While some assert that “gates” refers to the gates of the city, the line pairs “gates” with “his courts.” In the Hebrew Bible “courts” (ḥaṣērôt) is the standard word for the enclosure(s) of the tabernacle/temple complex, not a city square, so the parallelism points to temple gates. 

Classic commentaries read the phrase explicitly as “the gates of His Temple … and the courts of His Temple,” i.e., a liturgical call to enter the sanctuary for worship. 

The same worship-setting appears in related psalms: “Open to me the gates of righteousness …” which commentators identify with the temple entrance. 

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Clearly God wants us to have grateful, thankful hearts. And we benefit by receiving His peace when we pray and do so with thanksgiving.

Mark lays out the path from entering His gates to His glory inside the temple. It’s an awesome path and one that hopefully will encourage you to be thankful.

Please watch/listen and share this episode with friends and/or family members who need encouragement about being thankful. And remember, God loves you!

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