The Joy of Revelation IX - Hymns of Praise 2

2.  Revelation    4:11

4:9 “And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 4:10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns before his throne, saying:

4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things,

and because of your will they existed and were created!”

This hymn is described as a follow through to the hymn of the four creatures in 4:8 (see previous post). Whenever they, that is, all of nature which they represent, which is present day and night, give glory and honour and thanks to God – the one seated on the throne, there is a response. It is sung by the twenty-four elders who surround the throne. Twenty-four is obviously twice twelve. Twelve can be seen to refer to the tribes of Israel, the People of God under the Old Covenant. This could refer more broadly to all down through the ages, including the Jews prior to Jesus’ time, who believe in God, however they understood him, and tried to live as best they could with that knowledge. It also refers, of course, to the twelve apostles who were entrusted with teaching the New Covenant. They would represent the People of God as we have come to understand through the New Covenant.  In other words, all those who believe in God are represented by these twenty-four figures, and all praise God together as the global church. 

Again, we see this refrain encapsulated in the powerful anthem “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty,” especially stanza two: “Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea…” The writer here also appears to understand that these elders represent all believers and Christians, whom he describes simply as saints, not even referring to the elders. Younger readers will also recognize where a contemporary Christian music ensemble get their name, the Casting Crowns.

At this point we should note that the praise of God in this hymn comes from acknowledging that he is eternal, and also the Creator of all things. He is also understood as the sustainer of all things – “by your will they existed.” As we will see, there is a progression of ideas and pictures as one goes through Revelation, and the same is true of these hymns. Here, one could say, we start at the beginning, with praise for creation. As believers, we should always keep the whole picture in mind. For the first readers of this letter, in the midst of difficult times in the Roman empire, to be reminded of God’s eternal presence and power is a good perspective to begin with if one wants to bolster one’s faith to endure the tribulations of the time, and indeed of all ages. As this is written, we are in the midst of a trying period that most of us have never experienced with the threat of death from a global pandemic of an untreatable viral illness ravaging the globe. We too need the messages of these hymns. We too need the reminder that God is ever present and that he is the one who created all things good. Therefore, he will not let us entirely spoil what he has set in motion, nor be doomed by doings of our own accord. After all, we too are part of that good creation, even though we know it is no longer what it once was.