WEDNESDAY

Revelation 4 and 5

Yesterday, we took some time to think about what it is that brings us to our knees, and why it does. You may still be thinking about that a bit. Today, we’d like to take a few moments to pause and ask the question, “What is it that brings the universe to its knees?” Is what we have been talking about just a human thing that happens on a fallen planet in a tiny portion of the vast universe, or is this something that is genuinely universal? How does the rest of created reality behave, and what motivates it? Amazingly enough, there actually is an image of this, courtesy of the glimpse John gets of this, and records for us in today’s passage. (Yes, two chapters sounds like a lot, but they are only about a dozen verses each, and the picture they paint is truly breathtaking!) Take a few moments and allow your imagination to grasp the amazing scene as it unfolds, and as it moves in dramatic, surprising, and powerful ways toward its climax. As you are reading, rereading, or perhaps just sitting thoughtfully in the midst of the rich imagery here, consider the following:

• As you try to absorb the grandeur of the scene in chapter 4, who do you notice is bowing down before the throne? What clues do you get into what motivates them, based on how they respond?

• As you continue to take in all that is being portrayed in chapter 5, allow yourself to pause in the midst of the dramatic moment in which the question of who is worthy enough to open the scroll is raised. How is the one who is worthy announced? How is the one who is worthy seen? What powerful point is made in that surprising and dramatic contrast?

• How does all of created reality respond to the Lamb, and what reason do they give for their response?

• How do chapters 4 and 5 together give us a rich picture of the kind of king the universe bows its knee to, and perhaps equally important, what is the reason given that they do so?

• As you continue to contemplate the contrast between why we bow before God and the way other kingly authorities sometimes try to get others to bow the knee to them, what does this tell us about the God we serve?

Take a few moments to share with God what is on your mind and heart in prayer.

*Note for additional study: There is an interesting parallel between the reasons given to worship God in chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation and the reasons given in the two versions of the 10 commandments for observing Sabbath in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, respectively. Explore those parallels to understand better how what is at the heart of what Sabbath celebrates fits so well with how the universe worships, and in so doing, reveals the full significance of what the meaning of Sabbath is.