8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Dig Deeper
When our now thirteen year-old son was a baby, I used to sing to him every night. I’m not a particularly talented singer, but nonetheless it was a great time for us to bond. Nearly every night I sang the song "beautiful boy" by John Lennon to him. As he grew into his toddler years, he began to relish that song and expected it to be sung every night before he could go to sleep. It became his song and was special to him. By the time he was eight, I didn’t sing it to him that much anymore, but every now and then he would still request it. Then our second son was born, and without thinking about it one night, I began to sing him that song. My oldest son was quietly incensed. That was his song, and he felt like it shouldn’t be sung to this new intruder. We talked about it and came to the agreement that a new song would need to be picked for the new baby. He was a new boy and he needed and deserved his own song. It would announce that this was a different and unique song.
The Old Covenant people were absolutely God’s people and he loved them very much. They had their own special connection, their own song so-to-speak. But that time was coming to a close due to the constant rebellion of of Israel. A new son was being formed by God, a New Covenant people that glorify, obey and honor God. With the coming of the new son, came a new song. A song that would only be enjoyed by God and His people. A song that is our own. A song that announces that God is doing something different and unique.
5:8-10 - The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb as they broke out in worship. They each had a harp and were holding golden bowls full of incense. The harps are in preparation for the new song that they are about to sing. In the Temple, the altar of incense was placed closest to the ‘Holy of Holies’. It was, as is the prayers of the saints, closest to the heart of God. The Bible is rich with the imagery of the smell of burning incense being pleasing to the nostrils of Yahweh.
The living creates and the elders break out into a new song. The new song occurs seven times in the Old Testament (Ps. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isa. 42:10). Each time it is in reference to God’s redemptive and creative acts in history. The new song celebrates the making of the Covenant and describes Christ coming to bring salvation to the nations. Every time a new stage in the redemptive history of God is reached in the Bible, there is also a new period of Scriptural revelation. New revelation follows new covenantal events. Because Christ was able to open the scroll and obtain the New Covenant for His people, He commissioned the writing of the New Testament through the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
There is a problem raised in the original wording of the song. Verse 9 says literally "with your blood you purchased us for God." Yet, verse 10 says you have made them to be a kingdom. The NIV changes the wording so that it harmonizes, yet this is not in the original language. The answer is probably more obvious than might first appear. The four living creatures do not represent man and would not be included in the "us" that has been purchased. What we are reading, then, is a progressive response of choral praise, that would go as follows (NKJV):
Elders and Living Creatures: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals;
Elders: For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Living Creatures: And have made them kings and priests to our God; And they shall reign on the earth."
Our destiny has been guaranteed by Christ to be kings and priests and to reign on the earth with Him forever.
5:11-14 - As a response to the praise of the four living creatures and the elders, ten thousand times ten thousand angels joined in the praise and worship session, declaring, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" In answer to this incredible declaration, the entire creation praises the Lamb, to whom is due "praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever." The word translated power, is quite literally "dominion." Thus Christ is being recognized as the One who deserves: 1) praise; 2) honor; 3) glory; and 4) dominion.
The Church of the first century was experiencing the previously unimaginable alliance between Israel and the Beast of Rome. It would be necessary for them to know that history was not ruled by Satan, evil men, or even by chance. Christ was reigning over all things now. The gates of Hades could not overcome His Kingdom. Christ had already defeated Satan and taken dominion from Him. It was now the job of the Church to recognize that and exercise His dominion over the places in the world where Satan continued to rule. What was once Satan’s dominion rightly, was now only bastions of illegitimate rule by a defeated foe. They were not forgotten troops fighting a losing battle, they were kings and priests already, fighting a war and overcoming in an already determined victory. They needed, as do we, an understanding that all of history is moving determinedly toward the universal and eternal dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ in the age that is to come.
Devotional Thought
Do you view your Christian walk as a bloody and possibly losing battle with Satan? Or do you view it as a mopping up activity in which you should be exercising your authority as kings and priests as you expand the dominion of Christ? How does it change your view of your everyday Christian walk to know that we are to expand the dominion of Christ throughout the world?
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