the twenty-four elders shall fall before him that sits upon the throne, and do homage to him that lives to the ages of ages; and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Around the throne John sees twenty-four crowned figures on thrones of their own. At one moment they leave those thrones, fall to the floor, and throw their crowns down in front of God. Why would anyone give up an honour God Himself had handed them? And who are these crowned worshippers?
Gold crowns and thrones set this company apart. One writer links the number twenty-four to the twenty-four divisions of Israel's priests, making the group royal and priestly at once.
John saw thrones filled with twenty-four elders, the chiefs of the twenty-four divisions of the priesthood. They exercised priestly functions in Revelation 5:8. But they are a royal priesthood also; they wear crowns of gold and sit on thrones; and their clothing matches. Can there be a doubt that they are the glorified saints?
Their worship has content. One writer sets out what they bow before, and what they put down as they bow.
He is the Holy One who lives forever and ever. He has no passing power or being, as man has, who at his best is vanity. And the saints here fall down before the throne. They bow before His place in glory, and worship Him in His endless being. They lay down their given glory before His supreme and proper glory, giving all glory to Him alone, as alone worthy of it.
Notice where the crowns land: in front of the throne. One writer names the source of their dignity, and the ground of this worship.
The elders fall down before HIM whom they love and revere. They cast their crowns before the THRONE, recognising where their royal dignity comes from and what keeps it. God's glory as Creator is the ground of the elders' worship here. It rests on knowing God — what He is in His own Being, and as Creator and Sustainer of the universe. The worship in the next chapter is founded on redemption by blood, and so the Lamb becomes the central figure.
Seen from outside, throwing away a badge of honour looks like loss. One writer admits it seems strange, then says the heart that knows the Lord needs no command.
What were they? A rightful privilege given to be worn in front of everyone's eyes as a witness to their right to be kings and priests. The thought of a crown can appeal to the natural mind of man. But "casting them down" seems a strange thing. It means throwing off the badge of our link with the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is not strange to the heart that knows the Lord Jesus, that knows God. When He brings us into the glory, will it be a word of command to cast our crowns before Him? It will be a word springing from the very depths of the heart.
The elders lose nothing here. One writer sets their gladness against the pride of the natural heart.
The saint in glory is glad there should be something above himself there. He can strip himself of glory so that the Lord should have it all. What a contrast to the spirit of unbelief in the heart that does not like this! The pride of the heart cannot bear anything above it. But the saint in light is glad that Christ should have all the glory.
For these elders the question of judgment is already settled. One writer shows what does draw them off their thrones.
As far as judgment goes, the cross met every demand of righteousness. If there had been any sin left unremoved, oh, what trouble there would have been among all the twenty-four! But no; they sit in perfect peace on their thrones. But when His holiness is in view, they fall down before Him. They pay homage to Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne. Their hearts are swallowed up in the delight of what God is.
Since the crowns end up on the floor, some ask whether it is worth pursuing them at all. One writer answers that having more to give away is the whole attraction.
I remember someone saying to us, "Go in for as many crowns as you can get." Then he added, "so that you may cast them all at the feet of Jesus." The more you can get, the more you will have for His praise and glory.
- Crowned — the elders are glorified saints, sitting on thrones as kings and serving as priests.
- Derived — their royal dignity came from the throne and is kept by it, so that is where the crowns land.
- Cast — no command produces this. It springs from a heart that knows the One on the throne.
- Glad — pride cannot bear anything above it. The saint in glory is happy for Christ to have it all.
- Now — go after every crown you can, because the more you carry into that scene, the more you have to lay at His feet.
Thou art worthy, O our Lord and [our] God, to receive glory and honour and power; for *thou* hast created all things, and for thy will they were, and they have been created.
In Revelation 4, crowned elders sing before God's throne. They say who deserves all glory, and they give one reason: God made everything. Judgment is about to fall on the earth, yet those nearest the throne answer with worship, not fear.
Two groups praise in this chapter, and they do not praise in the same way. One writer draws the distinction sharply.
Someone has remarked "that the living creatures only celebrate and declare; the elders worship with understanding." All God's works will praise Him. But only the redeemed have the mind of Christ. Only they can, through the Holy Spirit, enter into the things of God and share in them, whether in grace or in judgment.
The living creatures speak about God. The elders speak to Him, calling Him "our Lord and God" (Walter Scott).
The elders wear gold crowns, and they do not keep them. One writer explains where such crowns come from.
When Christ rewards the believer with a crown, or crowns, at His judgment seat, there will be no sinful nature left to swell with pride. The believer will cast those crowns at the feet of the One who gave them. It was His grace that produced this fruit in the believer, for His praise.
The crowns came from Christ, and the saints "use the crowns that Christ has given them to own their perfect submission to Him" (Hamilton Smith). The elders are "more blessed in owning His glory than in having their own" (Edward Dennett).
The word "for" carries the whole verse. The elders give the reason God is worthy.
These twenty-four elders (representatives, as I have said, of the saints), as kings and priests, understand what makes the Lord worthy of praise: "for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." The Lord is the source and final end of all that exists.
Older translations read "for your pleasure" where the ESV has "by your will." Both point to God's will as the one cause.
If God's will alone brought everything into being, then everything remains answerable to Him. That is the argument the elders' last words make.
They praise Him as the Creator, and they own the sovereign claims this gives Him over all His creatures. His will alone called them into being, and by His will alone they went on existing. So, since they depend on their Creator, they must answer to Him in judgment.
People on earth will soon deny this claim. One commentator notes that those who are a new creation in Christ "enter into God's rights as Creator; which earth's inhabitants, and especially apostate Christians, are about to dispute and deny" (William Kelly).
The Lamb is not named separately in this chapter, which raises a question about who receives this praise.
This praise goes not to the Father, but to the God of creation and providence. In this chapter Jesus is never named or seen on His own. Yet in creation He is the person of the Godhead who works; for "all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Col. 1:16-17.) So the one worshipped here is not the Father as distinct from the Son. It is God the Creator, including Father, Son, and Spirit. All the glory a creature has is only given to it. So the elders, though crowned, fall down and worship the ever-living One, casting their crowns before the throne and owning that He alone is worthy of honour, glory, and power.
This song does not mention redemption yet. That comes next: "In chapter 4, it is the praises of creation, and in chapter 5, the praises of redemption" (J. N. Darby).
A creation made for God's pleasure is not what we see around us now.
Sin has spoiled the beautiful creation, so that now the whole creation groans and suffers pain. But the saints in heaven have the mind of the Lord. They can see that God will deal with all the evil in judgment. Then God can once again take pleasure in His creation, just as He did long ago when the creation work was finished: "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31).
- His will — Nothing exists by accident. God's will alone called everything into being and keeps it in being.
- His right — Because He made all things, He may judge all things. To depend on a Creator is to answer to Him.
- His worthiness — The elders give a reason for their praise. Worship that knows why it worships is worship "with understanding."
- His crowns — Real rewards go straight back to the Giver. The elders would rather own His glory than hold their own.
- His pleasure — Sin has spoiled what He made for His delight. Judgment clears the way for God to enjoy His creation again.