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25. Praise Song
Revelation 5.9-12
"And they sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you died, and with your blood, you purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation.' You have made them a kingdom and priests to serve our God, who will reign on the earth. Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. In a loud voice, they were saying: 'Worthy is the slain Lamb to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praise!'" (Revelation 5.9-12) ✞
New Things
One of the great surprises about Revelation is that it is the book of new things. ✞
- "New name" in Revelation 2.17,
- "New Jerusalem" in Revelation 3.12,
- "New Revelation praise song" in Revelation 5.9.
- "New heavens and the new earth" in Revelation 21.1,
- "God makes all things new" in Revelation 21.5.
- "They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders." in Revelation 14.3
A New Psalm
The phrase "a new song" is frequent in the Psalms as a praise outburst for God's goodness and mercy.
- "Sing him a new song" in Psalm 33.3,
- "O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done marvelous things." in Psalm 98.1,
- "I will sing a new song to thee, O God," in Psalm 144.9.
- "Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the faithful assembly." in Psalm 149.1.
Thou art Worthy
The nearest Old Testament parallel to the Revelation praise song is Isaiah 42.10-12, "Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the earth's ends." "Let Sela's people sing for joy. Let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give the Lord glory and proclaim his praise in the islands." "Sela" frequently occurs at the end of Psalm and Habakkuk verses as a musical direction or instruction to the singers to pause. ✞
Song About Jesus
Here, God declares new things, and the prophet calls humans to sing to the Lord "a new song." Let us consider this new Revelation song carefully and why we can sing it of Jesus. "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals." "With your blood, you purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have made them a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." This new song is all about Jesus. Jesus deserves a new praise anthem for all he has achieved as Savior! ✞
Praise The Lamb
We are called upon to sing Jesus' song and praise the Lamb's sacrificial death. The four living creatures and the elders offer praise to the slain Lamb. They sing Jesus' music, describing his death and bloodshed for our sins. Jesus' sacrificial death is not an accident of history, it is not the tragic death of a good, heroic man in a righteous cause, but it is God's specific intention. The sacrificial objective is to restore God and human beings' lost relationship. For that purpose alone, and with that result, Jesus Christ died on the cross. God wanted to make this praise an essential part of our earthly lives and throughout heaven's eternity. What we glimpse in our Sunday worship, singing the Lamb's song, God wants to make a permanent feature in our lives. We are encouraged to,
"Sing a new song unto the Lord,
Let your song be sung, From age to age,
Sing a new song unto the Lord.
Singing, Alleluia." ✞
Written by Dan Schutte © as Track 1 on "Here I Am, Lord" (30th Anniversary Edition) ✞
From Every Tribe
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sing a new heavenly song. It speaks of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection and his saving work on the cross for peoples from every tribe and nation. It is a missionary plea. "They will reign on the earth" may be translated as "they do reign on the earth." It is as if the reign has begun already. Jesus Christ's death has universal benefits. Men, women, and children "from every tribe, language, people and nation" may receive him. Once, the Jewish nation could argue that God cared only for them and wanted other non-Jewish peoples' destruction. But in Jesus Christ, we meet a God who loves all the world. Jesus' death is for everyone. Therefore the church must tell everyone about it. ✞
Royal Children
The Scriptures tell us that God makes Christians a "kingdom and priests to serve our God." They have the privilege of being God's royal children. We have always been God's creation sons and daughters, but now a new relationship opens as heirs of grace to everyone who believes.✞
Jesus Christ's Priests
As Jesus' new priests, every Christian has access to God. In Jesus, there is victory over sin and control over self in every circumstance. Jesus Christ makes Christians into "a kingdom and priests." In the ancient world, the Jewish High Priest alone had the privilege of approaching God and then only one specific day each year. When a Jewish male entered Jerusalem's Temple, he could enter through the Gentiles Court, then the Women's Court, into the Israelites' Court, but he could not go further into the Priests' Court. But Jesus Christ, the most significant High Priest, opened the way for all to enter God's very presence. Every Christian becomes a priest as they have the same right to access God as Jesus, the great High Priest. ✞
Reign On the Earth
This Revelation passage tells us that Jesus' people shall "reign on the earth." Reigning is not a political triumph or material lordship but means living the victorious life under all circumstances. As Jesus says in John 16.33b, "In the world you have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world." Jesus gives us victory over ourselves, our circumstances, and our sin. When we think of Jesus Christ's life and death, it is no surprise that the living creatures and the elders erupt into praise songs. ✞
Countless Angels
In Revelation's heaven, thousands and thousands of angels praise Jesus Christ. A hundred million angels worship him. A "thousand times a thousand angels" or "ten thousand times ten thousand angels" or "countless angelic beings" sing the Lamb of God's praises. They praise Jesus, the Lamb of God, who is worthy to open the scroll. John of Patmos wants to say countless numbers like the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore but cannot describe it. In today's scientific language, thousand upon thousand would be 10 to the power of 8, if my math is correct, or 100,000,000. Some would say, "an enormous number!" ✞
Angel Hierarchy
Angels are not human beings but rather spiritual entities created by God to serve and worship him as messengers or ministers in his service. Angels have other roles, including protecting and guiding human beings. There is a hierarchy of angels or angel ranks in which the Archangels have greater authority than the lower ones. The Archangel Gabriel, for example, is God's primary messenger to human beings, whereas the Archangel Michael is renowned as an outstanding soldier. Angels expelled from heaven are called fallen angels, like Satan. Hebrews 13.2 exhorts, "Forget not to show love unto strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." We need to remind ourselves that angels walk amongst us on earth, and we might never know who they are! ✞
Jesus Receives Praise
Jesus, the Lamb, slain upon the cross, is now given praise and power worthy of his status. To Jesus belongs, as Saint Paul writes in Ephesians 3.8b, "boundless riches." In 1 Corinthians 1.24b, Jesus is "God's power and wisdom." He overcomes all his enemies and receives all honor, praise, and power. John 1.14 tells us about Jesus, "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen the one and only Son's glory, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Divine grace and truth were bestowed on him by the Father. Innumerable angels worship him, and all created beings with one great voice praise him. ✞
Creation Work
"Worthy is the Lamb" rings out in a loud voice from all creation in heaven and earth. Jesus will conclude history's events, for he is in control. All heavenly creatures in the world, under the ground, and in the sea shout, "Worthy is the Lamb." All creation praises Christ's work. The English poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), the author of many devotional poems, wrote, "God revealed heaven to earth as the homeland of music." This Christ praise lifts our spirits too. We worship God and praise him for what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do for all who trust him. ✞
Loud Voice
We will someday join the heavenly angels with loud voices in Christ's praise from joyful and adoring hearts. This Christ praise essence, which we only glimpse in Sunday worship, God wants to make a full-blown and permanent feature of our heavenly life! ✞
"Praise Song"
by Ron Meacock © 2021
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