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“The Worship of the Twenty-Four Elders”
The Worship of the Twenty-Four Elders
Wade Webster
“The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Rev. 4:10-11). As we look closely at this passage, we see that they fell down, bowed down, and cast down their crowns.
First, they fell down. We see this action repeatedly by the twenty-four elders in the book (Rev. 5:8-9, 14; 19:4). They are on their knees more than they are on their feet. We could certainly learn from them in this area. I heard a story once about a man climbing a mountain with a guide. As they neared the summit, the guide switched places with the man so that he could have the first view from the summit. As the man reached the summit, he stood up to get a better look. The guide immediately shouted, “On your knees! On your knees! You are only safe here on your knees.” The guide went on to explain to the man that there are strong gusts of wind that blow across the summit. The only safe position is on one’s knees. I think that this is a good reminder for us as we draw near to God in worship(Jam. 4:8, 10).
Second, they bowed down. In addition to falling down, the twenty-four elders worshipped (4:10). As you know, worship is kissing the hand toward God. It is bowing down before a superior. If you are following the progression of the text, then you see that they fell down and then they bowed down or worshipped. They prostrated themselves before God. Again, we would do well to imitate them. In the long ago, the psalmist declared, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (Psa. 95:6).
Third, they cast their crowns down. The casting down of the crowns is especially beautiful (4:10). The twenty-four elders were declaring by this action the Lamb’s worthiness to receive glory, honor, and power (4:11; 5:8-9). They cast their crowns of glory down to give glory to Him. Of all of their actions, this may be the hardest for us to follow. It is hard to surrender all. It is hard to cast down our crowns (education, wealth, talents, etc.). Yet, the Lamb is deserving of nothing less than this. We must be willing to give everything that we have to honor Him (Phil. 3:7-11; Mk. 12:41-44).
As we get ready to worship this week, let’s follow the example of the twenty-four elders. Let’s fall down, bow down, and cast down our crowns to honor the Lamb.
