It’s Easter week! A time to celebrate all we have received only
because of all Jesus did for us this week thousands of years ago at Calvary .
Last week I wrote on that from Isaiah 53 and you’re welcome to read it here, but for this
week, I can think of no better spot to be celebrating than in this chapter
where we see our Savior and Lord as King! The only One found worthy!
John is sharing his vision. God on His thrown holds a
scroll that no one has been found worthy enough to open, and John is overwhelmed
to the point of weeping with utter despair, but suddenly one of the elders says
to him, “Do not weep!
See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He
is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
John looks up, expecting to see this lion, but instead, he tells us, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had
been slain, standing at the center of the throne.” At the sight of this
Lamb, the heavenly creatures and elders fell down before the Lamb and 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 for God persons from every tribe
and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).
No longer the babe lying in the manger, or our Savior on the
cross, through John’s vision we see the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, the
only One worthy… may I say that again, the ONLY ONE worthy to take the scroll
out of God’s hands and open the seals! And at that very moment Jesus takes hold
of the scroll, “the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb” in an act of worship and begin to sing!
A very special song for a number of reasons:
- This Song of the Lamb is a song that proclaims the power of God,
not through violence, but through His overwhelming, sacrificial
love.
- It’s a song that displays God’s gift through the
outpouring of Christ’s blood.
- It’s a song that displays the wisdom of God that is often perceived
as foolishness by His enemies.
- It’s a song that speaks of the strength of God made perfect through
our weakness.
- The Song of the Lamb is a hymn that gives honor, glory and praise
to our amazing Savior who, “being
in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be
used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the
very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being
found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the
highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father” (Philippians
2:6-11).
Tomorrow begins our holy week celebration. And as you go
through the days ahead I pray you’ll sing this song along with me!
Let our singing be an act of worship to the One who is both
the Lion of Judah and the
sacrificial Lamb of God. The only One found worthy to break the seals! There
is no one else who is worthy of our worship and praise!
Let us join with the heavenly hosts this week as we approach
Easter in singing: “To the One who sits
on the throne and to the Lamb, be all blessing and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!” And let all God’s creatures say, “Amen!”