Heavenly ‘Sayings’ that led to worship
Call to worship of Praise, thanksgiving leading to responses of worship.
Rev 4:8-11 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come [Call to worship]And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.[Response]
The setting here is the throne of God in heaven. There is a description of the magnificence of the One who sat on the throne followed by the twenty four elders of His presence and the four living beasts. The atmosphere is of continuous worship- they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come vs 7. This is both their worship and call to worship. When they declared this saying, the elders join in worship, falling on their faces, casting down their crowns, praising God and declaring that it is for the purpose of worship that all things were created.
The thrice Holy God
Twice in Scriptures, this description of God is made. Each time, it was at the revelation of the glory of God who is enthroned in Heaven. Above all other qualities or attributes of God, one that defines all other attributes is His holiness. And this holiness is described superlatively to the third degree- holy, holy, holy. This is the highest degree to which a thing may be described. The holiness of God is to a degree that is incomprehensible! It is beyond words. God’s holiness is His transcendence over all of His creation. He is different- other than whatever is.
In the words of Hannah, the mother of Prophet Samuel, the holiness of God was the theme of her exultation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God 1 Sam 2:2. In all that God is, He cannot be compared to anyone. His love, faithfulness, kindness, grace, mercy etc are all incomparable.
We must also define His holiness as the quality of being light- no darkness or evil. God’s purity is indescribable. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity… Hab 1:13. God retracts at the sight of evil- there is no accommodation of it in Him. And He expects and commands the same of those who compass His throne.
It is this holiness that knocked Isaiah down to the ground. In the presence of the Holy, he saw himself very clearly.
Powerful but Holy
God is not just powerful, He is Almighty! All powers emanate from Him. There is no power but of God Rm 13:1. In the twice encounter of the thrice holy God, He is described as the LORD of Hosts ( Is 6:5) and the LORD God Almighty (Rev 4:8). As the LORD of Hosts, He is the Commander of the armies of Heaven. The Commander is of the highest rank and most experienced on the battle front. As the Almighty God, He possesses unlimited power to do and undo. He has power to kill and to make alive, to heal and to break. But He is Holy. He will never do anything from a wicked mind or heart. His thoughts are good. His ways are just and true and there is no wickedness in Him. This is our God- mighty and holy. He will not oppress with His power like men of power. He will not despise the downtrodden because He sits in the high and lofty place. He will not break the broken reed or snuff out the smoking flax though He has power to do so. He is Holy and compassionately so.
Heaven and earth worship
Something must be said about this heavenly form of worship in comparison to how God is worshipped in many of our gatherings. The difference reveals the lack or gap in our experience of God or His knowledge. Those who really knew God or saw His majesty could not but fall down on their faces in worship. This same experience was true of some Old Testament Saints like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Manoah and his wife upon recognizing they had been conversing with the angel of the LORD (probably a Christophany) they fell on their faces to the ground. Who can truly behold His glory and maintain his or her composure?
But here (in worship) we stand, immovable, unfeeling, untouched because we have not seen His majesty- we have not seen His glory. May the LORD by His Spirit open our eyes to see the Invisible in His glory and majesty. May our worship of God not be in mere words that do not come from the heart. May we like Isaiah cry, for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts Is 6:5 therefore, our lives cannot be the same again- it will thenceforth be for the worship of the LORD God Almighty in spirit and truth. AMEN!