Journal Rev 5 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “And they sang a new song, saying,
Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,
For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation, and
You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Then I looked and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels—numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands—saying with a loud voice:
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them saying:
To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!!” Rev 5:9-13
Observation: So much to see in Revelation, makes me want to be a spectator in some places, investigator in others, and speculator in still more. And then I come across a place where I should pay attention and use to evaluate my life right now…
Analysis: As much as I know better, I resist accepting that many things in Revelation are a mystery and that is on purpose. I suppose that those places where there is blatant mystery, I would skip over and not read at all—kind of developing a “red letter” version of Revelation: Plain, plain, mystery, mystery, mystery, plain plain plain….—with all the “mystery” being written in red letters or some such.
I really want to know the significance of the numerology, the stars in the hand, the 7 lampstands, how a lamb can have 7 horns, 7 eyes, etc., etc. — and when I get distracted with this I can miss some other things that have importance to me right here, right now.
For instance, this section of scripture. When I refer to anything involving worship, I can define all that I do as some expression of worship. In this section, there is a specific, candid, and clear reporting of what worship is in Heaven.
There are 4 things to be taken out of this:
1) Worship involves singing. And loud singing at that.
2) Worship involves directing my song to the One deserving of the song: Jesus.
3) Worship involves invoking out loud the story of the Gospel: principles and doctrine.
4) Worship involves being emphatic about why I worship—I sing, I talk, I state doctrine, I state the obvious—over and over again.
Why all of these? Because I want to be as absorbed in the Lamb as these guys are before I step foot in front of Him.
I remember this from Luke: “…I tell you, if these (people) were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
I think I should be able to out shout a rock…
Prayer: Lord God—How majestic is your name in all the universe.
Songs are good to remind my pea-brain of your Works and Ways; that they are majestic, that they are eternal; that they are for Good purpose (a purpose that only You know the details of). Even the clues set in your Word are, by your spoken purposes, incomplete to Man—maybe meant to make us curious enough to seek you all our days. Beat’s me; sounds good though.
Bring revival, O God. Hear the cry of your people.
AMEN