Worship XI Day 7 Khet, Tet, & Yod: Digging Deeper
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Revelation 5:9
9 And they sang a new song:
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slaughtered,
and you purchased people
for God by your blood
from every tribe and language
and people and nation.
and on all that your hands produce.”
The Original Intent
1) Who is singing the new song?
This verse simply begins with “and they sang”. In order to discover who “they” are we look back a few verses as well as ahead a few verses. Context is important! We must look at the song in its entirety, not just one verse.
Revelation 5:6-8 lays out the setting of the song and some who are present in the audience. Verse 6 provides a description of who is before the Lamb, or Jesus, singing. Here we see the four living beings and 24 elders.
When we look at the rest of the song in Revelation 5:10-14 we see not only the living beings and the elders, but also angels and “every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them”.
In other words, this song is sung by all of God’s creation. Nothing and no one is left out. It is a worship song sung by all of creation to the Creator of all.
The Everyday Application
1) Who is singing the new song?
This song is sung by all of God’s creation. Scripture shows all of God’s creation both, earthly and heavenly beings, singing. It is a picture of all God created worshipping Him together as one.
Revelation 5:11 tells us the number present are “countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands”. When we look specifically at the people represented we see they come from “every tribe and language and people and nation”.
Those present at the throne show us a complete picture of who Jesus came for, those He loves. He came for all people in every corner of the earth. No matter where we come from, when Jesus returns and establishes His eternal Kingdom, there will be people present from every people group.
When we begin to understand this reality, the way we live should radically change. If people from every people group will be at the throne of God, the command in Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples of all nations is viewed in a new light.
As Jesus followers, we should desire to see people all over the world come to accept Jesus, which begins with our obedience to share truth. It begins where God places us in our everyday lives, but shouldn’t stop there. We should have a heart for the nations, for all of God’s creation. Our lives should be lived on mission expressing a desire to join God on His mission to see all nations, people from every tribe and language, accept Jesus and become His disciples.
So, I ask you… what or where is God calling you? Where will you step out in faith for the sake of the calling and say yes to what He is inviting you into?
The Original Intent
2) Who are they singing about?
When the song is read, there is a clear description of Who it is about. There is no doubt the song is about Jesus, the Son of God, who gave His life for the sins of all people. However, if we look back at Revelation 5:6 John specifically describes Jesus as the Lamb.
This description paints an important picture of Jesus as our atoning sacrifice. John’s Jewish audience would have understood the symbol of a lamb. It would have taken them back to Passover in Egypt when God commanded them to shed the blood of a lamb and paint their doorframes. In doing this, their first-born sons were spared while the sons of the Egyptians perished.
Jesus is the final promise of a perfect spotless lamb to take away the sins of those God loves, to save His creation just as He saved the Israelites in Egypt. Furthermore, verse 9 tells exactly what Jesus did. The audience John addressed would have known of Jesus’ death (slaughter) in order to redeem (purchase) God’s people back to Him through His blood. However, the shocking part of this verse to the audience John wrote to would have been who was included.
John’s Jewish audience would have seen Jesus’ sacrifice being for only them because they were God’s chosen people. Instead, the song is about Jesus whose blood was spilled for all people, not just Jews.
The Everyday Application
2) Who are they singing about?
Jesus, the Lamb of the world is who this song is about. They song includes specific words acknowledging Jesus to be who He said He was and accomplishing what He said He would do. He is the Lamb that was slaughtered and shed His blood as a purchase for those He loves.
Jesus literally buys back all of humanity with His sacrifice. This song is about and to that very Person.
It is a group singing the truth of redemption to the One who redeemed them. For us today, we also see affirmation that Gentiles are included in the sacrifice of Jesus.
We are part of the chosen people He redeemed. He came for all, and all are singing His praises, acknowledging Him for what He did that day on Calvary.
It is simply a song about the One who chose to redeem all of mankind to Himself. Join the song today!
The Original Intent
3) Where is this song being sung?
Revelation, where this song is found, is written by John after God provided him a glimpse into what will come when Jesus returns. John takes the vision from God and communicates it the best he can so readers can picture what he saw and envision being in the very presence of God one day.
The entire book of Revelation was intended to encourage the church that victory was coming and redemption would reach its fullness!
Revelation 4 introduces this song of victory and its opening verses, Revelation 4:1-2, inform readers this is a picture of Heaven.
Once we realize this, we see this song is being sung to the God of the Universe by those who are in His presence, both heavenly creatures and human beings.
Revelation 5:6 informs readers the song is being sung at the very throne of God to the God who created the universe and all that is in it.
The Everyday Application
3) Where is this song being sung?
One of my favorite memories is being on a mission trip in South Africa where people from tribes and languages from all over southern Africa gathered for a pastor’s conference. While worshipping, a song was sung that each tribe and language sang in their native tongue at the same time.
As I stood worshiping Jesus with my brothers and sisters in Christ from several different tribes and languages, I couldn’t help but stop and think, “this is what Heaven will be like… where I will be with all my brothers and sisters in Christ from all around the world”. The song in Revelation is much like that.
We see a scene portraying a sneak-peak into Heaven. God gave John a vision of what was to come and it included people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. God makes it perfectly clear that He is not a God who discriminates. His love is open to all… Jesus died for all people.
No matter who you are, what your background is, or what you have done, Jesus died for you. When we begin to think this way, and love this way, our lives increasingly resemble the life of Jesus a little more.
When we finally meet our Father face to face, this is the Kingdom we will be welcomed into. We will not only stand before our God, but we will worship Him with all created beings and believers from all over the world at His throne. What a picture of perfection and unity of the world that Jesus came to die for!
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