Revelation 5.14 The
four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
– St. John
I think it is both: literal and figurative – you know,
the falling down part. It seems to be
a recurring theme in Scripture that part of worship is the act of bowing
physically; and the art of bowing spiritually.
Now, I think it’s normal, in the presence of the
Almighty, to bow physically – who can stand in the presence of such immensity?
Who can keep their feet in the presence of majesty? When the mob came to arrest
Jesus in the garden as Jesus asked them who they sought and they said, Jesus of
Nazareth; [w]hen Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (John
18.6) That’s noteworthy.
Worship is arriving to that place in one’s heart, soul,
mind, and strength when the only response is: This is the One! And it affects the body, soul, mind, and heart.
The response is accompanied by bowing, a physical response.
The hysteria of the Beatles in the early sixties. The
gushing over Presley. I would dare say what happens after presidential
elections when “our” guy wins. We are so carried away that a form of worship
blossoms. Our needs are met; our teams wins. We respond.
Ah, but the presence of God: Isaiah said: I am undone! I’m
falling apart! Who can stand in the presence of such majesty!? So, in
Revelation 5, the elders fall down: it is all
Him, and they can only do what humans can do: bow in worship. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess
(Isaiah 45.23, Revelation 14.11, Philippians 2.10-11). It’s our only response,
then.
Now? Well, not so much now because we’re so distracted by
what’s going on now. We’re too busy looking for a leader of some kind to
unravel the Gordian’s knot of present society and its ills. Right now we’re
looking for a winner. One day, it
will be a Lord, and every tongue will confess and every knee will bow.
I used to see the bowing as weakness or naïveté. I was
wrong. It’s the only response. He did it, not us, not them, not me. Jesus did
it all. And because of Jesus, will I only have a place in the party where I
will bow in thanksgiving for all He has done for me…
I’m not sure who the elders are in Revelation 5, but I
suspect they are the representatives of the nation of Israel and I suspect the
one who spoke to John in the vision was Judah, from whom came the Lamb. It’s
not important save to say, John got a glimpse of where he was headed and he
shared with us so we could get a glimpse as well. Get ready to fall down a lot;
we’ll be in His presence forever and ever.
Father, I’m not
falling down these days. I need to. Like sister Martha, I am distracted by many
things. Help me to be more like sister Mary – content to sit at Your feet to
listen and learn. Lord, I don’t have to wait to bow or confess, I just need to
make it more a part of my daily living – help me to do that. And like the four
living creatures: AMEN!
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