It would sound very outrageous if someone were to claim that they are too good for God. That they are too accomplished to need God. But the truth is, even while they may not always make public proclamations of it, people sometimes act as if they do not need God. As if God is for a certain class of people. Sometimes we do feel like we are “too good” in our minds; as if God should be the one levelling up to our standards and not the other way round. We approach God with an unconscious indifference. Almost as if we have forgotten that He is the living, Almighty God. That He deserves and demands absolute reverence from us.
We have been reading from Revelations 4 over the past one week, and from verse 6b-7, John tells us that around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. Apostle John provides here a rather vivid description of the four creatures on both sides of God’s throne: And beyond their physical appearances, John’s description offers deep insight to the nature of these beings. He paints an image of super-intelligent creatures. Beings with great understanding given their heightened perception. This, on one hand, means that our worship must be reasonable and intelligent; that our worship must be informed by what we know about our God and that we must be willing to spend time in His courts. To understand and know Him more intimately so that our worship is not blind. On the other hand, this means that however excellent we, or anyone else, may consider us to be, there is no one among us that is too excellent to render worship to God. There is no created being so elevated that they are exempted from bowing before the living God.
John goes on to explain that one of the creatures had a face like a man, another like an ox, one like lion, and one like an eagle in flight, and all these creatures are representatives of their respective spheres of dominance. Each represents the magnificence of their kingdoms, yet all they take their place under the throne of God. Exalted as they are in the world, they recognize that there is a kingdom above all other kingdoms. With all their endowments, they discharge of their duty of worship before the living God. They acknowledge the majesty of God. They acknowledge God’s divine command and governance over all intelligence and wisdom and His dominance and strength over all that exists.
There is not a created being that is sufficient by itself. However courageous, however patient however prudent or wise we might be, our place is before the throne of the Almighty. We are created to render our services to our God. We are called to render worship before the throne of mercy. Even at the height of our blessings. Even at the height of success, our place is before our God. Our blessings are for His glory. We are elevated in status so that we may have even more reason to worship Him. Our blessings should not drive us further away from God. They should be employed in the service of our God whose dominion is absolute; whose design of things is for the purpose of drawing us closer to Him.
And John goes on to say from verse 8-11 that the four creatures never cease to say “Holy hoy holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the cherubim give glory to the Everlasting One that is seated on the throne, the twenty four elders fall down before the Lord God and cast their crowns before His throne saying “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” They never stop proclaiming the transcendence of the Lord. They never stop proclaiming that He is worthy of all honor. That He is worthy of power and glory. They spend all their time worshiping God.