In the light of Revelation’s extensive use of the Old Testament, it is reading too much into this phrase to suggest that the ‘newness’ relates to the new salvation in Jesus, the lamb the God of Israel has constantly been giving of himself to his people, even as they have turned from him, and this finds its fullest expression in the self-giving of the lamb. ![]() This is not particularly a song of victory, but a fresh song of celebration of God’s mighty deeds of salvation for his people, especially in the context of God as lord over the whole earth. 42:10) and is found again on the lips of the redeemed in Rev. 96:1 and 98:1 (though it is also found in Pss. The term ‘saints’ ( hagioi, ‘holy ones’) occurs 14 times in Revelation, as does the term ‘servants’, another designation for the people of God (see comment on 1:1, 2).ĩ–10. The idea of singing a new song comes primarily from Ps. 141:2 ‘Let my prayer be set before you as incense’, and the prayers of the saints will come to include (but are not limited to) the cries for deliverance and justice in 6:9–11 the two are combined in 8:4–5. The idea of prayer as metaphorical incense draws on Ps. The burning of incense was not part of early Christian worship and was explicitly rejected by some in the early second century – so we are here offered a metaphor about prayer, not an insight into early Christian devotional practice. ![]() Bowls were in common use in both Graeco-Roman and Jewish worship, usually wide and shallow in form they were used to hold wine, flour or incense. To hold and play harps and to hold the bowls of incense while prostrated is impossible the symbolic significance is of the elders performing priestly acts as representatives of the priestly people of God. Although unclear in some translations, it is the elders (and not the living creatures) who each had a harp the seven-stringed harp or kithara was widely used, but here the allusion is to the depiction of the Levites in 1 Chron. 2:8), so this prostration demonstrates extreme reverence or urgent supplication. It was customary in the first century to stand for prayer, both in Graeco-Roman practice as well as for Jews and Christians (Luke 18:11 1 Tim. ![]() The four living creatures and the elders, who have previously been prostrate before the one seated on the throne, now offer exactly the same worship to the lamb. Italics indicate citations from the biblical text, though often in my own translation rather than any specific English version.Ĩ. It is at the moment that he took the scroll (rather than after it, as implied by some translations) that the chorus of praise breaks out. Some might be preferring to preach from that, so here is the comment I made on the whole section in my commentary on Revelation (which you might want to purchase…!). But another one of the readings is Revelation 5.11-14, a truncated part of John’s account of the worship of the lamb. This Sunday’s gospel lectionary reading is from John 21, relating the miraculous catch of fish and Jesus’ threefold restoration of Peter.
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