Revelation 4:6-7

Revelation 4:6-7

And in the middle of the throne and around the throne four living beings who are full of eyes before and behind.  And the first of the living beings was of a similar nature to a lion, the second of the living beings was of a similar nature to a young calf, the third living being who has the face as a man, and the fourth living being of a similar nature to an eagle while flying.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As we enter into this passage, we get another reinforcement about the worship of God.  He continues to be the center.  These four creatures are around the throne of God.  However, this also shows us something about God.  God sees the full circle of life and is involved in every dimension of life.  He doesn’t rule from the edge of life but from in the midst of it.  This leads us to another neat point.  There is no real front to the throne of God.  So often we think of kings having their throne room established so that the throne is against a solid wall.  This way, nobody can sneak up behind the king and nobody can see the less desirable side of the king.  With God, though, there is no less desirable side.  Neither can you sneak up on God.

How is God a part of your whole life?  Do you ever think that you can sneak something past God or hide something from Him?

Second Thought:

Next, we meet the four living creatures.  Notice that they all have one thing in common.  They all have eyes in front of themselves and in the back.  In other words, they see everything.  This really blends well with the first thought.  You can’t sneak up on God; you can’t also sneak up on those things that are nearest to God, either.  The beings in the presence of God imitate the qualities of God.

How do you imitate God’s qualities?  Where can you learn to depend on God to make you more like Him?

Third Thought:

 Finally, we get to the nature of these four creatures.  These creatures are no doubt borrowed from what John knew about Ezekiel 1:6-26.  The creatures are: lion, young calf, man, and eagle.  I personally believe that these creatures are chosen to represent the four great characteristics of creation.  The lion represents a noble and confident nature.  The young ox represents sheer strength.  The human represents intellect and wisdom.  The eagle represents grace and swiftness.  Not only do the creature imitate the nature of God; they also demonstrate the best parts of God’s creation.  In worship, God has surrounded Himself with His creation.  This makes sense, because God brought creation out of His own nature.

Do you relate to any of the characteristics of nature that we find in these creatures?  Are you surprised that God desires to surround Himself by aspects of His own creation?  How does this help explain why He does not wash His hands of us and our sinfulness?

Passage for Tomorrow: Revelation 4:8-11