“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” ~Revelation 5:12 (NSRV).
Worship is the nexus of both heaven and the book of Revelation.
Out of Revelation’s highlights reel comes the above verse—the “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” of angels singing at shouting full voice, their praise for the King of kings and Lord of lords.
These seven blessings the Lamb is worthy to receive, due the work of the cross—the definitive sacrifice of love:
1. Power – the omnipotence of the Lord is beyond question and recurrent through eternity. Because the Lamb gave up power, worthy is he all the more.
2. Wealth (abundance) – all that is, is God’s—every created thing, concept, law, entity; everything. Because the Lamb became nothing (Philippians 2:7), worthy is he all the more.
3. Wisdom – there is a realm where the Almighty resides with implicit glory, and that is in Wisdom. The Lamb is sure to receive what is rightly his. Because the Lamb was shamed silently by the world’s wisdom (Isaiah 53:7), worthy is he all the more.
4. Might (strength) – our Lord’s strength (grace) is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). Also an eternal concept, God’s might is mighty to save. Worthy is the Lamb all the more when we understand Eternity’s strength was both proven and absolved, for us, at the cross.
5. Honour – a quality such as this is the basic worth of God. As a parent ought to be honoured, so ought God to be honoured in the face of all humankind; for every knee will bow and every tongue, confess: Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). Yet, worthy is the Lamb all the more, for honour vanished at the cross.
6. Glory – there is not a more worthy designation for the Divine Father and his Son than glory. Not only is the eternal residence full of God’s glory, the very nature of God’s works are that too. The Lamb surrendered all glory, even becoming the antithesis of it, at the cross. Worthy is the Lamb all the more!
7. Blessing – a “good word.” Our Majesty is that good word as well is being the good word through the Lamb’s obedience on the cross. The cross is our salvation; it is our blessing. Worthy of the Lamb all the more to be blessed eternally.
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The Lamb is worthy to receive absolute power, abundance, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and blessing because, not only is it God’s nature to own these outright—including all right to them indefinitely—but the sinless Lamb was slain to redeem a most filthy humanity; even as we are found, and might continue, in sin (Romans 5:8).
It may be no coincidence that seven (the number for ‘completion’) key criteria are marked for the Lamb, in order that they may complete our transaction of worship, which is an eternal cognisance of the incomprehensible worth of the Saviour.
Not only is God worthy of complete worship in any event, due and manifest in these seven blessings, our Lord proved such an incalculable faithfulness to be hung on a tree; God crucified—devoid of all Divine attributes, barring the depths of love the Creator has for each of his creations.
On the cross, of all God’s character, love was all that was left. Love was all that could not be taken. Love was all that was needed. Love has saved us.
The Lamb is the Son of God, and the Son is the Lamb: Jesus. Two reasons for a complete set of seven blessings exist: 1) God has all and deserves all; and, 2) God gave all and deserves all. Worthy, alone, is the Lamb.
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If the Lamb is to receive these seven blessings, because of sacrificial love, what will we receive in eternity as we love sacrificially?
© 2011 S. J. Wickham.
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