4:9 Whenever it is appropriate and possible the four living creatures give praise to eternal God. They glorify and honor Him for His perfections, and they thank Him for His great works, especially His creation (v. 11).
4:10 The 24 elders likewise fall down before Him out of reverence. When the crowned elders prostrate themselves before God and cast their crowns at His feet, these rulers humbly acknowledge His sovereignty and His right to receive worship. Casting their crowns at His feet symbolizes the willing subjection of their power to His superior authority.
When a victorious athlete returned home from the games and participated in a final celebration, he would ceremoniously offer the wreath or crown that he had earned to his deity.217The Apostle Paul said he wanted to make sure he did nothing that would result in his losing his reward (1 Cor. 9:27). He also used rewards as a motivation to urge Christians to serve Jesus Christ faithfully (1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; et al.). These factors have created problems for some believers. Is it not selfish to want to gain a reward? Is this not an unworthy motive for living the Christian life? I believe the answer lies in this verse. Here the 24 elders cast their crowns at the feet of the Father in worship. Since a crown is something we will give back to the Lord in worship, the desire for a crown need not be a selfish motivation. Indeed the desire to present one's life work of faithful service as a gift to the Savior is a very unselfish and God-honoring motive.
A victor's crown is symbolic of the fact that the judge has declared the athlete victorious. Anyone can go out and buy a trophy in a store, but a trophy received as a reward for victory in competition has much greater value because of what it represents. Christians will receive crowns for finishing the race set before us faithfully, not first (i.e., before others). We do not compete against fellow believers, but we compete to overcome our spiritual enemies, namely, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
4:11 The elders' song is similar to that of the four living beings, but it focuses more on the wonders of God's creation as the evidence of his glory and power.218It is also directed to God directly.219"Worthy art thou"and "our Lord and God"were phrases that pagans used to worship the emperor in John's day.220"Because of Thy will"directs praise to God for the ultimate cause of creation.221Probably "they existed, and were created"simply credits God for the existence of all things and then stresses the fact that He brought them into existence.222
The total impression that this highly symbolic vision presents seems clear even though the interpretation of some of the symbols may not be as obvious. The angelic creatures closest to God will bow before God and give Him the honor He so rightly deserves.223We need to see all that follows in this revelation (chs. 5-22) in the light of the character of God manifested in this vision. God is perfectly holy, just, gracious, righteous, pure, omnipotent, eternal, and sovereign. This should help us to accept the coming revelation that He will wipe out huge segments of humanity in the future.
