“Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

4:9

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor

The living creatures give glory and honor to God. They emphasize both the sum total of God’s attributes (“glory”) and His worthy distinction (“honor”).

and thanks to Him who sits on the throne,

This phrase emphasizes God’s sovereign and eternal reign. The first phrase calls attention to His person, and this phrase highlights His work. We give God thanks for His sovereignty.

who lives forever and ever

God is lives in an eternal state.

4:10

the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever

The idea of “fall down” means to prostrate oneself before someone to give him homage.

The Greek word for “worship” is the word used most frequently to render the idea of worship in the New Testament and means to make obeisance, do reverence to, to prostrate oneself before someone as an act of reverence. The emphasis here is upon God’s creation revealing His attributes as sovereign Creator.

and cast their crowns before the throne saying:

The elders fell before the absolute uniqueness of God. They own everything they were and are to Him as the Cause of the universe.

PRINCIPLE:

Our crowns represent everything we have done for the Lord during our lifetime.

APPLICATION:

Your crown represents your accomplishments, achievements, and life’s work — all that you did for Jesus. Every Christian should desire a crown so that he can cast it at the feet of Jesus.

Will you have something to throw at Jesus’ feet? By throwing your crown at the feet of Jesus, you give Him the glory for using you on earth. It is not for our glory but for His glory. Everything we do for Him accumulates for His glory.