Thursday, December 15 ~ Miriam

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 79-80; Revelation 7.

I am going to focus on the Revelation passage today.  Biblegateway.com has a detailed commentary here on the entire chapter, but there was a portion that I found really interesting.  I never realized a distinction before between what John HEARD and what he then SAW.

The number 144,000 is something John says he heard(v. 4), not something he saw or was permitted to count. There were twelve thousand, he was told, from each of Israel's twelve tribes, in the following order (vv. 5-8): Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin (the list being framed by reminders in vv. 5 and 8 that the group was sealed against the terrors to come; the NIV fails to repeat the word sealed in v. 8).

John's list does not match exactly any of the traditional lists of the tribes of Israel (for example, Gen 35:23-26; 49:1-28; Deut 33:6-25), either in the names or in the order of the names. Most conspicuously, it is a messianic or distinctly Christian list in that it begins with Judah, the ancestor of David and of Jesus, the "Root of David" (5:5). Just as the elder's voice had announced earlier "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (5:5), so now John heard a list of tribes announced beginning with the tribe of Judah. In each case, however, what John immediately saw was something quite different from what was announced. Instead of "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" he had seen "a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain" (5:6), and now instead of144,000 from all the tribes of Israel he sees a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb (v. 9).

In each case John's vision accomplishes a transformation (compare Gundry 1987:260). A Lion is transformed into a Lamb, and 144,000 Jews are transformed into an innumerable multitude from every nation on earth! The great multitude, wearing white robes and . . . holding palm branches in their hands (v. 9), break out in worship of God and the Lamb in a manner recalling chapters 4-5 (v. 10) and are answered by the amen of all the angels . . . standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures (vv. 11-12; compare 5:11-14). At this point, one of the elders (also familiar from chaps. 4-5) asks John, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" (v. 13). When John disclaims any knowledge of who they are (v. 14), the elder answers his own question: "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (v. 14).

Very interesting!  It also talks about the fact that John doesn't ask a single question in the whole book of Revelation.  I never noticed that before either.  Then it goes on to say:

In the real world, blood leaves unsightly stains on white clothing, but in the world of the Revelation blood washes away all other stains and makes the clothing pure and all the whiter. It is important to notice that these martyrs are not cleansed by the shedding of their own blood, but, like all Christian believers, by the blood of the Lamb (v. 14; compare 1:5, where John's doxology reminds all his readers that Christ has "freed us from our sins" by the shedding of his blood). Martyrdom has no merit in itself, yet John wants to make very clear to the congregations in Asia that martyrdom is likely to be the price of any serious commitment to Jesus Christ.

If this is so, it is important to assure the churches of the vindication of those who are (or will be) martyred. So the elder's explanation continues. The martyrs' vindication, he points out, consists partly of what John has just seen--that they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple (v. 15)--and partly of what he has not yet seen (vv. 15-17). The conclusion to the sixth seal provides a glimpse of the final blessedness of God's people. God will spread his tent over them (v. 15). They will never be hungry or thirsty again, and they will be protected from the scorching heat of the sun (v. 16; compare Is 49:10). The Lamb will become their shepherd, leading them to springs of living water (compare 21:6), and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (v. 17; compare 21:4).

(I chose this picture because of the reference above to springs of living water.)

We probably won't be martyred in the way we typically think of it.  Certainly the congregations in Asia had much more threat to their lives physically than do we.  But a serious commitment to Jesus Christ is never the path of least resistance.  It always requires sacrifice and effort on our parts.  We are all called to give up or set aside certain things, or go through different troubles and trials.  In the past, I've found it hard to remember to live for eternity.  It's gotten easier as we've taken this journey together, but there are still many times where I just want to live right now for myself, as though this life is all there is.  I don't mean that in the "you have to look out for number one first" sense, where everything is done from a selfish motivation, just in the "working towards heaven is really hard and I don't want to do it right now" sense.  Are there ever times where the work of the Kingdom seems so hard and you just want to enjoy you life on Earth without worrying about eternity?  Just hang out with your family and friends and buy whatever you want with your money and not worry about storing up treasures in heaven?  


Most of the time I don't feel like that.  Most of the time, I am VERY glad that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to us to save us from our sin.  Particularly now, as the Christmas season is upon us, I spend a lot more time remembering that and I am beyond extremely thankful, grateful, appreciative, delighted, humbled, and awed at His incredible gift.  Most of the time I am thankful for the strengths He has given me and I pray to, and try hard to, use them in His service.  Actually, I'm grateful for the opportunities to use them in His service.  I guess the times where it is hard are the times when I am frustrated and upset with myself for always messing up.  But one of the things I always try to remember, that I've learned from our readings and posts, is that GOD DOESN'T NEED TO WAIT FOR US TO BE "GOOD ENOUGH" BEFORE HE USES US.  The only requirement is that we make ourselves available for His use.  He will make us what we need to be, or give us what we need to have, to accomplish the purpose He set out for us.  We don't have to achieve a certain "level" before we are fit to be His servants.  What a relief that is!


Anyway, I apologize for getting so long-winded.  I wish you all a wonderful Thursday and a wonderful week.  May we all keep in mind and in our hearts the real meaning of Christmas as we rush around baking and shopping and wrapping and mailing and cooking and travelling.  God bless you!

 Tomorrow's passage:  Psalm 81-82; Revelation 8.