Wed.’s Devo - The Four Beasts

Read Rev. 4:5b-11 God gave Moses and David the instructions on how to make the tabernacle and the temple. Everything they did was a replica of what is in heaven so it is no wonder that we see the menorah, the candlestick before the throne. In the tabernacle and the temple the ark was kept in a separate compartment that only the High Priest could enter, but in heaven it is all open because Jesus blood rent the curtain that separated us from the throne. John sees this menorah with its seven lights which stand for the seven spirits of God found in Isaiah 11:2. The center one is the spirit of the Lord. The others come in pairs: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Next we see the sea of glass which was the basin that the priest used to wash his hands before, during, and after the sacrifices. It was a picture of being washed from sin and becoming clean. Around the throne were four beasts. One looked like a lion, one a calf, the third a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. They each had six wings and had many eyes. They spend all their time saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” In Daniel 7, Daniel saw these same creatures coming up from the sea of humanity. They stand for the great powers through the ages that have defied God’s children. They each used different weapons which we find in Jeremiah 15. God said, “And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.” These beasts were also God’s tools to bring judgment on His people when they rebelled. Like Haman had to lead Mordecia through the streets of Sussa and proclaim, “Thus shall if be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor.”, these beasts must worship the Lord day and night as their punishment. Lord, you are an Almighty God who is worthy to be praised. We choose to worship you.