Worthy is the Lamb

Every week I drive somewhere in our hometown. I’m familiar with the streets and buildings. I drive to church, shopping, or medical appointments without thinking about it because the way is familiar. My husband and I frequently travel, so, I also get a bird’s eye view of our city. Usually, I can pick out the main streets and even some landmarks. It is the same city but from a different perspective.

Recently during my study time, I had a similar experience. I re-read Psalm 23 but instead of focusing on Jesus as our Great Shepherd, I remembered that Jesus is also the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and the Lamb that was slain (Revelation 5:12). This got me thinking about us as sheep compared to the Lamb of God who is worthy of all praise.

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped[1]

Revelation 5:11-14

This scene in Revelation overwhelms me with awe. We can’t fully comprehend or picture it, but just imagine myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands of angels praising Jesus. And then “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them” joins in the worship. Jesus IS the worthy Lamb, worthy of all praise, worship, power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing, and yet, He is the Lamb who was slain. I cannot even begin to cover all aspects of this, but let’s meditate on a few as we go through Psalm 23.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.[2]

Because Jesus is our good Shepherd, we do not want for anything. He provides His best for us. Jesus lovingly cares for us. He leads us. How do we as sheep so often respond? We are ungrateful. We complain, questioning God’s wisdom and goodness. We want more or different. We also wander away seeking our own wants, our own idols. We are even willing to sin to get the things (idols) we want.

The Lamb of God took on flesh, leaving the glory of Heaven to endure all the suffering that comes with our human bodies. He experienced hunger, fatigue, and pain. He said of Himself, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). Jesus didn’t come to dwell in a palace or to lie in green pastures and drink still waters. He travelled from place to place teaching people and serving God and others instead of Himself. He never wandered from the Father. He never sinned. He always remained content with and faithful to the Father’s purpose.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake. [3]

Psalm 23:3

David may have meant that his soul was restored by the rest in green pastures and the provision of still waters. “Restores” can also be a picture of a sheep that has gone astray and is rescued. In Hebrew, “restores my soul” can refer to repentance. In all of these, God restores our souls, but how? By Jesus, the Lamb who was slain. By Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, those in Christ are restored to God forever. Jesus conquered sin and death on the cross. In Him, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) and there is now no condemnation for us (Romans 8:1).

Not only did Jesus restore and redeem us, but in Him, we are given Jesus’ perfect righteousness. We are led in paths of righteousness because Jesus, the only righteous One, took our sin and gave us His righteousness. Our sin was deserving of judgment. Death. We have no righteousness of our own (Romans 3:23; 6:23). 2 Corinthians 5:21 captures it beautifully. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. [4]

We all go through trials and suffering at some time. You may be smack in the middle of a trial right now, but we have the promise that God is with us. Our good Shepherd’s rod of protection and staff for guiding comfort us. We do not need to fear evil. This truth is an incredible comfort and blessing to us, and yet how often do we still choose to live in fear instead of faith? How often do we look for protection, guidance, and comfort in creation instead of the Creator?

Lest we take this blessing for granted, consider what this comfort and blessing cost the Lamb of God. Jesus never once gave in to fear even in the garden before His crucifixion. He trusted His Father perfectly instead of giving way to fear. We will never be separated from the love of God, but that is only because Jesus was forsaken by the Father on the cross. Even Jesus’ disciples deserted Him. He was betrayed. He had all kinds of evil brought against Him. He never once waivered in His life-long journey to the cross.

The Lamb who was slain is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because in every respect He has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). This is added comfort for us as we can “then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Further, when Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He sent His Spirit to indwell those in Christ. The Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter. He is our guarantee of eternal life. Because Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again, God is with us always protecting, guiding, and comforting.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. [5]

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

God provides for us even in the presence of enemies. When we trust Him, we have God’s amazing peace midst trials. Our heads are anointed with oil and our cups overflow. God lavishes His care on us. We lack for nothing. God’s goodness and mercy hotly pursue us all of our lives. His mercies are new every morning. We deserved eternal death, but now our future is to dwell eternally with God. Grace upon Grace. Blessing upon blessing.

But again, let’s examine what our blessings cost the Lamb of God. “Who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus, fully God, left all the glory of heaven to take on human form. He was born as a baby, in a stable, in a shameful situation (unwed pregnancy), fled from Herod’s death order, likely worked His earthly father’s trade of carpentry, had many try to trick Him, others seeking Him just for healing, was betrayed, forsaken, beaten, mocked, and crucified. Jesus’ enemies plotted against Him and killed Him. Jesus willingly endured all of this and more for us. And, as I already stated, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is what makes our future resurrection possible.

This is just a smidgeon of why the Lamb who was slain is worthy of all our praise and worship. Too frequently we forget what Jesus willingly laid aside and the perfect, righteous life He lived in order to redeem us. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Amen.

Reflection

1. Have you weighed Jesus as the perfect Lamb of God who was slain with our status as sheep? We all fall miserably short of being faithful sheep, but which verse(s) convicted and encouraged you the most as you consider what it cost Jesus?

2. Instead of more questions, take time today to praise the worthy Lamb who was slain for you. Be specific in your praise.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 5:11–14. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:1–2. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:3. [4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:4. [5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:5.