Brouhaha - Revelation Chapter 5

Revelation 5: 2 “²and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’”

This week’s L.A. Times Sunday Crossword has a clue “Brouhaha” and I’ve discussed it with my friend Webster; he tells me it means “great excitement or concern about something”. Until then I thought it was the technical term for when the benches cleared in a ball game after the star was beaned. How does this relate to Revelation Chapter 5? Well, there’s a lot of excitement and concern going on here.

John sees God with a scroll in hand, written on both sides, with seven seals, perfectly sealed. When the angel asks who is worthy it turns out that no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth is worthy and this causes John great concern. I would have been filled with concern too except we have an advantage over John; he is experiencing this in real time with all the emotions that come with it while we can read ahead and so I did. We are not to weep; the Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy and He appears here as a Lamb as though it had been slain, the perfect sacrifice that is able to open the scroll.

The scroll was written on the inside and the back, both sides hold information. Normally scrolls are written only on the inside unless there is just too much for one side to hold. What is this scroll, so packed with information and sealed so that only the Lord Himself can open it? Godly words to live by, wisdom of the ages, a list of names? We’ll likely find out in later chapters but suffice it to say that it is a document worthy of a brouhaha on several levels.

Revelation 5: 8-9a “⁸When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ^9aThey sing a new song:”

What I find interesting here, beyond the fact that they worship at every action, is that our prayers fill the golden bowls that the elders hold in the throne room. Every time that we pray it rises as incense to the Father and they empower the elders to sing a new song to the Lamb Who is Worthy.

Revelation 5: 11-12a “¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ^12asinging with full voice,”

Sounds a bit like a child’s retort “infinity times infinity”. The being in heaven and on the earth on uncounted…and they all worship.

Revelation 5: 13 “¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, ‘To the one seated on the throne and the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Everywhere John looked he saw bunches of creatures and heard them all extolling the power and grace of our Living God. It was a regular brouhaha, excitement all over the place for the One Who is Worthy had the scroll in hand, none of the seals where opened yet and there was a din of anticipation. Jesus is opening the seals and through the Holy Spirit we will know what the scroll has to say.

Revelation 5: 14 “¹⁴And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Let’s fill the golden bowls in the throne room with our prayers for the saints, prayers of adoration, and prayers of repentance; the Lord’s Prayer over and over again until it is written on our hearts, inside and on the back, just as the words of the scroll.

In His grip, jerry