Crowns IX

“Crown him the Lord of years! The Potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime! Glassed in a sea of light, where everlasting waves reflect his throne, the Infinite! Who lives, and loves, and saves.”

This is the first week that I’ve tackled a full verse in one post. The only reason I’m doing that is because we’ve already talked quite a bit about the eternality of God. The Ruler of time – the Sovereign who exists outside of our temporal perspectives is still in charge of all our days. I will just mention that term Potentate has the idea of absolute rule. This is not just the idea of a king – it carries the notion of absolute authority and power. We move from the truth of his absolute rule over time to the truth that he is the Creator of all. He created the rolling spheres. This seems to be a reference to his creation of the planets. Literally, from the greatest details of galaxies we have never and will never experience, to gravity that keeps us vertical instead of frozen or burning. He is indescribably beyond what the writer can express. Sublime carries the idea of something that is so marvelous it cannot be articulated. Ineffably means too great to be described. He is too great, marvelous, and wonderful to be defined – he is an iconoclast. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to describe him. The authors of the hymn wrote twelve verses for a reason. Jesus did say that if we would not praise him, the rocks will cry out (Luke 19:40). He is worthy and due our praise.

The glassed sea seems to be in reference to the throne room of Heaven (Revelation 4:6 & 15:2). Think about that for a minute. God, who is glorious, who is light, has a floor made of glass. Can you imagine the brightness? The reflection that does nothing but eternally magnify his throne – his rule – his light – his worthiness. It is a reflection of his infinite, all encompassing glory. I have always wondered if that floor was the first temptation of Satan. Did he look at the sea of glass and choose to see his own reflection, his own temporal and finite “glory” instead of God’s aseity. If you haven’t heard of that word before, that’s fine 😊 I only learned it recently. It has the idea of his self-sufficiency, self-origination, self-derived existence, independence, and autonomy. I love ancient languages; they contain such rich meaning. Regardless, pride took root in his heart. Satan wanted to be “like” the Most High (Isaiah 14:14). He was not awed by God in the midst of the purest demonstration of glory. Why do we think we can be victorious or worshipful when we take a thimbleful of God’s glory once or twice a week at church and then distract ourselves with the busyness and stress of life? I’m talking to myself with this one. If we are going to worship the one who is glorious, if we are going to be in awe of the Infinite, Eternal Creator – then we are going to need to be far more intentional and sacrificial in the way we spend our time, where we focus our energy, and what consumes our thoughts.

Why is he worthy of all of that? Because he lives, loves, and saves. He stands alone as a living Savior. He willingly laid down his life to reconcile us to the Father. He died so we could live. He took the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55). He defeated the greatest terror and the looming uncertainty of the grave. In Revelation, he claims that he has the keys to Death and Hades (1:18). He was the forerunner that opened the way to redemption and fellowship for us. He was the one who descended into Abraham’s Bosom/Hades (Luke 16:22) and led a host of captives to Heaven (Ephesians 4:8). He went there to take Old Testament believers to Heaven. Their sin was no longer simply covered – they were no longer waiting on a Savior. He had paid the price. However, he also went to claim a set of keys. See, death was the result of sin. It was the ultimate representation of the cost of our disobedience and it was the ultimate weapon of the enemy. Yet no more. I don’t know what the scene was like. I can’t imagine the joy of those who had believed by faith. I would also imagine that taking the keys of death was somewhat anticlimactic. After all, he had already demonstrated that he is the Living One. He is the only one who has done all three – live, love, and save. There are many who have done one or two – but there is only one God who has done all three. He reigns. Whenever you feel that life is careening out of control, remember who holds the keys. They are the same hands that hold your future with infinite love and care. He has never made a mistake, and he won’t start with you.

If you’ve never been blessed by the song, He Holds The Keys by Steve Green, I’m including it below – it is a blessing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKoruIxVliM