Crown Him with Many Crowns

Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne,
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Crown him the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
who died, eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

Crown him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways
from pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end, and round his pierced feet
fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown him the Lord of love; behold his hands and side,
those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For thou hast died for me;
thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.

This particular hymn was written by Matthew Bridges in 1851, and the hymn originally had 12 stanzas.  Most modern hymnals have the four verses that I have listed above, but you will occasionally see a mixing of the 12 different stanzas in different hymnals.  This hymn is based upon the Scripture verses found in Revelation 19:11-12 which read “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”  The author was inspired by these verses, and the reference to “many crowns” was used by Him to write about the various names/characteristics of Christ.  In this song, Christ is referred to as “the Lamb,” “matchless King,” “Lord of Life,” “Lord of Peace,” “Lord of love,” and “Redeemer.”  Each of these names are true representations of Christ and the different aspects of His character.  We also find in Scripture other names for Christ like Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Son of God, Master, Lord, Savior, and many others.  The same is true in the Old Testament where God has different names – Jehovah Jireh – The Lord will provide and Jehovah Shalom – The Lord is Peace.  I like to think of Christ fulfilling particular needs we may have at different points in our life.  Some of these names apply to all of us as Christians i.e Savior.  While others may be more prevalent at different times in our life.  When we are in financial struggles, He is Jehovah Jireh – my provider.  When we have lost a loved one or are discouraged, He is the Comforter and the Prince of Peace.  We can take comfort in the fact that He is what we need Him to be no matter the situation we find ourselves in.

There are three things that the author reminds us that Christ is Lord of in this hymn that I wanted to highlight:

• Lord of Life – Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  I like how “The Message” version reads “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”  Is your life perfect?  I doubt it because nobody’s is.  Is your life abundant?  If it is not, it can be because Jesus promised us He would give us that type of life.  Not because life is what you make it, but because Christ is Lord over your life and His desire is to make it better than you can ever dream.
• Lord of Peace – The Bible tells us in Mark chapter 4 that the disciples and Jesus were in a boat, and a great storm came.  The disciples woke Jesus up and said “Master, carest not that we perish?”  From our perspective, doesn’t that seem like a “dumb” question.  The disciples had seen Him perform miracles, but they were still unnerved by their circumstances.  Jesus says to the storm “Peace, be still” and the Bible says that the wind ceased and that there was a “great calm.”  Unfortunately, we are no different than the disciples sometimes.  We allow the “storms” to distract us from trusting the “Lord of Peace” to handle any problem we may be facing.  My prayer is that we remember who is in charge, acknowledge that fact, and trust that when He speaks we can experience a “great calm” too. 
• Lord of Love – If ever a word described Christ, I believe that Love would be it.  It is not the “Valentine’s day” card and candy love that we read about on Hallmark cards.  It is a love that is patient, kind and merciful.  He loves us.  It is sometimes hard to understand that His love is not conditional.  It is not temperamental.  It is not circumstantial. The fact remains that He loves.  He is love.  He is the Lord of love.

If you think back to your childhood, you will probably remember having a box of Crayola crayons.  In Oklahoma, we didn’t called them “cray-ons,” we called them “crowns.”  Even after being corrected by my wife many times, I still call them “crowns” to this day, and my kids have picked up that bad habit.  If you remember, the first box you probably had contained 16 colors.  You know the standard ones – Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Brown, Black, etc.  However, eventually, if you were fortunate enough, you got a “64 pack” of “crowns.”  That package included colors like aquamarine, magenta, brick red, copper, and mahogany.  You didn’t even know these colors existed nor did you realize that you even had a need for these colors to draw a picture.  16 colors were sufficient when you were small, but as you got older, you realized you had to have all 64 colors.  The same is true in regard to the Lord.  When we are infants in Christ, our view of Christ may be somewhat simplistic.  He is the Good Shepherd or He is our Savior.  As we mature and as we encounter different problems in life, we realize that He can supply all of our needs.  He is all-sufficient.   So what “color” do you need today to paint the picture of your life?  Do you need a “peaceful blue,” a “comforting green,” or a “mellow yellow?” Remember that He is there to be what you need Him to be.