Revelation 4:10

The 24 elders likewise fall down before Him out of reverence. When the crowned elders prostrate themselves before God and cast their crowns at His feet, these rulers humbly acknowledge His sovereignty and His right to receive worship. Casting their crowns at His feet symbolizes the willing subjection of their power to His superior authority.

When a victorious athlete returned home from the games and participated in a final celebration, he would ceremoniously offer the wreath or crown that he had earned to his deity. [Note: Ibid., p. 349.] The Apostle Paul said he wanted to make sure he did nothing that would result in his losing his reward (1 Corinthians 9:27). He also used rewards as a motivation to urge Christians to serve Jesus Christ faithfully (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; et al.), as Jesus did (Matthew 6:19-21). These factors have created problems for some believers. Is it not selfish to want to gain a reward? Is this not an unworthy motive for living the Christian life? I believe the answer lies in this verse. Here the 24 elders cast their crowns at the feet of the Father in worship. If a crown is something we will give back to the Lord in worship, the desire for a crown need not be a selfish motivation. Indeed the desire to present one’s life work of faithful service as a gift to the Savior is a very unselfish and God-honoring motive.

A victor’s crown is symbolic of the fact that the judge has declared the athlete victorious. Anyone can go out and buy a trophy in a store, but a trophy received as a reward for victory in competition has much greater value because of what it represents. Christians will receive crowns for finishing the race set before us faithfully, not first (i.e., before others). We do not compete against fellow believers, but we compete to overcome our spiritual enemies, namely, the world, the flesh, and the devil.