Worship and Priestly Service
The number twenty-four is associated with worship and organized priestly service. David arranged the priests into twenty-four divisions for temple service. In Revelation, twenty-four elders sit around God's throne and worship. Thus, this number links the Old Testament arrangement of priestly service with heavenly worship in the New Testament. David organized the priests into 24 divisions (mishmarot) for service in the temple (1 Chr 24:1–19). This arrangement continued throughout the temple period and is mentioned in the Mishnah (Ta'anit 4:2). The twenty-four elders in Revelation (Rev 4:4, 10–11) are often seen as representatives of all God's people—twelve for the tribes of Israel and twelve for the apostles—united in eternal worship. In the Jewish temple service, the twenty-four priestly divisions rotated so that each division served about two weeks a year. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, belonged to Abijah's division—the eighth of the twenty-four (Luke 1:5).*