In Your Bed

Photo by: luigi diamanti

A bed is for sleeping, right? Or reading, or thinking, or . . . .

In the Bible, there are several curious revelations about things people did in bed. (Don’t get the wrong idea, now. I’m not going there at all.) Some of these bedtime activities are humorous, and some are sad. I think you’ll find them all interesting:

• Pharaoh entertained frogs in his bed, two nights, by his choice! (Exodus 8:3-11)
• Michal made a dummy and put it in David’s bed in order to save his life. (1 Samuel 19:13)
• King Ahab pouted on his bed because Naboth wouldn’t sell him his vineyard. (1 Kings 21:4)
• Elisha, through the power of God, brought the Shunammite’s son back to life on the same bed the boy’s mother and father had provided for the prophet. (2 Kings 4:32-36)
• Wicked Haman fell on Queen Esther’s bed (or couch), begging for his life, and the king was furious! (Esther 7:8)
• David prayed in bed. Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still (from Psalm 4:4). David also cried many tears in bed. (Psalm 6:6) Maybe the best thing David did from his bed was to praise the Lord and meditate on Him. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches (Psalm 63:5-6).
• The wicked deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil (Psalm 36:4).
• Isaiah 28:20 is perhaps the funniest verse about a bed. (Are any of you tall?) For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. (The context of this verse is serious judgment, but taking it out of context, you have to chuckle a little at this one!)
• King Nebuchadnezzar received two important dreams while sleeping in his bed. (Daniel 2 and 4). God then gave Daniel the interpretations.
• Daniel had his own prophetic dream in bed, Daniel 7.
• I saved the very best for last, Jesus. Jesus healed people on their beds, and He freed them so they could carry their beds. Glory!

What do we do when we lie awake at night? Hopefully, we’ll take some tips from David. We can praise the Lord, meditate on Him, and pray. A good use of downtime!