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It was another cold rainy morning. I just wanted to go back home and curl up in my bed. Sound familiar? It got me thinking about the word bed in the Bible. The word bed is mentioned in the Bible about 108 times in the King James Version.
We know that people made beds and bedding as time passed but we are just not sure when. It is not until Genesis 48:2 that we come across a word that is translated as bed. Israel [Jacob] is nearing the end of his life and getting ready to die. He rallies his strength and sits up on the bed to bless the sons of Joseph. We also see Pharaoh had a bed and a bedroom, Exodus 8:3.
Apparently fancy beds have been around quite a long time. Those living in Jerusalem are given a warning, and the people warned are described in part by their fancy beds, “Those who recline on beds of ivory and sprawl on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall,…” (Amos 6:4).
The Bible is clear that the time we spend in bed is important. Rest is important, but too much time in bed is bad for us. How we use the time before we fall asleep is also important. The people of Israel were told to rejoice in their Maker when they laid down, “Let His faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds” (Psalm 149:5).
We are also warned about wicked men who make plans in their beds and bring them about when they get up in the morning, “Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it” (Micah 2:1).
When you go to bed at night use your time wisely and as God intends. What you think about will affect the quality of your sleep and follow you into the next day, affecting your mood and actions.
Brad Tolbert
Monticello church of Christ
Monticello, AR