SHORT AND NARROW

The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you.

INTRODUCTION

As we look at this scripture, then we must understand that this was the heart beat of a man of God who was carrying the burden of his people’s sin and attempting to lead them from their unbelief and rebellion back to the allegiance to God.

Here the prophet was addressing a people who have been familiar from childhood with the law and with the testimony.

The prophet was talking to people that had received the blessing of God, everything they had was as always given by God but yet they were godless people.

The greatest difficulty confronting the prophet was not the fact these people were godless but the form this godlessness had taken.

These men had not abandoned their belief in God, but they had abandoned the truth concerning God.

Do you know people like this: They will say “Well, I believe in God, but just don’t” And then here comes a series of why they don’t really believe in God.

And they will tell you that they know this is what the preacher said, or this is what many believe the Bible says, but this is not what I believe and they will not accept the whole truth of the Word of God.

Because you must believe the Whole Truth not just your truth.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Well, I am to take you to a portion of scripture, to just make a very bold statement, we live in a very confused spiritual world.

There was a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim.

One day he said to his mother, "I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it." "The LORD bless you for admitting it," his mother replied.

He returned the money to her, and she said, "I now dedicate these silver coins to the LORD. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast."

So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah's house.

Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. Then he installed one of his sons as his personal priest.

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

One day a young Levite, who had been living in Bethlehem in Judah, arrived in that area.

He had left Bethlehem in search of another place to live, and as he traveled, he came to the hill country of Ephraim. He happened to stop at Micah's house as he was traveling through.

"Where are you from?" Micah asked him. He replied, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am looking for a place to live."

"Stay here with me," Micah said, "and you can be a father and priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, plus a change of clothes and your food."

The Levite agreed to this, and the young man became like one of Micah's sons.

So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah's house.

"I know the LORD will bless me now," Micah said, "because I have a Levite serving as my priest."

I want to tell this story so that we can all understand it very well.

There was this man named Micah and he heard his mother putting a curse on someone who had stole 1100 pieces of silver from her and he went to where she was cursing and he went in and said mother I heard you cursing and quit I have the money, I am the one of took your 1100 pieces of silver.

The mother said, Well my the Lord God of Abraham, The God Almighty, the only true God bless you for admitting that you do this.

So she said in honor of my son, I will have a image carved and an idol casted.

And she had them placed in Micah’s house. Now this house is not the house he live in but the house he will let his god live in.

So Micah set up this idols and statue for shrine to worship bring in other household idols and then he place his son as his personal priest.

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

This is the key to all the confusion and problems, they had no king and all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

And as long as we try to be our own god,or try to create our own god, we will continue in what our own god gives.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Now let’s get back to the story: Micah didn’t stop there one this Levite who had been living in Bethlehem was leaving and looking for a new place to live.

And this Levite, understand Levite meaning he is a priest.

Micah offered him a job to be his priest and would paid him 10 pieces of silver and place to live with food also.

So he is now living in Micah’s house and Micah makes this statement.

"I know the LORD will bless me now," Micah said, "because I have a Levite serving as my priest."

This whole story is filled with ungodly things from things being stolen to idolatry, to lying, so filled with ungodly things.

And Micah said I know the Lord, the God of Abraham , the Almighty God, the only true living God will bless me.

I am worship other gods, I have stolen, I have lied, but God will still bless me.

Here we can hear the cry of the world, the church and individual who want to laid down in the bed of this world and feel comfortable because we have some form of religion.

Isaiah was crying out you are lying down in a bed that will not be comfortable, it is too short and the covering is to narrow.

The whole story of the prophet Isaiah was revealed in this one book and it theme is of a man who spoke to an inattentive age or to an age which if attentive, mocked him, and refused to obey his message.

And at the closing of Isaiah’s lifetime, this is the words he said:

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

Isaiah was telling them, I have told you about God and His mercy and grace but also about His judgement. You try to find rest by declaring that you have made an agreement with the world system.

Your bed is too short for you. You have never rested on it yet. The cold and bitter windstorm will sweep upon you and the covering will not keep you warn.

You cannot hide in the covers in which you are attempting to wrap yourself up.

Now if we want to go into this more let’s look at a man named Manasseh.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.

He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the LORD had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.

Manasseh was evil, very evil. He build pagan altar in the Temple of the Lord.

He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the LORD had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.

Manasseh was evil, very evil. He build pagan altar in the Temple of the Lord.

He offered his own son as a sacrifice in fire to his pagan god. Everything his father stood against and rebuild, Manasseh destroyed.

He was involved in witchcraft. He was very evil man.

He created his own religion instead abiding by the Lord God.

But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the LORD had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.

The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all His warnings.

When we ignore the Word of God which is God’s warning signal to us then we are getting out of the covering of God. Our covering becomes to narrow and our bed will be too short, very uncomfortable situation.

But when we do that which right and listen to the Word of God. The whole counsel of God’s Word then God will take care of us.

The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.

The commandments of the Lord are right.

Bringing joy to the heart.

They are clear, and give insight for living.

But Manasseh fell to listen and God had to humble him.

So the LORD sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.

Manasseh was taken as prisoner, put a ring through his nose and put him in chains.

Historian says that he crawled under the table of his enemies to be able to eat and he would gather up the crumbs under the table.

But while in deep distress, he sought the Lord with a humble heart.

And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request. So the LORD brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God!

What bed are you sleeping in? What covers are you covering up with?