Last Sunday morning, my 4th and 5th grade Bible class was studying the walk to Emmaus after the resurrection of Jesus. I was telling the children what they might have been discussing as they made the long trip home. I mentioned that the soldiers that were sent to guard the tomb of Jesus the night before had been sleeping and not watching. One of my students remarked, “the Bible has a lot of people sleeping instead of doing what they were supposed to do.” She was, of course, referring to two stories we have had this last year. It made me realize that she was right, and I began to think about other stories such as this one.
When Barak would not go into battle with Deborah’s help, Deborah agreed; but she let him know that the battle would be won by a woman. The battle between Barak and Sisera was determined by God. Sisera would be delivered into the hands of the Israelites, but not in the way Barak thought it would be.
The Lord confused Sisera in the battle, and he ran away from the conflict. While fleeing, he found the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite. Here he thought he would be safe. So, he allowed Jael to give him something to drink, and he laid down to sleep. While he was sleeping, Jael drove a tent stake through his head.
God’s hand was, of course, in this story; but it just proves to us that staying awake might have provided a different outcome.
In the book of Jonah, Jonah decided to run away from God. God wanted him to go preach to the Ninevites, but he did not want to go. He boarded a ship, and we find him snoozing away when a storm hits. He should have been on his way to Nineveh! He was definitely asleep on the job.
When Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked them to watch with Him. Three times He went away from them to pray; and each time He returned; they were asleep. His only remark was, “Could ye not watch with me one hour” and “Sleep on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Their job was to watch, but they gave in to their weariness; and they, too, were asleep on the job.
Then we come to the story we had last Sunday. The guards who were supposed to keep watch at the tomb slept through the earthquake, the appearance of the angel, the rolling back of the stone, the visit of the women, and the Lord’s exit from the tomb.
I realize that all of these incidents were part of God’s plan. I get that! But I also know that we find ourselves in similar situations, and we ignore them, cower away from them, or hide from them thinking they will go away.
There are those that hear the Gospel message and ignore it. Some know they are to worship God, yet they sleep through the service on Sunday (either at home or sitting in the building). Rest is more important. Some see their fellowman in need and fail to respond. Sadly, we are sleeping on the job.
Romans 13:11 has our marching orders. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” We certainly don’t want to be found inactive in the Lord’s work when He comes again or calls us home.
Sandra Oliver