Isaiah 28:20 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.
Several years ago in August, some friends and I went backpacking just outside of Aspen, Colorado at the foot of the Maroon Bells, big fourteeners. We camped out at about 10,000 feet. The mountains there pitch very steeply upward to the top and they drain through streams that flow past where we were camping into the valley below and eventually into the beautiful lake that has often been photographed. At any rate, I had an amazing sleeping bag that was rated for 20 degrees, but even in August at that altitude with a hat and a puffer jacket, I was still cold. Now, I was sleeping on the ground, not in a tent, which did not help, but I wanted to see the stars scroll by. It was gorgeous, but I was not warm.
Have you ever been in a sleeping bag that is rated at 20 degrees when it felt like it was about 15 degrees? Have you ever slept on a bed that was too short or under a blanket that was too narrow? Have you been sold short, short-changed, or been short of resources? That‘s where God’s people were when God addresses them in Isaiah 28.
In verse 20 He says, “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 bed was too short and the blanket was too narrow. They were covering themselves with something that could not cover. They had made lies about their refuge and had hidden themselves under falsehood. They were trusting in a refuge that wasn’t a refuge at all. It was a refuge of lies. They would not hear God because of their pride, and because of their wine they could not hear God. They refused to hear. They had made a covenant with Hell, a deal with death.
Some people I’ve talked to who have never trusted Jesus and have rejected Him say, “Well, I have peace about my life and peace with death.” We are not just talking about an emotion or a feeling. We are talking about reality and a feeling that can come of the reality of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. In short, these people thought they were sufficient. They thought international treaties and false gods could protect them from the dangers around them. They had totally disregarded the God of the universe. What Isaiah 28 teaches us is that God has such a better estimation of what I need than I do. God has a much better estimation of what you need than you do.
In verse 23 he says, “Pay attention, listen, look.” Verse 24 says, “Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? Doth he open and break the clods of his ground? When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cumin….?” Then he talks about some farming implements and seeds that are obscure to us.
What is the point? Well, have you ever gone to Cracker Barrel and looked up? That is a dangerous thing to do because you will never rest at ease there again. Above your head hanging from a little wire is a mass of rusted iron that has an edge on one side, a wedge on the other, a point on one side, and teeth on the other. You think, “What in the world is this?” It is some obscure farm implement. If you were 175 years old and from the farm country in the Midwest, then you would probably know what it is. Now, what is that piece of farm equipment? It may seem obscure to you, but in the hands of a skilled farmer who knows what to do, how and when to do it, it is a useful tool. Does a farmer plow all day? No. Does he plant all day? No. There is a time to plant, plow, and cultivate, and the farmer knows exactly what that ground needs at the time and in what way.
That is the way God is with us. God knows what I need, and when and how I need it. That is in stark contrast with me trying to make things work for myself. It is like a guy who is in a bed that is too short with a blanket that is too narrow and in a sleeping bag that is too cold. God has a much better estimation of what you need than you do. Won’t you trust Him today?
God can see the beginning from the end. God knows the heart. God knows the answer. He knows things you and I could never know. “The bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it.” But, God is the God Who knows exactly what we need. He is wonderful in council, excellent in working, and He is worthy of your trust and your life right now.