Monsters Under the Bed

When I was a little girl there was a short couple of years my brother and I used to have to share a bedroom. One of five children, we had a three bedroom house. There was a time my cousins lived with us as well, so having my own bedroom was sometimes a luxury we couldn’t afford.

Though I might have had those physical limitations, my unconstrained imagination regularly ran amok. I was convinced that there were monsters under my bed! It didn’t help any, either, when my brother who was sleeping on the trundle bed beside me, one night forgot to lock the bar in place that held it up. Anyone who is familiar with a trundle bed might guess what happened next! In the middle of the night with my brother sleeping soundly, it collapsed back into “hideaway” position. This left my brother in a full-throated scream because he dreamt he was falling into hell. After that I was convinced more than ever that what lurked under the bed could not possibly be good!

Though I may still have a vivid imagination, I can with confidence say that I have matured beyond the monsters. What lurks under my bed now is mostly shadows and dust bunnies – oh, and lots of junk that I pretend I still need. I laugh at what used to frighten me so badly back then (and I laugh even harder at my brother’s experience, thinking he probably never forgot to lock that bar in place again).

But does that mean there are no monsters, or only that I realized there were none under my bed? If you think about it, we all have monsters, dragons, demons that we face on a daily basis. With inflation higher than it has been in years, the housing bubble looking like it’s going to pop at any moment, diesel reserves (to help supplement fuel for supply trucks) having only days left, a global energy crisis that could leave countless numbers with no way to heat their homes this winter, and the cost of living ever going up without wage increases to match, pressure on families is mounting. And those are just today’s monsters. They don’t include personal monsters of abuse, health issues, job security, chronic pain, choices between food and gas, appliances that conk out or cars that stop running, and so on – and they don’t include tomorrow’s monsters, what lurks in the unknown, or all the vain imaginations of what people think of us or what they might possibly do to us.

Do we run and hide, or do we become dragon-slayers?

I am in the midst of reading through the book of Isaiah and learned a very intriguing fact recently that may offer hope that we can all be dragon-slayers! Isaiah is famous for many things. Even those who may not attend church on a regular basis may be familiar with a few passages. There is one in particular, where Isaiah is in the throne room of God and sees God high and lifted up. It was in this passage that I learned something new. As a matter of fact, it was something astonishing! Here’s the passage:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  Isaiah 6:1-8

It’s verse 2 that I want to zoom in on. Look at the word Seraphim. The original Hebrew word is שָׂרָף, translated “seraph”. It was the meaning of seraph that really threw me for a loop! “Seraph” means fiery serpent. In other verses in Isaiah they are personified of lightning.

In the case of Isaiah 6:2 and in many other places in scripture, seraphs are powerful, majestic beings, aligned with Holy God. Centuries old historical documents allude to the archangels, such as Michael, Gabriel, being Seraphim. Where there is nothing in the scripture that I know of that would support this, I have to admit the idea of it fascinates me for several reasons.

What kind of angel was Lucifer? I learned from Ezekiel chapter 28 (see verses 11-19) that Lucifer was a Cherub. Although outside of Lucifer himself, there isn’t much we can learn of their appearance. It’s unclear if they may also appear somewhat as a fiery serpent.

Let’s say for a moment that there is truth to that idea – that it may be somewhat common for angels to appear as serpents… My big imagination is already running over to Lucifer falling like lightening from the heavens; Lucifer disguised as a crafty serpent in the garden of Eden (who later is cursed to travel on his belly, as a snake, eating dust)… and it doesn’t stop there! Think about dark ages and medieval folklore of flying serpents – fire breathing dragons with wings. Think about the Chinese symbol of the flying serpent or dragon. Think again how Lucifer, or Satan, is referenced in scripture not only as a serpent and snake but also as a dragon… Might there be some truth to the idea that a fallen Seraphim can appear to humans as a flying, fiery dragon?

Here’s the kicker! Flip over in scripture to Luke chapter 10:

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  - Luke 10:17-20

WOW! Did you catch that? We have authority to trample snakes and scorpions! I believe that includes the likes of the fallen Seraphim (i.e. Satan) as well as any other demon of hell. In the name of Jesus, they are subject to us! We have power to trample them underfoot!

As we mature in our faith journey with Jesus, allowing Him to fully form within us more and more day by day through prayer, scripture reading, and obedience, I am confident one day we will realize that the monsters we face in this life are no different than those we faced in our imagination as children. They are shadows, dust bunnies, and represent a bunch of junk we carry around with us thinking we somehow still need it.

Welp, I would say it’s time to clean house!

Advertisement