Indian legend, as found in Mahabharata, the tells the story from around 6000 BC of a general called Bhishma who, refusing to defend himself, was pierced by innumerable arrows from his reluctant and respectful opponent, Arjuna. As he fell, his whole body was held above the ground by the shafts of Arjuna's arrows which protruded from his back, and through his arms and legs. Only his head was not supported by arrows. So Bhishma asked Arjun, another hero of the war, to create a pillow of arrows for him. This Arjun did by putting the arrows into the ground for Bhishma’s head. Seeing Bhishma laid on such a bed of arrows humbled even the gods who watched from the heavens in reverence, silently blessing the mighty warrior.

I had never heard of a 'bed of arrows' before and did not understand what Yahweh meant by it until this morning. Therefore I am making this my Rosh Chodesh Preparation Day message.

More than likely you have heard of a 'bed of nails' on which Indian fakirs lie without injuring themselves. The more nails there are, the more distributed the pressure of them on the body lying on them, and thus a reduced possibility of injury. That was the first mental association I made with 'bed of arrows'.

I am sure you have heard of a 'bed of roses', which is an English idiom for an easy or luxurious life, the second mental association I made. For most life is not a 'bed of roses' - it is full of difficulties.

When a life is a 'bed of arrows' upon which one must lie, or which one is pierced by, the man and the bed of arrows becoming one and the same as in the story of Bhishma, then we are dealing with two possible scenarios. But first we must identify what 'arrows' represent in Scripture.

In view of the 'bed' context, they are unlikely to represent "the arrow of deliverance" spoken of by the dying Elisha to Joash the King of Israel [1], the "arrows of famine" spoken of in Ezekiel [2], or a man's "quiver full of" the "children of ones youth" [3]. This leaves only two other kinds of metaphorical arrow:

• 1. The arrows of Yahweh's displeasure and judgment [4]; and
• 2. The arrows of "bitter words" levelled by the wicked against the blameless [5], "speak[ing] deceit" [6] and "bear[ing] false witness" [7].

First, let us look at the 'bed of nails' analogy, of a man (or woman) who is forced by circumstances beyond his (or her) control to lie down on arrows of affliction. The first wound, like a man lying on a single nail or arrowhead, pieces and pierces deeply. The subsequent cruel or false words spoken will likewise injure by deeply piercing the lev (heart) but with more and more 'bitter-word arrows', so they stop to penetrate the 'flesh' of the lev (heart) as the pressure of these cruel and evil barbs spread out. It is by this means that we become 'strong' and 'resilient'. This does not mean that we stop being hurt or injured but it does mean that the pain becomes less. Yet who would not rather lay down on a bed of feathers than one of nails or arrowheads?

Second, we must look at the Vedic analogy, the more drastic of the two, in which the arrows of wicked words not only pierce but are eventually fatal, leading to death. Many sensitive souls can be mentally and psychologically crippled by this kind of wickedness. Though they are physically alive, the incessant barrage of cruel and lying words hurled against them can destroy them inside. Then only the grace of Yah'shua (Jesus) can heal them.

This is why Scripture speaks most harshly against those who use their words as weapons against others, and especially those who stoop to lying and deceit to inflict even more pain. Lashon hara, the sin of gossipping and slandering, is most strongly condemned by Yahweh and is not a little sin:

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly" (Prov.18:8, NKJV).

The evil is compounded when it is done by fellow-believers. A congregation that does not stamp this out is allowing the enemy to slowly strangle it to death by spiritual asphyxiation. Yahweh will not hold guiltless the soul who destroys the character or reputation of either a fellow believer or an unbeliever which is why we are commanded most strictly to measure our words, spoken or written.

"The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell" (James 3:5-6, NIV).

Just because a person appears to be 'taking it' does not mean you are not injuring him - it is as harmful and damaging as that first lying word spoken against an innocent child that penetrates and wounds so deeply. It has to be carried, it has to be endured and it still hurts even if the one suffering hurt does not flinch anymore or show signs of pain. We are judged by the words themselves, not whether the one being afflicted writhes in pain or seems to show no sign of pain at all. It will not go better for the one speaking lashon hara because the victim appears 'stronger'. And like rocks appearing above the head of the one speaking evil that eventually collapse and bury the one speaking that evil, so Yahweh's judgment does most assuredly come, and harshly, if repentance and restitution is not made swiftly.

Until yesterday I had never heard of a 'bed of arrows' - then Yahweh spoke the words to me that morning shortly before I was shown the two important Shavu'ot visions that I shared with you yesterday.

There are many believers out there lying on beds of arrows who patiently take the abuse of thoughtless and malicious people. Pray for them. They are suffering but you may never see it because they have grown accustomed to the bed the wicked have made for them.

"I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of ahavah (love)" (Hos.11:4, NKJV).

[1] "Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, 'O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!' And Elisha said to him, 'Take a bow and some arrows.' So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, 'Put your hand on the bow.' So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. And he said, 'Open the east window'; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, 'Shoot'; and he shot. And he said, 'The arrow of Yahweh's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.' Then he said, 'Take the arrows'; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, 'Strike the ground'; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of Elohim (God) was angry with him, and said, 'You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times'" (2 Kings 13:14-19, NKJV)
[2] "When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread" (Ezek.5:15-16, NKJV)
[3] "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate" (Ps.127:4-5, NKJV)
[4] "Then Job answered and said: 'Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea -- therefore my words have been rash. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of Elohim (God) are arrayed against me" (Job 6:1-4, NKJV). "Yahweh, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down" (Ps.38:1-2, NKJV)
[5] "Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows --bitter words, that they may shoot in secret at the blameless; suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear" (Ps.64:2-4, NKJV)
[6] "Their tongue is an arrow shot out; it speaks deceit; one speaks peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait" (Jer.9:8, NKJV)
[7] "A man who bears false witness against his neighbour is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow" (Prov.25:18, NKJV)