Topical Bible: Man: Compared to a Sleep

◄ Man: Compared to a Sleep ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the Bible, the metaphor of sleep is frequently used to describe the state of man, particularly in relation to death and spiritual awareness. This imagery serves to illustrate the transient and fragile nature of human life, as well as the hope of awakening to eternal life through faith.

1. Sleep as a Metaphor for Death: The Bible often uses sleep as a metaphor for death, emphasizing the temporary nature of death for believers. In the Old Testament, Job reflects on the brevity of life, stating, "Man lies down and does not rise; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep" (Job 14:12). This imagery is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus refers to the deceased daughter of Jairus as "sleeping" before He raises her from the dead (Mark 5:39). Similarly, the Apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonians, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

2. Spiritual Sleep and Awakening: Beyond physical death, sleep is also used to describe a state of spiritual lethargy or unawareness. The call to awaken from spiritual sleep is a recurring theme, urging believers to live in readiness and righteousness. Paul exhorts the Romans, "And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). This call to spiritual vigilance is a reminder of the imminent return of Christ and the need for moral and spiritual preparedness.

3. The Temporary Nature of Life: The metaphor of sleep underscores the fleeting nature of human existence. The Psalmist reflects on this transience, praying, "You have swept them away like a flood; they fall asleep. In the morning they are like new grass" (Psalm 90:5). This imagery serves as a humbling reminder of the brevity of life and the importance of living with an eternal perspective.

4. Hope of Resurrection: The comparison of death to sleep also conveys the hope of resurrection. Just as sleep is followed by awakening, so too is death followed by the promise of resurrection for those who are in Christ. Jesus Himself declared, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up" (John 11:11), signifying His power over death and the assurance of life beyond the grave.

In summary, the biblical comparison of man to sleep serves as a profound metaphor that captures the essence of human mortality, spiritual awareness, and the hope of resurrection. Through this imagery, Scripture invites believers to live with vigilance, faith, and the assurance of eternal life in Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 90:5
You carry them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which grows up.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Stony Heart Removed
... millstone, and in another place it is even compared to the ... Now, though man's heart
is not like this as to ... down into the grave where the long sleep has fallen ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/the stony heart removed.htm

Upon Compassion. Preached the First Sunday in Lent.
... drawn from the principles of action in the heart of man, compared with the ... of pain
for hours, days, and, excepting the short suspensions of sleep, for months ...
/.../butler/human nature/sermon vi upon compassion preached.htm

Conduct of the Holy Man Where There are Women Only.
... Chapter IV."Conduct of the Holy Man Where There are ... And she herself, when the time
for sleep is come ... topon dexion, where dexion may be compared with dexter in ...
/.../clement/two epistles concerning virginity/chapter iv conduct of the holy.htm

Whether the First Man Saw God through his Essence?
... in a vision, when "God cast a deep sleep upon Adam ... far as every creature is something
obscure when compared with the ... an effect of sin, so far as man is impeded ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the first man saw.htm

Of Jesus, God and Man; and the Testimonies of the Prophets ...
... our God, and there shall none other be compared unto Him ... being asked whether He was
God or man, replied in ... thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xiii of jesus god and.htm

Sleep Not
... I am told that when a man goes inside the boiler ... the rack, or on the gallows, is
nothing compared with this ... your lot if you continue much longer to sleep, as do ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/sleep not.htm

The Peculiar Sleep of the Beloved
... to be the "offscouring of all things," or "the man whom the ... "So he giveth his beloved
sleep." Ah ... all this, and Christ too?" It is "all this," compared with what ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the peculiar sleep of the.htm

Introductory to Texts from the Gospels on the Incarnation. ...
... Arians compared to the Jews ... But now the Word having become man and having appropriated
[3039] what pertains to ... and to toil and not to know, and to sleep, and to ...
/.../chapter xxvi introductory to texts from.htm

Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven. (Luke, xiii. 18-21 ...
... 18-21.)"Points of Agreement and Difference."Compared with the ... the kingdom of God,
as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise ...
/.../section 211 parables of the.htm

Night and Day (Preached at the Chapel Royal)
... compared with that life to come, as night compared with day ... doth wait for the Lord,
more than the sick man who watches ... at best was not given us, to sleep it all ...
/.../kingsley/the water of life and other sermons/sermon v night and day.htm