2 Kings 6:1-23 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Kings 6:1-23. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Kings 6:1-6 (NIV)
1 The company of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us.
2 Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live.” And he said, “Go.”
3 Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with your servants?” “I will,” Elisha replied.
4 And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees.
5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh, my lord,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”
6 The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.
On verses 1-6: The number of prophets Elisha is discipling is growing, so Elisha’s disciples propose that they build a new facility for them to meet near the Jordan River. They begin to cut down trees in the Jordan. While one of the young prophets is cutting, his ax head flies off its handle and falls into the water. The young prophet is distraught because the ax head was not his, but was borrowed. Elisha asks the young prophet where the ax head fell. Elisha throws a stick in that vicinity and the ax head floats to the surface, enabling the young prophet to reach out and recover the ax head.
What can we learn from this? The ax head is like the power of the Holy Spirit. Like an ax head, the Holy Spirit equips us to serve God and to build things for God’s glory in cutting edge ways. If we want our serving to be effective and cutting edge, we need the ax head of the Holy Spirit. Serving without the power of the Holy Spirit is like trying to cut down a tree without an ax head: you will exert much effort with little effect. Pretty soon you won’t just be knocking your handle on the tree, but your head as well in frustration. As Ecclesiastes 10:10 (MSG) says, “Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle.”
Just as the ax head was borrowed, so this power from the Holy Spirit to serve God does not come from us; rather God lends it to us (v5).
Have you lost your edge, the power of the Holy Spirit in your ministry? I could imagine that the young prophet was not paying close attention to the condition of his ax when he was cutting the tree. He did not notice that with every hit, the ax head was loosening from its handle. In the same way, sometimes we lose the Holy Spirit’s edge because we are careless. We do not pay attention to how tightly the handle (that is our lives) is attached to the ax head (the power of the Holy Spirit). Like the young prophet, we need to carefully monitor the condition of our ax to make sure that the handle (our spiritual life) is tightly connected to the ax head (the Holy Spirit). How? By protecting your time with God, by setting healthy boundaries around your heart, thoughts and time, and by nourishing yourself with God’s Word. That’s how you keep your ministry ax sharp, tight and edgy.
Now what should you do if you’ve “lost your edge”? Ask the same question Elisha asked: “Where did it fall?” That is, take some time to retrace your steps and find out at what point you got careless. At what point did you take on too much, or stop guarding your heart, or stop protecting your private time with God, or stop meditating on God’s Word?
Fortunately, the young prophet was in great company. He was with Elisha his teacher and his other prophets. Together they would often spend time in God’s presence. By being in God’s presence with God’s people this young man was able to quickly receive supernatural help from God. Similarly, as you spend time in God’s presence with God’s people, and as you cry out to God for help, He will supernaturally cause your edge to re-surface. As Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”
2 Kings 6:7 (NIV)
7 “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
On verse 7: The fact that Elisha gets the young prophet to reach out and take the floating ax head himself teaches us one more lesson: when you get into God’s presence, God can cause amazing truth and understanding to surface before you, but it’s up to you to reach out, grab it and use it. When you hear a powerful sermon, or you see a powerful truth in Scripture while having your GAME time, don’t stop there. Grab that truth and start applying it.
2 Kings 6:8-23 (NIV)
8 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”
9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.”
10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.”
14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
19 Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.
20 After they entered the city, Elisha said, “LORD, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”
22 “Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.”
23 So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.
On verses 8-23: This passage is one of the most powerful Biblical passages on the importance of vision. Here are just a few of the many powerful lessons we can learn:
1. Elisha’s servant went from being full of fear because of the enemies around him to not being afraid at all. That’s because God opened his eyes to see that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v16). Fear’s grip on our lives loosens when we realize who is with us, namely, Almighty God.
2. Just as God struck the Aramean army with blindness and had Elisha lead them by his voice to the king of Israel, sometimes in order for God to take you to where He wants you to be, He needs to blind you first. That is, sometimes God will prevent you from seeing everything that is in front of you, so that you would learn to trust Him and His voice more than in yourself and your circumstances. So if you can’t see in front of you, keep this in mind: God is teaching you to trust in Him.
3. Instead of killing these prisoners of war, Elisha tells the King of Israel to extend grace to them, setting a lavish banquet before the very soldiers who were bent on killing him. That’s what Jesus did for us. Jesus in His wrath could have easily chosen to destroy us for our rebellion against Him. Instead, He chose to spare us, serve us and show us lavish grace. His kindness converted us from enemies of God to friends of God.
Father, thank You for all these powerful lessons we can learn from Your Word. Please help me and my friends to keep our axes sharp and our edge well maintained for Your glory. Thank You that because You are near there is no need to fear. Thank You that we can trust in Your faithful guidance even when we can’t see what is in front of us. And thank You for showing us lavish saving grace when we deserved the opposite. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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