Lesson 32 - Elisha’s Last Prophecy

How did Elisha respond to the words of Joash? He certainly did not flatter the king but maintained his official dignity to the end. He was an agent of the King of kings and he conducted himself accordingly. Instead of acting as if he is being honored by this visit from Joash he at once took charge of the situation and gave orders to the king.       

· 2 Kings 13:15-22, 15 Elisha said, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so.

What happens next might well be called a parable in action. We need to remember that in Eastern lands, instruction by means of symbolic actions is much more common than it is with us; and thus we find the prophets frequently using this method. Even the false prophets used this technique. What happened was that significant emblems were presented to the eye to cause the mind to see them and result in an inquiry. God referred to this in:

· Hosea 12:10, I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them."

And in the New Testament:

· Acts 21:10-11, After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"

When Elisha said to Joash, “Take bows and arrows” he was making use of a visual suggestion. The articles he selected immediately explain it. In response to the king’s weeping the prophet said, in effect, weeping over my death will avail the nation nothing: stand fast in faith, act like a man, be strong. Don’t take the line of least resistance, but assemble your forces, lead your army in person against your enemy. Though I may be taken away, God is still in charge and will not fail those who have confidence in Him. Nevertheless, you must discharge your responsibilities by making good use of the means at hand.

So Joash was informed that he was to be the instrument of Israel’s deliverance by means of his own military efforts, and that if he trusted in the Lord and followed Elisha’s instructions, he would have success.   

· 2 Kings 13:16 "Take the bow in your hands," he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.

Here again we see the commanding authority and influence which Elisha had, under God, for Joash made no indication that he questioned the instructions. He simply agreed.

By placing his hands on the kings hands Elisha signified his identification with what he should yet do , thereby intimating that he owed it to the prophet’s mission and ministry that Israel was to be spared and that God would again intervene on their behalf. By symbolic action, Elisha was saying to him, “The battle is not yours, but God’s”.  

· 2 Kings 13:17 "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek."

In these words Elisha explained to Joash the meaning of his symbolic actions, and what should be the outcome of them. It is evident that Elisha’s mind was still on the welfare of Israel. It demonstrated that he still acted as the servant of God; it was the final use of his prophetic gift and proof of his prophetic office. Note that he was to shoot the arrows over Aram, which would have been to the east and this was where Hazael, the enemy of Israel, was now king. So in telling Joash to shoot the arrows to the east he was telling Joash where his battles would have to be fought. A closer look at the instructions of Elisha to Joash reveals that there is a combination of the divine and human elements here. It should be the “arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, yet it was to be Joash himself who must fight the Syrians. God would work, but through the king.  

· 2 Kings 13:18 Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. Elisha told him, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and stopped.

What we see here is a testing of Joash’s faith. When Elisha said to “strike the ground” he was testing how committed Joash was to defeating the Syrians and believing what Elisha had told him. Did this promise sound too good to be true, or would Joash really believe it.

· 2 Kings 13:19 The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times."

Joash’s answer angered Elisha. It was righteous indignation. He considered Joash’s response only half-hearted, and from love for Israel, he was indignant that Joash should take only half-hearted measures to defeat Syria. What possible difference would it make if Joash struck the ground three or six times? Well, if God had intended that the King should utterly defeat the Syrians by striking the ground six times, then that was the important thing. In verse 17 we are told that the Syrians were to be “completely destroyed”. Anything less was unacceptable.

At this point Joash failed; he did not believe Elisha’s words. God’s people need to realize that the exercise of faith does make a real difference in what they get or fail to get from God.

Arthur Pink says that “Most Christians expect little from God, ask little , and therefore receive little, and are content with little. They are content with little faith, little knowledge of the deep things of God, little growth and fruitfulness in the spiritual life, little joy, peace, and assurance, And the zealous servant of God is justified in being angry at their lack of spiritual ambition.” 

· 2 Kings 13:20 Elisha died and was buried.

So Elisha’s life comes to an end, but the Bible says nothing here about a burial service.

Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring.

· 2 Kings 13:21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.

Once again we are about to see the sovereignty of God in action. God here honors Elisha but in a very different way. It was God’s seal on the mission and service of His prophet.

It indicated that the Lord was his God after death as well as before, and thus furnished evidence both of the immortality of the soul and the final resurrection of the body. It is an intimation that other miracles would yet happen for Israel in response to his prayers and as a result of his labors. Thus to the end, miracles are connected with the mission of Elisha.