36 ELISHA’S THREE FINAL ACTIONS

Years before, God had told Elijah at Mount Horeb to anoint Elisha, Hazael and Jehu. In earlier teachings in this series we have seen how that Elijah did pass his mantle on to Elisha and Elisha fulfilled the second part, the anointing of Hazael. Now we see the third, the anointing of Jehu, also done by Elisha but even this was indirectly as Elisha sent the message through yet another prophet. All three revelations to Elijah are fulfilled, but not all directly by Elijah himself. Though time has passed yet God’s plan for all three of these men—Elisha, Hazael and Jehu—is fulfilled.

So here is the anointing of Jehu to be king, who was, at this time, a commander, probably commander-in-chief, of the forces employed at Ramoth-Gilead. There he was fighting for the king his master, but received orders through the prophet from a higher king to fight against his master. It does not seem that Jehu aimed at the government, or that he ever thought of it. So this commission through the prophet whom Elisha had sent was a surprise. Elisha did not go himself to anoint Jehu. He was old and perhaps not strong enough, unfit for such a journey and so well known that he could not do it privately. Certainly this mission with a message like this needed to be without anyone knowing about it so Elisha sends one of the sons of the prophets to do it. The sons of the prophet not only reverence him as their father but obeyed him as their father.

This service of anointing Jehu, similar to Samuel’s anointing David at Bethlehem, had danger in it and therefore it was not safe for Elisha to expose himself, so one of the sons of the prophets who could do it with less danger was sent. The journey required effort and was therefore better for a young man in his full strength. Let youth work and age direct. It was an honorable piece of service, to anoint a king, and he who did it might be promoted for it afterwards, and therefore, for the encouragement of the young prophets Elisha employed one of them. He would not accept or receive all the honors himself, nor grudge the young prophets a share in them.

Even in the delegation of this task to another, we see a lesson that applies to older ministers that they should begin to pass ministry tasks and opportunities on to younger persons even before they themselves are totally incapacitated. As Elisha sent him he put the oil into his hand with which he was to anoint Jehu. Solomon had been anointed with oil out of the tabernacle, but that was not available now in Israel. Yet oil from God’s senior prophet’s hand was equal in symbolic value to oil out of God’s house. Possibly it was not a regular practice to anoint kings, but here we face an interruption of the succession. The position and government is being transferred to a new family, as in the case of David.

Elisha not only put oil in the prophets hand but also words in the prophets mouth. “Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!” Elisha may have told him the other things to say as are recorded in verses 7-10, “‘You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. 8 The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’ Then he opened the door and ran.”

Those whom God sends on His errands need not go without full instructions. Elisha also ordered him to do it privately, to single out Jehu from the rest of the captains, “take him into an inner room” (2) so that Jehu’s confidence in his commission might be tested, when he had no witness to confirm it. His being suddenly motivated for the service would be sufficient proof of his being anointed for it. Those around him needed no other proof. The zeal and confidence he gained was the best evidence of the sign. The young prophet was told to do it quickly and then run. Verse 3 assures us that that is what he did. He did not wait for a tip, reward or payment. Ha! It is good for us to be quick and lively at our work. We don’t need to wait around.

TWO Next we move to chapter 13 for the last two things we learn from the ministry of Elisha. Evidently many quiet years had passed since Jehoash, the grandson of Jehu, is now on the throne of Israel. 2 Kings 13:14-19 14 Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 15 Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 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. 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.” 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. 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.”

Jehoash was evidently none of the worst, and yet, because he kept up the idolatry of the house of Jeroboam, it is said, He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. That one evil was enough to leave an indelible mark of evil on his name. No matter if the evil seem small in men’s eyes, it was, in the sight of the Lord, a very wicked thing; and we are sure that his judgment is fair. It is observable how lightly the inspired writer passes over his acts, administrations, and his military might and leaves it to the secular historians to record them, while he himself observes only the respect Jehoash showed to Elisha. It gives a man a much better reputation to honor a prophet than to conquer a king and his army.

Elisha fell sick. He lived a long time for it was now about sixty additional years he lived since he was first called to be a prophet. It was a great mercy to Israel, and especially to the sons of the prophets, that he continued so long as a burning and shining light. It is estimated that Elijah finished his work in about a fourth part of that time. God’s prophets have their day set for them, some longer, others shorter, according to God’s infinite wisdom. All the latter part of his time, from the anointing of Jehu, (which we examined in the first part of this lesson), and which was forty-five years before Jehoash began his reign, we find no mention made of Elisha, or of any thing he did, until we find him again here on his death-bed. He might be useful to the last, and yet not so famous as he had sometimes been.

The time of his flourishing was less than the time of his living. Let not old people complain of obscurity, but rather be well pleased with retirement. The spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha, and yet he was not call upward to heaven in a fiery chariot, as Elijah was, but went the common road out of the world, and died an old man as was common to man. If God honors some with longer life above others, whether superior or inferior to them in gifts or graces, who should complain? God can do what He wants with His own. Israel’s King Jehoash visited Elisha in his sickness, and wept over him. “‘My father! My father!”’ he cried. ‘The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’” (14) This was an evidence of some good in Jehoash, that he had a value and affection for a faithful prophet. So far was he from hating and persecuting him as a troubler of Israel as his predecessors had done, that he loved and honored him as one of the greatest blessings of his kingdom, and lamented the loss of him. Here is a man who would not be obedient to the word of God, and yet respected God’s faithful ministers in his conscience as his behavior indicates.

When the king heard of Elisha’s sickness, he came to visit him, and probably to receive his dying counsel and blessing which is what happened. It was no lowering of himself, though a king, to honor one like this whom God honored. It may be to our spiritual advantage to visit the sick-beds and death-beds of good ministers and other good men, so that we may learn to die, and may be encouraged in godliness by observing their lives and hearing their words. Though Elisha was very old, had been useful for a long time, and in the course of nature could not continue much longer, yet the king, when he saw him sick and likely to die, wept over him. In some cases, one old witness is worth ten young ones. This may have been one of those cases. The king lamented him in the same words with which Elisha had himself lamented the passing of Elijah: ‘My father, my father, The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’  It is probable he had heard or read them in that famous story. Elisha had given honor to Elijah with those words and now it is his turn to receive that same honor. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Another interpretation of these words is also possible. The king lamented that his army was so weak that he grieved over the loss of Elisha. He may have been more concerned with his loss than with honoring Elisha. It is possible. Only God knows. Anyone who considers how much good praying men contribute to the defense of a nation in keeping off God’s judgments will have reason to regret the loss of them.

A weak and sickly Elisha nevertheless gave the king assurances of his success against the Arameans, Israel’s oppressors, and encouraged him to prosecute the war against them with vigor. Elisha was aware that Jehoash did not want to part with him because he looked to him as a great strength in the kingdom against Aram. “Well,” says Elisha, “if that is the cause of your grief, don’t let that trouble you, you will be victorious over the Arameans when I am in my grave. I am dying, but God will be with you. Elisha had enough of the Spirit to think beyond the present moment. God can raise up other prophets to pray for you. God’s grace is not limited to just one hand. He can bury his workmen and yet carry on His work. He gives Jehoash a sign to encourage him and orders him to take a bow and arrows suggesting to him that, in order to effect a  deliverance of his kingdom from the Arameans, he must put himself into a military posture and resolve to undergo the dangers and hard work of war. God would be the Agent, but he must be the instrument.

That he would be successful Elisha gives him a demonstration, by telling him to shoot an arrow towards Aram. The king no doubt, knew how to manage a bow better than the prophet, and yet, because the arrow to be shot was to have spiritual and prophetic significance, he received the words of command from the prophet. Verses 15 - 17 say, “Elisha said, ‘Get a bow and some arrows,’ and he did so. 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. 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.’” The trembling hands of a dying prophet, as they signified the militant presence of the power of God, gave this arrow more force than the hands of the king in his full strength ever could. It is God that commands deliverance; and, when He will effect it, who can hinder? The arrow of deliverance is His. He shoots out His arrows, and the work is done. Psalm 18:14 says, “He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.”

Elisha also said for Jehoash to strike the ground with a handful of arrows. This too was to have symbolic meaning, though unfortunately Jehoash was not as zealous in striking the ground as the prophet had hoped. The prophet having in God’s name assured him of victory over the Arameans  will now try him and see if he will take advantage of his victories. If we are zealous for God in our spiritual warfare we will strike the ground again and again. We will not relent. We will not stop. We will press and press. Jehoash is an illustration of someone who did not take full advantage of the authority we have in prayer to press forward in our pursuit of total spiritual victory. Joshua and David’s armies put their feet on the necks of the subdued enemies. Jehoash did not follow those examples.

Either out of foolish tenderness to the Arameans, he struck as if he were afraid of hurting them, at least of ruining them, willing to show mercy to those that never did, nor ever would, show mercy to him or his people. Maybe he struck only three times and weakly at that because he thought it but a silly thing, that it looked idle and childish for a king to beat the floor with his arrows. But, by failing to recognize the spiritual meaning of the sign, he lost the thing signified. This was a disappointment and a grief of the dying prophet, who was angry with him, and told him he should have hit the ground five or six times. Not being experienced in the power and promise of God, why should Jehoash be zealous in his own expectations and efforts? It is a trouble to good men to see others whom they want to see stand strong loose their own advantages against their spiritual enemies, and, to the contrary, give advantage to the enemy!

THREE After Elisha died 2 Kings 13:20-25 20 Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 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. 22 Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence. 24 Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son succeeded him as king. 25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Jehoash defeated him, and so he recovered the Israelite towns.

Let’s look at this curious story of what happened at the grave site of Elisha. Elisha died at a good old age, and they buried him; and what happened later demonstrates or symbolizes what a great power there had been in his life to keep off judgments. Evidently, as soon as he was dead, the bands of the Moabites invaded the land—not great armies to face them in the field, but roving bands that murdered and plundered by surprise. God has many ways to punish a provoking people. The king was apprehensive of danger only from the Arameans, but, look at this, the Moabites invade them. Trouble comes sometimes from that point from which we least feared it. The mentioning of this immediately upon the death of Elisha suggests that the removal of God’s faithful prophet was a precondition of judgments coming. When ambassadors are recalled, wars may follow. Oh! what power there was in his dead body! It communicated life to another dead body. This great miracle, though very briefly related, was a decided proof of Elisha’s mission and a confirmation of all his prophecies. It was also a plain indication of another life after this. When Elisha died, that was not an end of him, for then he could not have done this. Of course it was God that gave the dead man back his life, but there is symbolism here to be considered.

It was not just anybody’s body that seemed to have had this power. It was the body of the praying and miracle-working Elisha! By this it appeared that the Lord was still the God of Elisha; therefore Elisha still lived, for God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And it may, perhaps also, have a reference to Christ, by whose death and burial the grave is made a safe and happy passage to life for all believers. It likewise suggested that though Elisha was dead, yet, in virtue of the promises made by him, Israel’s interests, though they seemed quite sunk and lost, should revive and flourish again. The neighbors were carrying the dead body of a man to the grave, and, fearing to fall into the hands of the Moabites, they laid the corpse in the next convenient place, which proved to be Elisha’s grave. As soon as the dead man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, it revived, and, it is likely, went home again with his friends. It is good being near the saints.

What Elisha had said came true. The sword of Jehoash king of Israel was successful against the Arameans. The cause of his success was God’s favor as verse 23 makes clear. “But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence.” It was of the Lord’s mercies that they were not consumed, because He would not destroy them as yet. He foresaw they would destroy themselves at last, but as yet He would give them time and space to repent. The slowness of God’s processes against sinners must be construed to the honor of his mercy, not the abdication of His justice. The story ends with three victories recorded just as Jehoash had struck the ground three times. “25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Jehoash defeated him, and so he recovered the Israelite towns.”

This was a great kindness to the cities themselves but in our search for leadership principles and lessons, the greater value of the story to us Christian leaders is to warn, caution and urge us to be more zealous in our prayers than to strike only three times. The battle is invisible but actual; the symbolism of striking the ground is an understandable picture of a more real, deeper, spiritual and by far more important deliverance God which wants to give intercessors.