2 Kings 6

Elisha was a miracle-working prophet who ministered to all sorts of people who brought him all kinds of needs. In this section, we see Elisha healing a distinguished general, judging his own servant, and helping a lowly student get back to work. It may seem a long way from the lofty head of the army to a lost axhead, but both were important to God and to God’s servant. Like our Lord when He ministered here on earth, Elisha had time for individuals and he wasn’t influenced by their social standing or their financial worth. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5: nkjv).

But as important as the miracles are in this section, the theme of ministry is even more important. The Lord not only gave new life to Naaman, He also gave him a new purpose in life, a new ministry. He would return to Syria (Aram) as much more than a general, for now he was an ambassador of the true and living God of Israel. Naaman gained a new purpose in life, but, alas, Gehazi lost his ministry because of his covetousness and deception. When Elisha recovered the lost axhead, the student got back his “cutting edge,” and his ministry was restored to him.

Elisha wasn’t only a traveling preacher and a miracleworking prophet, but he was also the overseer of several schools of the prophets where young men called to ministry were trained and encouraged. We know there were schools in Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho (2:1–5) and also in Samuel’s hometown of Ramah (1 Sam. 19:22–24), but there may have been others. Both Elijah and Elisha were concerned that the next generation know the Lord and understand His Word, and this is the church’s commission today (2 Tim. 2:2). D. L. Moody and Charles Spurgeon were not privileged to have formal training for ministry, but both of them started schools that are still training God’s servants today. It’s good to serve our own generation, but let’s not forget the generations to come.

This account picks up the story from 4:44. God had blessed the school at Jericho, and it was necessary to enlarge their quarters. The students studied together when the prophet visited them, for they met with him and sat before him to hear him teach (v. 1). They also ate together (4:38–44), but they lived in their own family dwellings (4:1–7). It’s a good sign when God is raising up a new generation of servants and when the veteran ministers of God take time to teach them.

But new growth brings new obligations, and the facilities at Jordan had to be enlarged. Schools today would do fund-raising and hire architects and contractors, but in Elisha’s day, the students did the work. Not only that, but the leader of the school went with them and encouraged the work. Elisha had a shepherd’s heart and was willing to go with his flock and share their burdens.

The Jewish people didn’t have hardware stores stocked with tools such as we have today. Iron tools were precious and scarce, which explains why the student had to borrow an ax so he could help prepare the timber. (When I was in seminary, I didn’t own any tools.) Not only were tools scarce, but they weren’t constructed with the strength and durability of our tools today. In fact, Moses gave a special law relating to damage that might result when an axhead flew off the handle (Deut. 19:4–5), so it must have happened frequently. If the law of borrowed animals also applied to borrowed tools (Ex. 22:14–15), then that poor student would have to reimburse the lender for the lost axhead, and that would probably upset the budget for weeks to come. Without the axhead, the student couldn’t work and that would add to somebody else’s burdens. All in all, the sunken axhead caused a great deal of trouble.

The student was quick enough to see where it fell and honest enough to report the accident to Elisha. The Jordan isn’t the cleanest river in the Holy Land (5:12), and it would be very difficult for anybody to see the axhead lying at the bottom. The prophet didn’t “fish out” the axhead with a pole. He threw a stick into the water at the place where the axhead sank, and the Lord raised the iron axhead so that it floated on the surface of the river and could be picked up. It was a quiet miracle from a powerful God through a compassionate servant.

There are some spiritual applications that we can learn from this incident, and perhaps the first is that whatever we have has been “borrowed.” Paul asked, “And what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4: nkjv), and John the Baptist said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” (John 3: nkjv). Whatever gifts, abilities, possessions, and opportunities we have are from God, and we will have to give an account of them when we see the Lord.

This student lost his valuable tool while he was serving the Lord. Faithful service is important, but it can also be threatening, for we might lose something valuable even as we do our work. Moses lost his patience and meekness while providing water for the people (Num. 20:1–13), and David lost his self-control while being kind to his neighbor (1 Sam. 25:13). God’s servants must walk carefully before the Lord and take inventory of their “tools” lest they lose something they desperately need.

The good news is that the Lord can recover what we have lost and put us back to work. If we lose our “cutting edge,” He can restore us and make us efficient in His service. The important thing is to know that you have lost it, and when and where you have lost it, and honestly confess it to Him. Then get back to work again!

While we’re on the subject of axes, Ecclesiastes 10: offers some good counsel: “If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success” (nasb). The modern equivalent is, “Don’t work harder—work smarter.” Wisdom tells a worker to sharpen the tool before the work begins. But our text from Kings reminds us further to make sure that the sharp axhead is firmly set into the handle. Don’t work without a cutting edge, and don’t lose your cutting edge.

From our point of view, it would have been more logical for the Lord to appoint Elijah, the “son of thunder,” to confront the enemy armies that invaded Israel, but instead, He appointed Elisha, the quiet farm boy. Elisha was like the “still, small voice” that followed the tumult of the wind, the earthquake, and the fire (1 Kings 19:11–12), just as Jesus followed John the Baptist who had an ax in his hand. By declaring the righteousness of God and calling for repentance, Elijah and John the Baptist both prepared the way for their successors to minister, for without conviction there can be no true conversion.

As always in Scripture, the key actor in the drama is the Lord, not the prophet. By what he said and did, as well as by what he didn’t do, Elisha revealed the character of the God of Israel to King Joram and his people. Jehovah is not like the idols of the nations (Ps. 115), for He alone is the true and living God.

Whenever the Syrians planned a border raid, the Lord gave Elisha the information and he warned the king. Baal could never have done this for King Joram, for idols have “Eyes … but they do not see” (Ps. 115: nkjv). The Lord sees not only the actions of people but also their thoughts (Ps. 94:11; 139:1–4) and their hearts (Prov. 15:3, 11; Jer. 17:10; Acts 1:24). Most of the people in the northern kingdom of Israel were unfaithful to the Lord, and yet in His mercy He cared for them. “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121: nkjv).

The king of Syria was sure there was a traitor in his camp, for the mind of the unbeliever interprets everything from a worldly viewpoint. Idolaters become like the gods they worship (Ps. 115:8) so Ben Hadad was as blind as his god Rimmon (5:18). However, one of Ben Hadad’s officers knew what was going on and informed the king that the prophet Elisha was in charge of “military intelligence” and knew what the king said and did even in his own bedroom.

The logical solution then was to eliminate Elisha. Once again you see the ignorance of the king, for if Elisha knew every scheme the king planned for the border raids, surely he would know this scheme as well—and he did! Ben Hadad’s spies found Elisha in Dothan, located about twelve miles north of the capital city of Samaria. Elisha’s home was in Abel-meholah, but in his itinerant ministry, he moved from city to city. Humanly speaking, he would have been safer in the walled city of Samaria, but he had no fear, for he knew God was caring for him. The arrival that night of a company of foot soldiers, cavalry, and charioteers didn’t upset the prophet in the least. This was not the full army but rather an enlarged “band” such as engaged in border raids (v. 23; 5:2; 13:20; 24:2).

When God’s servants are in His will and doing His work, they are immortal until their work is done. The disciples tried to discourage Jesus from going back to Judah, but He assured them He was on a “divine timetable” and was therefore perfectly safe (John 11:7–10). It was only when His “hour had come” (John 13:1; 17:1) that His enemies had the power to arrest Him and crucify Him. If the Father’s eye is on the sparrow (Matt. 10:29), then surely He is watching over His precious children.

This servant was not Gehazi, for he had been removed and replaced. The young man was an early riser, which speaks well of him, but he was still deficient in his faith. Seeing the city surrounded by enemy troops, he did the normal thing and turned to his master for help.

A woman told evangelist D. L. Moody that she had found a wonderful promise that gave her peace when she was troubled, and she quoted Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Moody said he had a better promise for her, and he quoted Isaiah 12:2, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid.” We wonder what promises from the Lord came to Elisha’s mind and heart, for it’s faith in God’s Word that brings peace in the midst of the storm. Perhaps he recalled David’s words in Psalm 27:3, “Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (nkjv). Or the words of Moses from Deuteronomy 20:3–4 may have come to mind, “Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid … for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you” (nkjv).

Elisha didn’t trouble himself about the army; his first concern was for his frightened servant. If he was going to walk with Elisha and serve God, the young man would face many difficult and dangerous situations, and he had to learn to trust the Lord. We probably would have prayed that the Lord would give peace to the lad’s heart or calmness to his mind, but Elisha prayed for God to open his eyes. The servant was living by sight and not by faith and couldn’t see the vast angelic army of the Lord surrounding the city. Faith enables us to see God’s invisible army (Heb. 11:27) and trust Him to give us the victory. Jacob had a similar experience before he met Esau (Gen. 32), and Jesus knew that, if His Father so desired, the angelic army could deliver Him (Matt. 26:53). “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people” (Ps. 125: nkjv). “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Ps. 34: nkjv). The angels are servants to God’s people (Heb. 1:14), and until we get to heaven, we will never fully know how much they have helped us.

Elisha didn’t ask the Lord to command the angelic army to destroy Ben Hadad’s feeble troops. As with nations today, defeat only promotes retaliation, and Ben Hadad would have sent another company of soldiers. God gave Elisha a much better plan. He had just prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes, but now he prayed that God would cloud the eyes of the Syrian soldiers. The soldiers weren’t made totally blind, otherwise they couldn’t have followed Elijah, but their sight was clouded in such a way that they were able to see but not comprehend. They were under the delusion that they were being led to the house of Elisha, but Elisha was leading them to the city of Samaria!

When Elisha went out to meet the Syrian troops, did he lie to them (v. 19)? No, because he was no longer in the city of Dothan and was actually going to Samaria. The prophet was actually saving their lives, for if King Joram had been in charge, he would have killed them (v. 21). Elisha did bring the troops to the man they wanted. When the army arrived at Samaria, the guards must have been shocked to see the prophet leading the troops, but they obediently opened the gates and then God opened their eyes. Imagine their surprise when they found themselves at the heart of the capital city and at the mercy of the Israelites.

King Joram would have slain all of the Syrian soldiers and claimed a great victory for himself, but Elisha intervened. The king graciously called Elisha “my father” (v. 21), a term used by servants for their master (5:13), but later, he wanted to take off Elisha’s head (vv. 32)! Like his wicked father, Ahab, he could murder the innocent one day and then “walk softly” before the Lord the next day (1 Kings 21). Double-minded people are unstable (James 1:8).

Elisha’s reply took the matter entirely out of the king’s hands. Had Joram defeated this army in battle? No! If he had, he could kill his prisoners, but if he hadn’t, then whoever captured the prisoners would decide what to do. These were not prisoners of war; they were Elisha’s guests, so the king’s responsibility was to feed them. Joram knew that having a meal with them was the same as making a covenant with them (Gen. 26:26–31), but he obeyed. In fact, he went beyond the prophet’s request for bread and water and prepared a great feast for the soldiers.

Solomon wrote, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Prov. 25:21–22 niv). In Romans 12:20–21, Paul quoted these words and applied them to believers today, and see also the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:43–48 and Luke 6:27–36. King Joram wanted to kill the Syrians, but Elisha “killed them with kindness.” By eating together, they made a covenant of peace and the Syrian bands would no longer raid the borders of Israel.

Would this approach avert conflicts today? We must remember that Israel is a covenant nation and that the Lord fought their battles. No other nation can claim these privileges. But if kindness replaced longstanding and deeply rooted ethnic and religious differences among peoples, as well as national pride and international greed, there would no doubt be fewer wars and bombings. The same principle applies to ending divorce and abuse in families, riots and lootings in neighborhoods, uproars on campuses, and division and conflict in our communities. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

The border raids stopped, but Ben Hadad II decided it was time again for war. Rulers have to prove themselves to their people, and defeating and looting a neighbor is one of the best ways to reveal your strength and wisdom. This time he sent the full army and he seems to have caught Joram totally unprepared. Perhaps the peace along the borders lulled Joram into thinking that Syria was no longer a threat. Joram doesn’t seem to have been very astute when it came to military matters.

The siege of Samaria lasted so long that the people in the city were starving. It seems that Elisha had counseled the king to wait (v. 33), promising that the Lord would do something, but the longer they waited, the worse the circumstances became. But it must be remembered that God warned that He would punish His people if they failed to live up to the terms of His covenant. Among His punishments were military defeat (Lev. 26:17, 25, 33, 36–39; Deut. 28:25–26, 49–52) and famine (Lev. 26:26, 29; Deut. 28:17, 48), and Israel was now experiencing both. Had King Joram called his people to repentance and prayer, the situation would have changed (2 Chron. 7:14). People were reduced to eating unclean food, such as a donkey’s head and dove’s droppings, and for these they paid exorbitant prices—two pounds of silver for the head and two ounces of silver for the dung.

But even worse, people were eating their own children! This, too, was a predicted punishment for breaking God’s covenant (Lev. 26:29; Deut. 28:53–57). King Joram met two such women as he walked on the wall and surveyed the city. One woman called to the king for help, and he thought she wanted food and drink. Joram’s reply really put the blame on the Lord and not on the sins of the nation. God alone could fill the threshing floor and the winepress and provide food and drink. But the woman didn’t want food and drink; she wanted justice. Her friend hadn’t kept her part of the bargain but had hidden her son!

Joram was appalled that the nation had fallen so low, and he publicly tore his robe, not as a sign of sorrow and repentance but as evidence of his anger at God and Elijah (see 5:7). When he did, he exposed the fact that he was wearing a rough sackcloth garment beneath the royal robe, but what good is sackcloth if there’s no humility and repentance in the heart? His next words make it clear that he took no responsibility for the siege and the famine and that he wanted to murder Elisha. He even used the oath that he learned from his evil mother, Jezebel (v. 31; 1 Kings 19:2). Joram’s father, Ahab, called Elijah “the one who troubled Israel” (1 Kings 18:17), and Joram blamed Elisha for the plight Samaria was in at that time. The king sent a messenger to arrest Elisha and take him out to be killed.

The prophet wasn’t upset or worried, for the Lord always told Elisha everything he needed to know. As the prophet sat in his house with the elders of the land, leaders who had come to him for counsel and help, he knew that the arresting officer was on his way. He also knew that the king himself would follow him to make sure the execution was a success. Elisha had already made it clear that he didn’t accept the authority of the king of Israel because Joram was not of the line of David (3:14). Joram was the son of Ahab the murderer, the king who with his wife, Jezebel, killed the Lord’s prophets who were opposing Baal worship (1 Kings 18:4). They also killed their neighbor Naboth so they could confiscate his property (1 Kings 21).

Elisha commanded the elders to hold the door shut until both men were outside. Being kept waiting at the door didn’t help the king’s temper one bit, and he called to Elisha, “It is the Lord who has brought this trouble on us! Why should I wait any longer for the Lord?” (v. 33 nlt). He should have said, “I am the cause of this great tragedy and I repent of my sins! Pray for me!” There was provision in the covenant for confession and forgiveness (Deut. 30) if only King Joram and his people had taken advantage of it. The Lord always keeps His covenant, whether to bless if His people obey or to discipline if they disobey.