Obedience Plus Passion Equals…strike The Ground.

Obedience Plus Passion Equals…Strike the Ground.

2 Kings 13:14-19AMP

We have a tendency to want Joy without sacrifice. We won't character without suffering. We won't success without failure. We won't gain without pain. We want a testimony without a test. We want it all, without going all in.

However it does not work that way, and you know it.

2 Kings 13:14-16AMP When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” he cried. 15 Elisha told him, “Get a bow and some arrows.” And the king did as he was told. 16 Elisha told him, “Put your hand on the bow,” and Elisha laid his own hands on the king’s hands.

Can you imagine, The prophet Elisha laying his hands on the King of Israels hand.

I wonder what that would be like? “I believe one greater than a prophet has laid His hands on you.”

2 Kings 13:17AMP Then he commanded, “Open that eastern window,” and he opened it. Then he said, “Shoot!” So he shot an arrow. Elisha proclaimed, “This is the Lord’s arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek.”

When the prophet Elisha put his hand on the king’s hand, he was illustrating the process of spiritual instruction, guidance, and coaching.

He said, “I don’t’ want you just to shoot the arrow—anyone can do that. Put your hands on the bow . . . now let me put my hand over yours.”

This is a beautiful picture of how God places His hands over weak human hands to accomplish supernatural things, 2 Corinthians 12.

God’s looking for weak human hands…He wants the glory. He wants to be lifted up!

Psalm 144:1AMP Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my great strength, Who trains my hands for war And my fingers for battle;

In Judaism, there is four dimensions of discipleship: When someone follows a rabbi, the first responsibility is memorizing his words. The second responsibilities of that is the unique interpretation of Scripture, called a yoke. The third responsibility is imitating his way of life. The fourth responsibility is discipling others the same way you were discipled.

Discipleship is—growing fruit on someone else's tree.

“Ask the Lord to place His hands upon your hands. Ask Him for spiritual direction. Ask for His leadership. If He leads, you’ll possess His approval.” P.H

2 Kings 13:18-19AMP Then he said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. 19 But the man of God was angry with him. “You should have struck the ground five or six times!” he exclaimed. “Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times.”

Q&A—What’s your attitude while striking the ground? How do you handle the tuff stuff?

A young father wrote about doing a ritual with each of his sons. With one of his sons, he took him on a 23.2 mile rim to rim hike inside the Grand Canyon, they hiked four days. It entailed a 1 mile elevation in 110° weather. This father speaks about coming out of the Grand Canyon and seeing all the tourist looking down, some with Popsicles in their mouths, he thought to himself, “they don't have a clue.”

He called these folks—Rim Huggers, because all they did was look over the rim and dream. The father states, “For a split second I detested these sight seers, Rim Huggers.’ ‘But then I felt sorry and prayed for them.”

Elisha the prophet of God, was dying. Elisha gave King Jehoash of Israel instructions. These instructions were to be carried out. As they were carried out, so would restoration and victory.

Obedience meant shooting an arrow from the Eastern window, this he did. However, one more word—strike the ground!

King Jehoash struck the ground three times, this angered the prophet of God. 1, 2, 3.

The prophet of God was looking for the Kings passion in overtaking the wicked kings. PH

Upon pondering on this, Elisha helped the King with the bow and arrow; however, to strike the ground, this could only be carried out by the King himself. PH

Illustration—A limp handshake. A hearty— handshake.

1, 2, 3—It truly was a test of King Jehoash’s passion for victory over every enemy. His lack of luster/passion was felt and seen by this dying prophet of God.

Elisha was looking for passion, will-power, and attitude, the King of Israel lacked.

There’s ‘5 or 6 things’ I want you to discover and take home with you tonight—I’ll call them…strikes.

1. The first strike, Be obedient. Obedience isn’t based on emotion, You obey because you desire God’s best.