THE LOST AX HEAD
II Kings 6:1-7
II Kings 6:6 “And the man of God aid, ‘Where fell it?’ and he showed him the place, and the man of God cut down a stick, and cast it thither, and the iron did swim.”
INTRODUCTION:
By way of introduction, the house which was home to the sons of the prophets had become a bit crowded. They decided to build on an addition. Shouldering their axes they went to the woods to cut down some trees for their building project. One of the men had borrowed an ax. As he used it, the ax head came off and landed in the Jordan river with a splash. The man became panic stricken and turned to Elisha, the prophet and pointed to the place. Elisha cut down a stick and threw it to the place. The ax head came to the surface and the young man retrieved it.
I. We have here one of Elisha miracles.
There is a sharp contrast between the miracles of Elijah and Elisha. Elija’s miracles seem to be on a natural scale while Elisha seems
concerned with common place, everyday needs. Before Elijah was taken up into heaven, Elisha, his understudy asked for a double portion of his spirits, and it was granted to him, and he began to use that power in behalf of others.
Hearing of a place where a spring is sending forth bitter water, Elisha works a miracle and the water loses it’s bitterness. He learns of a
woman who is about to be sold into slavery for debt. He hurries to her home to inventory her possessions. She has nothing except a small container of olive oil. He send her to her neighbors to borrow all the empty containers
they can spare. Then he tells her to fill all the containers with oil from the little bottle. She filled them all and sold the oil to pay her debt and her home was filled with rejoicing. On another occasion he is met by a
woman who tells him that her son has just died. He hurries to her home,prays for God’s help and life return to the boy. This is so like Elisha. He
was always concerned about the needs of individuals, so when a man loses his ax head it is only natural for him to turn to Elisha and say, “Alas Master,
for it was borrowed, and for Elisha to say, “Where did it fall?” And when Elisha saw the place he cut down a stick and tossed it there and “the iron did
swim.” But you might say, “Iron will not swim or float.” The statement of the text is contrary to all natural laws. But let me remind you we are not
dealing with natural laws in this text. We are dealing with supernatural laws. Is anything too hard for God the Creator and sustainer of the universe? Causing the iron to swim would not be impossible with God. The Bible states that the iron did swim, and I believe the Bible, and there are many
similar incidences portrayed in the word and out of it, that....
II. He is the God of the Impossible
In the New Testament there is a story of a woman who for 15 years could not straighten up. Jesus saw her and said, “Woman, you are loosed from
your infirmities.” and she who had been bowed together straightened up. In her case, “the iron did swim”. Also in the New Testament I find a woman accused of gross sins. She is hounded by those who profess great virtue and are ready to kill her because of the broken law. I see her seeking refuge at the feet of Jesus. His heart of compassion went out to her He stooped down and wrote something in the sand with his finger. I do not know what he wrote but likely it had something to do with morality. They
dropped their stones and left and Jesus speaking to the woman said, “Does no man accuse you?” She said, “No, Lord.” He said, “Neither do I condemn
you. Go and sin no more?” She rose to her feet, forgiven of her sin and became of a new creature. What the law had failed to do, Jesus did. In her
case the iron did swim.
I think of another impossibility from my own experience. A relative of mine was a very profane man. When someone disagreed with him or got in his
way, profanity flowed from his mouth. He was vicious that I hated to be in his presence. After leaving home I lost track of him. Sometime later I
went back to visit my folks in Ohio and he came to call. After he had gone, I asked, “Does George still curse like he use to?” Mother said, “You better
believe that he doesn’t.” I looked at her in great surprise. Then she said, “He started attending a little mission in Canton, Ohio and got converted. He
is different than he used to be. And in his case the iron did swim.
And to you who are afar off from God this morning, you with habits, that are almost unbreakable, you who have ignored the Savior’s love, and sacrifice for you on the cross, God’s wrath is hovering over you this
morning. John 3:36 “He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not only the son has not life, but the wrath of God abideth
on him.” Awaken to your peril and let Jesus do the impossible for you. He can do more than to restore an ax head.
III. This text “The Iron did Swim” is also for members of the church
since... There are many today who are in the same predicament of the man who lost his ax head. The man with the ax handle could have gone through the motions of chopping. He could have raised the ax handle and brought it down with such force that a man 50 feet away could not have known that he had lost his ax head. Indeed it is more difficult to swing the handle than to swing an ax. It is a great deal more difficult to keep a form of religion than to live the real thing. So many who once had a vibrant Christian experience jabe become like the church in ancient Ephesus. They are good, moral, upright people but are gradually slipping away from
their first love, finding it more convenient to work without an ax head. And what is the ax head? I would say that it could be the conscious presence
of Christ, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God in your heart and ringing in your testimony. Is your love for Christ and your
Christian service as intense as it first was? Have been true to the form? Are you losing your power and influence for God? Are you gradually cooling
off?
IV. The Searching Part of the Text is Elisha’s Question.
Where did it fall?
The worker knew when he lost the ax head, but suppose he had answered “I am not sure” I was chopping away, and all at a sudden I realized
it was gone. Sampson had a similar experience. He did not know when the Holy Spirit departed from him. Or suppose the man was indifferent and
said, “I heard a splash but I didn’t take any particular notice where it landed.” Elisha might have told him to come back when he had more information. But the worker was concerned. He could do no effective work without it. He had lost his power for service. He was conscious of his loss. He had lost something that had been entrusted to him. Our power for Christian service is borrowed power. We are accountable to God for the way we use that power. The worker turned to Elisha and pointed out the
place he had lost his power.
There is a lesson here for us. If you have lost your power, you know where and why, and until power is restored you cannot be effective for God. If you
come to him asking forgiveness, he will answer your prayers and make you useful again.
V. The ax head was miraculously restored. vs 6-7
“The man of God said, where did it fall? and he showed him the place.”
