Shooting Arrows & Striking Ground

“Shooting Arrows & Striking Ground”

2 Kings 13:14-19

There is no stronger power available to fuel your life than faith.

You may have heard the phrase, “The sky is the limit “. But the truth is,

“The sky is not your limit; your belief system is.”

Passage set up:

Joash was a frightened king. When the prophet Elisha was sick and near death, King Joash of Israel came to visited him. The King was disconcerted over his military situation. The Syrians had taken over a large amount of his territory and he didn’t know what to do about it. After several lost battles, the number of his military men was low, and the downfall of his kingdom seemed to be written on the wall.

Several times before, the lord had rescued Israel’s wicked predecessor kings, even though they had walked in sin and lead their people to do the same. And it was amazing how ungrateful they were. Even when rescued they refused to repent and turn from their sin. However, once again by His compassion, God would send help to his people. This is once again, that occasion.

2 Kings 13:14-19 (NKJV)

14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”

(Joash is using the word father out of respect, Elisha wasn’t his actual father. Joash was humiliated and begging for the help from a dying prophet and his God.

15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So, he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So, he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.”

A couple of questions that always arise when this bizarre story is told:

Why did Elisha give Joash a bow and arrow?

• In times of war - Hostilities were usually proclaimed by a herald, sometimes by a king or general making a public and formal discharge of an arrow into the enemy's country. It was their way of saying, “Game on!”

• But Elisha wasn’t trying to bring public attention at this moment. He directed Joash to do this, as a symbolical act. He wanted to, in a real hands-on way, signifying God’s promise of victory to Joash, that he could expect over the Syrians.

Why was the arrow shot eastward?

East was towards the country beyond Jordan, the land of Gilead – and that was the exact area that king Hazael had taken from the Israelites. (2 Kings 10:33)

So, God was promising to give back the land that was taken. But little did Joash know in this moment that the process of retaking the land, and the extent of his own success against the Syrians, would depend on this private but important test the lord was about to give to him. Watch what happens …

18 Then he (The prophet Alisha) said, “Take the arrows”; so, he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so, he struck three times and stopped.

19 And the man of God (Elisha) was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.” (meaning he would only win 3 battles)

1. Everyone’s an archer.

• We are all called to shoot an arrow of faith.

Job 22:28 the Lord says, “You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon they ways.

(Note: This is where I told my congregation a story of how I first whent public with a desire to become a pastor. It shocked me to hear it come out of my mouth but over the next few years the plan came true.) (My surprising job choice story)

2. Your current plans and behaviors indicate your expectation of God.

God is watching how we Strike the ground. If we will hold to faith that God is bringing success according to His will in our lives, then we are participation with Him. We need to be honest with ourselves if we are half-heartedly sticking, thinking this isn’t going to be much of anything or is we are seeing in our minds the success God can bring to our plans. The victory ahead.