2 Kings 13:14-19 ESV

14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” 18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

THE LORD’S ARROW OF VICTORY

When Elisha was sick and dying, King Joash of Israel came to him weeping. He felt pathetic about the dwindling chariots and armies of Israel. He cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen.” How could they fight against Syria if the prophet Elisha would be gone? He never had felt so helpless.

The ailing prophet commanded him to draw the bow, open the window. He has to shoot the arrow eastward to the direction of Syria. And he has to lay his hands to the king’s hand when he will shoot the arrow. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.”


Immediately after, he instructed Joash to grab the arrows and struck the ground with them. He was angry with Joash because he only did it three times. Why? He argued, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

God never fails. Interestingly, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, that is: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?[Jer 32:27] For His promises are backed up by His incomparable power to fulfill it. Thus, failure is always on our side in not taking His promises at face value. “God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”[Eph 3:20] And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.[Heb 11:6]

Similarly, the Lord has promised Mary the unimaginable – to become a mother when she was a virgin. The only assurance is the word from the angel, that is, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”[Luke 1:37] Unlike king Joash she believed and yielded wholeheartedly to the Lord, saying, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”[Luke 1:38]

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