2 Kings chapter 13. So last week we considered Joash in chapter 12, the king of Judah, and that Joash king of Judah sought to repair the temple. As soon as he got it repaired, he used the temple furnishings or the temple utensils to bribe the king of Syria. We're shifting back to the northern kingdom in Israel and I said to someone today, Mike, Kirkpatrick, I said it'd be nice if they used different names in the kingdoms, but they use the same names.
If you look specifically at verse 10, you see Joash, king of Judah, that's one we've already considered, and then Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz. The scriptures concerning the King of the South and this King of the North use both Joash and Jehoash interchangeably for the same guides. We'll leave Joash as the King of Judah and we'll speak of Jehoash as the King of the North, or Israel. Now that everybody is sufficiently confused, I'll begin reading in verse 1.
In the 23rd year of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 17 years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, all their days.
So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians. And the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them.
And the wooden image also remained in Samaria. For he left of the army of Jehoahaz only 50 horsemen, 10 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers. For the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash, his son, reigned in his place, or Jehoash. In the 37th year of Joash, king of Judah, Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 16 years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them. Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might, with which he fought against Amaziah, king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Joash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. And 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. And Elisha said to him, Take a bow and some arrows. So he took himself a bow and some arrows.
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. 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.
Then he 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. And the man of God 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. Then Elisha died and they buried him, and the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. So it was as they were burying a man that suddenly they spied a band of raiders, and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha.
And when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. And Hazael, king of Syria, oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. But the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence. Now Hazael, king of Syria, died.
Then Ben-Hadad, his son, reigned in his place. And Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz, his father, by war. Three times Jehoash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel. Amen.
Introduction to 2 Kings 13
Well, as we look at this particular chapter, it's noteworthy in the fact that Elisha the prophet is dead. Remember that he was the successor of Elijah. He asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. He obviously received that as he went about doing many, many miracles, even his dead body here. when another body comes into contact with it, revives and stands on his feet.
So we see some interesting things in this particular chapter. It does, however, record for us the reign of two kings here in Israel in the Northern tribe. So
Reign of Jehoahaz
we'll look first at the reign of Jehoahaz in verses 1 to 9,
Prophecy of Syria's Defeat
and then secondly, the prophecy of Syria's defeat in verses 10 to 25. But if you look at verses 1 and 2, you'll see that common formula. Again, as you read through 1 and 2 Kings as this sort of running chronicle concerning the various men that had leadership over Israel, we see the same formulas used over and over again. But in each of them, we see something concerning God.
And in this one particularly, we'll see that in just a moment. But in terms of the time frame, it says, 23rd year of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah. So that's the one we studied last week. And this was the particular time in the 23rd year of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, the king of Judah, that he wanted to rebuild or remake or rather restore the Temple.
So at that particular time, Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, became king over Israel in Samaria. Remember that Jehu was raised up by God to decimate and destroy the house of Ahab. And he does that successfully, he does that effectively. And so the time frame of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, is indicated here.
The dates specifically are 814 to 798 BC, and we see the religious description in verse 2 very consistent with all the other kings in the north. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them. Remember that Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, introduced calf worship into Israel.
Now, Ahab comes along in 1 Kings 16, and he not only endorses calf worship, but he also introduces bale worship. Well, because of Jehu, there is no longer Baal worship, at least at an institutionalized level, here in Israel. But nevertheless, Jehu himself didn't abandon the calves, neither does his son Jehoahaz. So the religious description here puts him with the rest of the kings in the north.
But
God's Promise to Jehu Fulfilled
the theological significance of this is to indicate for us that God does answer his promises. or answer his promises. If you go back to the Jehu narrative, specifically in chapter 10 at verse 29, we read, however, Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. That is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is right in my sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.
So we see that fulfilled or actually beginning to be fulfilled in the reign of Jehoahaz. So God makes this promise to Jehu. Jehu wasn't rightly connected to God. If you look at Verse 31, it says, So he didn't forsake the calves, but nevertheless he did do what God commanded in terms of exterminating the house of Ahab.
So, as a result of his success in that particular mission, God makes this very gracious promise to Jehu on this temporal level that there would indeed be four kings or four generations of his sons to rule over the northern kingdom. So, we see that coming to pass.
God's Judgment on Israel's Idolatry
Notice then the judgment of God in verses 3 to 9. We see the anger of the Lord. It was aroused against Israel. Now this speaks to or underscores God's justice, God's holiness, God's righteousness.
The idea of anger and the fact that it was aroused is spoken in the manner of men. God isn't like us. He doesn't respond. He doesn't change.
He doesn't go through emotional flux. The doctrine of impassibility assures us of that. But the Bible speaks to us in our language, and this underscores for us the very fact that God is a holy God, a righteous God, a just God. And it says, the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, all their days." Now this is indeed a just response to a people that were given marching orders all the way back in Deuteronomy on how they were to conduct themselves in the land of promise.
God tells them to go into the land, obey my word, and blessings will come to you. But if you go into the land and you disobey my word, then cursings will come to you. Well, we see that constant refrain concerning the kings of Israel that are committed to the calves, that are committed to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. And so this is absolutely legitimate.
This is the type of response we should expect in a world governed by a moral God. God does notice the sins of men. God does see apostasy. God does see rebellion.
And as a result, notice in verse 3, He delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria. So while it may have appeared to the nations surrounding Syria and Israel that Syria was the better militarily equipped and had more ability on the battlefield. We know that this was a judgment from God upon the Israelites because of their frequent apostasy and idolatry against the living and the true God. So this is the just response to Israel who persists in committing sins or committing idolatry with the calves.
We've had many times or in many instances, we've had cause to reflect upon this theme of idolatry. It's never good, it's always bad. If you have an idol in your life, it's best to cut it off. If you have a calf that you like to bow down to, it's best to destroy it.
If there is anything in your life that competes with your allegiance to God, you need to get rid of it. The Lord Jesus spoke of Mammon and God. He says, you'll either love the one and hate the other, or love the other and hate the one. You cannot serve God and Mammon.
John the Apostle finishes his first epistle by saying, little children, keep yourselves from idols. So as we read these Old Testament passages, when we see, for instance, the wooden image in verse 6, this is the Asherah pole. This isn't the only type of idolatry. It's not just Baal or Moloch or Dagon or Asherah that is an idol in the hearts of men.
It can be money. It can be lawful things, things that in and of themselves are good. In fact, those are perhaps the most dangerous idols of all. Anything that commands our attention or gains our allegiance over and above the God of heaven and earth is in fact an idol, and it needs to be smashed, it needs to be destroyed, because the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, because they continued in rebellion against Him by worshiping these golden calves instead of the living and true God.
Jehoahaz's Intercession and God's Pity
Now note the intercession of Jehoahaz. Verse 4 contains a surprise and a not-so-surprising thing. The surprising thing is the first part of verse 4. So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord.
It's intriguing, isn't it? When the difficulties come and they are facing Syrian armies, he doesn't bow to the calves and ask for aid. He doesn't bow to the calves and ask for assistance. He doesn't bow to the calves and ask that the Syrian army be overturned.
Rather, he comes to Yahweh, he pleads with God. That is, in fact, a surprising turn of events in this particular section. But what's not so surprising, it is on the one hand, but it's not on the other, is the fact that God listened to him. Notice verse 4, and Yahweh listened to him.
Now, the psalmist says that if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And so we might move through this passage and say, wait a minute, Jehoahaz is an idolater. Jehoahaz is committed to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, vis-Ã -vis calf worship. Why in the world is God listening to this wretched man who is pleading with him?
Well, the verse goes on to explain for us. Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him. Now here's the reason why. 4. He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
It's almost as if God, and I'm speaking in the manner of men here, cannot take it when his people are oppressed. It's almost as if he cannot take it when they are vexed. He cannot bear to look upon them in their grief and in their suffering without intervening and that is precisely the movement here. You can turn back to the book of Exodus for just a moment where you see this set forth in Exodus and then again it's recurring in the book of Judges.
In fact, there's some similarity with our passage and the book of Judges, because not only do we find this constant, God looked upon them because of their oppression, but then in 2 Kings 13, it also says he sent them a deliverer, language that is very reminiscent of the book of Judges. But in Exodus 3, notice in verse 9, Now, therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Now, I suspect that when the Israelites cried out to God, it wasn't in repentance. Well, I happen to know that.
It wasn't in repentance, it wasn't in brokenness, it wasn't in humility, but rather it was because of the oppression. In other words, it wasn't God forgive us because we've sinned and we've ended up in this particular hardship. Rather, it was God, we're in a particular hardship and we don't like it because it sorely vexes us. Nevertheless, God hears them.
Go to the book of Judges and as I said, you see this refrain over and over again. The specific pattern in the book of Judges is that the people sin, God raises up a foreign oppressor, they come, the people repent. And that doesn't always mean, in a spiritual way, getting their act together before God. They cry out in distress, and the Lord then delivers them.
And you see that pattern again and again in the book of Judges. Notice in 3.9. Judges 3.9, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, the children of Israel, who delivered them. Othniel, the son of Canaz, Caleb's younger brother.
Judges 3.15. But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man." And then notice in chapter 6, the Gideon narratives, or prior to, when the Midianites oppressed Israel, notice in Judges 6, 6 and 7. So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. And it came to pass when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel." And then again in 10.10.
Just to see this recurring theme. Chapter 10, verse 10 in the book of Judges. And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, We have sinned against you, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals. And so then the Lord comes with grace, power, and mercy, as we see here in 2 Kings 13.
So the Lord delivers them up as a result of their idolatry. He sees them then suffering under the heavy hand of oppression. of Syria, and the Lord can't bear with it." And again, I'm speaking in the manner of men, and the Lord listened to Jehoahaz, for he saw the oppression of Israel. Davis says, the writer of Kings is saying that Yahweh is still the same Exodus God. who sees not only Egyptians but Syrians squeezing the life out of his people, his apostatizing people. Our writer implies that sometimes Yahweh's pity over the distress of his people trumps the wickedness of the ones seeking him for relief.
I think that's very valuable and very important to recognize. So Jehoaz is a wretched man. The psalmist says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Well, the Lord hears here, not as a result necessarily of Jehoaz, but because of his pity for his people Israel.
As Davis says, a writer implies that sometimes God's pity over the distress of his people trumps the wickedness of the ones seeking him for relief. Now, by way of a practical observation-slash-application, if God is this merciful to His oppressed people, even in the midst of apostasy, shall not God avenge His own elect who cry to Him day and night? Shall our God not come to our aid? Do we disbelieve His involvement, His pity, His mercy, His compassion, His graciousness, His kindness, His deliverance to us?
I think that if we get a good dose of this Old Testament narrative, we shall have boldness at the throne of grace to fetch out the help that we need in our time of need. The Lord God Most High is moved with anger in terms of His righteousness, His holiness, and His justice, but when His children are under, or the covenant people are under the heavy hand of Syrian oppression, the Lord listens because He saw the oppression of Israel because the king of Syria oppressed them. That's the God we serve. That's the God we ought to cry out to.
That's the God who hears us and does Isn't that what Peter tells us reflecting the psalmist? Psalm 55 and then 1 Peter chapter 5. What does Peter say? Cast your cares upon God.
Why? Because he hates you? No, because he cares for you. Roll your burden over onto him.
The language used in the psalmist or in the Psalter is like a beast of burden. You take that burden and you put it on the beast so that he can bear it. Now, God's not a beast, but it's metaphorical. We take that burden, we heap it upon the Father.
Why? Because He cares for us. If He looked with favor upon His oppressed people under this Syrian regime at the time of Jehoahaz, King of Israel, when He was a servant of the calves, then certainly God is going to vindicate His elect in the New Covenant community who cried to Him day and night.
Deliverance and Israel's Ingratitude
Now notice the deliverance of Israel in verses 5 and 6. God, or it says, then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer. Now that's not identified for us in the passage. And there's basically one of three options.
Some suggest it's Elisha. I think that's probably the best suggestion in the passage. Others suggest it's Jehoash, because it's under Jehoash that they break the back of Syrian oppression at the end of the chapter. And some suggest it's the king of Assyria.
The king of Assyria would ultimately be the one that would defeat Syria once and for all. But probably in the context, we ought to appreciate that Elisha is that deliverer. He is the one that prophesies concerning the truth that God would indeed bring Israel out of that bondage. So the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, verse 5, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians, and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.
Now that's a bit of an ominous statement. They dwelt in their tents as before. You must realize that we are heading to exile. If you haven't read ahead, let me just give you a bit of a foretaste.
The Northern Kingdom is going to fall in 2 Kings chapter 17. We only have a few more weeks until we see that. And so this is a bit of a glimpse of exile already. It's a bit of a glimpse of what's going to happen in chapter 17 when the Northern Kingdom ultimately falls.
Now, in chapter 25, the Southern Kingdom is going to fall. The Southern Kingdom, of course, goes into Babylon, and after a 70-year period, they do return. But when the North goes into exile, or when Assyria conquers the North, They don't come back. There's no more regathering of the northern tribes.
They are not reconvened in Samaria for, you know, everybody lived happily ever after. But this reality that they dwelt in their tents as before indicates that the Syrians dispossessed them from their homes. This is a very severe form of oppression. This is a very severe form of battle and warfare.
So at this particular point, however, they are relieved of this suffering, they are delivered, and then notice their base in gratitude in verse 6. I mean, this is so typical, isn't it? And unfortunately, it's not just typical of unconverted people who get a good thing from God and then continue to blaspheme and continue to commit idolatry. But brethren, we're probably not as thankful as we ought to be.
I mean, Paul says in Ephesians 1, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Does our gratitude respond in light of that? Is our gratitude measurable with reference to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ? If we actually pondered the reality and the weight of Paul's statement there, we'd probably spend the entire day on our knees thanking God.
Now, I don't think God calls us to quit our jobs and go get up on Mount Sham and just thank Him. But this spirit of thankfulness and gratitude, this disposition of rejoicing in the Lord always is befitting the people of God. We have received this multitude of blessings and we are called by God to engage in gratitude and thanksgiving for having given us these things. Notice what verse six says.
They have been delivered. They have returned to their tents. Verse six tells us, nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam who had made Israel sin, but walked in them and the wooden image or the Asherah pole also remained in Samaria. The blessing of God ought to lead to the worship of God.
Deliverance by God's grace ought to lead to doxology by God's people. Doxology simply means praising, worshiping, glorifying God. That's why we call it the doxology when we sing it sometimes at the end of worship. It is the ascription of praise and worship and glory to God.
That's what doxology means. So deliverance ought to promote doxology. And here deliverance did not promote that, but rather the people engaged or continued to walk in the sins of the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Davis says, in the wake of God's unguessable compassion, we meet Israel's trenchant ingratitude.
The warmth of God's pity did not soften the hardness of their infidelity. There was no memory carryover that claimed and won their gratitude. It's a pathetic situation, brethren, and I think whenever we are struggling to be a grateful people or a thankful people. I mean, what a great Thanksgiving Day sermon this would be, or text this would be for Thanksgiving Day.
How do we receive the grace of God? How do we receive the blessings of God? That paradigm set forth in the Heidelberg Catechism is a biblical one. Guilt, grace, gratitude.
We are guilty, vile, helpless, undone before a holy God. God in His grace reaches down and saves us. God in His grace calls us out of darkness into marvelous light. We call that the effectual calling.
We call that the work of the Holy Spirit bringing us to the Lord Jesus, believing and repenting. Once that has transacted, the response of the people of God is gratitude. The response of the people of God is thankfulness. It is praise, it is worship, it is glorifying Him.
It's not turning back from Him and going to the Asherah Pole or going to the Mammon or going to, you know, whatever the idol is or was that captivated our minds and our hearts. That is base ingratitude exhibited here by the covenant community and more often than not exhibited by the new covenant community. and our lack of thankfulness to God, our lack of joy in the presence of the Holy Spirit, our lack of zeal and earnestness to serve, to glorify, to love and adore Him. Let us not fall prey to this kind of thing. And then verses 7 to 9 are summary statements.
I think the King James is probably to be preferred here. It treats five and six as a parenthetical statement. And then verse seven, it's not he God, but rather he the King of Syria left the army of Jehoahaz, only 50 horsemen, 10 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers for the King of Syria had destroyed them and made them like all the dust at threshing. So it's a summary statement concerning the condition of Israel subsequent to their freedom or liberty or liberation rather from Syrian oppression.
They're nevertheless hindered and they are nevertheless crippled. They are nevertheless not able to deal successfully in terms of other battles at this particular point. Then it gives us a summary statement concerning Jehoahaz in verses eight and nine. Again, it's very formulaic, very consistent with what we find elsewhere in the King's of Israel and Judah.
And then his son Jehoash is introduced at the end of verse 9 and then that brings us to the prophecy of Syria's defeat. Now
Structure of Verses 10–25
let's just speak a moment about the structure. If you notice the structure of the passage, we have everything about Jehoash. Again, this is the king of the north. We're going to distinguish him from Joash, but it's the same name.
But we're going to distinguish him from the Joash of Judah. We're dealing with Jehoash of Israel or the northern kingdom. It summarizes everything about him in 10 to 13. And then, after it tells us he dies in verse 13, tells us that he's buried, tells us that he has a son named Jeroboam, not the son of Nebat.
Jeroboam the son of Joash. Jeroboam the second. Again, we could have used a little bit more mixing it up in terms of names, it'd be a little easier for us, you know, Americans and Canadians to follow the narrative. But it gives us everything in 10 to 13 about Jehoash, and then he dies, but lo and behold, here he is discussing things with Elisha.
And then he's going to be spoken of again in chapter 14 at verses 15 to 16. So, some suggest that there's a bit of an editorial glitch. When the editors came along to sort of compile these records, they messed up a little bit. They put the whole information about Jehoash there, and 10 to 13, he died, but then they kind of bring him back, and the rest of chapter 13, and then lo and behold, we see him again in chapter 14.
I don't think it's a glitch whatsoever. I think the author gives us the summary of Jehoash in total in verses 10 to 13, and then he will summarize his death again in chapter 14, and there's a reason for that we'll see as we move along. But what we find in verses 14 to 25 is the most significant aspect of Jehoash's life. So it gets a bit of amplification, it gets a bit of development.
So you get the overarching, everything about Jehoash in 10 to 13, but we're going to sort of focus in on this particular snippet of his life. because it involves Elisha and the death of Elisha. So the most significant aspect of Jehoash is sort of amplified here, and you'll see why, because he's in contact here with Elisha in Elisha's 11th hour. So it's not a glitch in the narrative. It is not some sort of an editorial oversight, but rather it does have rhyme, reason, and structure.
So let's look quickly at the reign of Jehoash in terms of the formula in verses 10 to 13. The religion of Jehoash was consistent with his father's. Notice in verse 11. It says, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them. Sinfulness and wickedness is tedious business, isn't it? It's just so routine and so common. You kind of feel like your life is like that sometimes.
Man, Lord, the good that I wish to do, I don't do, and the evil I don't want to do, I find myself doing. You see yourself in that sort of Romans 7 sort of situation. Well, we see that tedium, that repetitiousness, that routineness of sin in this world. And so this Jehoash did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Now notice his reign was 16 years. It's a pretty long reign. And yet in terms of summary, he gets three verses. Again, it's amplified a little bit in terms of his contact with Elisha here.
But all in all, a 16-year reign is put into just a few short verses. It's pretty pathetic, isn't it? He didn't do anything good. He didn't do anything that was noteworthy.
He didn't do anything that was deserving of a bit more space. Again, he's referred to at the end of the chapter But all in all, he's a sinful man, like his sinful fathers, and he's going to continue to plunge the nation further into idolatry and wickedness.
Reign of Jehoash Summarised
Now note verse 12. Now the rest of the acts of Joash, or Jehoash, all that he did, and his might, with which he fought against Amaziah, king of Judah. Now go to 1415. 1415, it gives us the summary concerning this Jehoash again. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash, which he did, his might, and how he fought with Amaziah, king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
This is appropriate here because the author just deals with his war against Amaziah. In chapter 14, specifically verses 8 to 14, that records this Jehoash's war with Judas Amaziah. So it is fitting for the narrator, the author, to give us that information once again. It's not a glitch, not editorial oversight.
It is consistent with the narrative and how he is structuring it. So back to chapter 13, verse 12. So this is a significant event. It will be treated in more detail in connection with Amaziah and chapter 14.
But the big deal in this man's life comes in verses 14 to 25.
Jehoash Meets the Dying Elisha
And that is his meeting with Elisha. Now it's an unfortunate thing when good men die. And Elisha's certainly a good man. Do you ever get that way when you go through Bible narrative or you go through Bible story or whatever, and you get to the end of the life of a particular individual that you've grown fond of, and it's a bit sad?
And it really shouldn't be. I mean, he died many, many, many, many years ago. But nevertheless, it's bad to see an Elisha leave this earth. I mean, it's a terrible thing when a guy, a man like him, in the midst of an Israel like that, is taken from the earth.
But the Lord God is most high. He's sovereign, not only in the death of the wicked, but in the death of the righteous. So let's look at this prophecy concerning Syria in verses 14 to 19. Note that Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die.
That's got to throw the Benny Hins of this world into a great big tailspin, doesn't it? Who worked more miracles than Elisha? I mean, he had a double portion of Elijah's spirit. We've seen in the narrative how he just was like Jesus.
He went about doing good. I mean, he healed, he raised the dead. He just did amazing things. And yet Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die.
Doesn't it follow if the health, wealth, prosperity gospel is true, none of those guys would ever die? None of those preachers' teeth would ever rot? None of them would lose their hair. They wouldn't grow pot bellies.
They would never develop a limp. It just doesn't make any sense, does it? I like the way Davis relates it. He says, one is tempted to ask where the name it and claim it theologians were when Elisha needed them.
Perhaps they could have convinced him that it is never the Lord's will that any of his children be sick and could have instructed him in the art of making a positive confession in order to enjoy continuing health unclouded by death. You see, it's simply a lie to believe, or to teach rather, that the God of heaven and earth only ever gives his children good things. You know, David, the psalmist says, it was good for me that I was afflicted. The school of Christ is more often than not one filled with trials, difficulties, and tribulations.
If the man of sorrows and the one who was acquainted with grief learned obedience through suffering, how are his children going to be conformed unto his image? Is it going to be through health, wealth, and prosperity? I'm not suggesting God doesn't bless his people with a degree of health and with a degree of wealth and with a degree of prosperity. God is good. 1 Timothy chapter 6, Paul tells Timothy, command those who are rich in this present age to get rid of all their money, shave their heads, put on orange robes, and go bang tambourines at the airport.
No, he doesn't tell them that. He tells them how they're to function with their money. is not money in and of itself. It's not health. We ought not to say, well, I'm in good health.
I'm betraying the God. No, God's good. He gives us health. He'll give us a bit of wealth.
He gives us some prosperity. But when that becomes the gospel, when the good news is, is that God wants you to be healthy, wealthy, and prosperous in every situation and condition of life, that is heretical. It is absolutely contrary to biblical revelation. It's contrary to Hebrews chapter 11, the very hall of faith itself.
It's contrary to the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, His chief apostle, the apostle Paul. Read 2 Corinthians 11 sometime. And ask yourself, was the health, wealth, and prosperity thing lost on the apostle Paul? He certainly didn't seem to get it.
And if the apostle that was used more mightily than any other human being on the face of the earth has ever been used, was treated that way, why in the world would we think we'd be exempt? Why in the world, if Jesus says, if the world hated me, they're certainly gonna hate you. Why would we think that we're gonna be treated with kid gloves by a God-hating world? Brethren, the health, wealth and prosperity gospel is no gospel.
It is heretical and it ought to be condemned instead of, oh, well, they're just a little bit off. No, they're way off in a whole host of things. Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Now notice the grief of Jehoash.
Then Jehoash, again we're using Jehoash for the northern king. Then Jehoash, the king of Israel, came down to him and wept over his face and said, oh my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen. It's kind of an interesting response from a man who was given to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. I mean, face it, Elisha wasn't the most loved prophet in Israel, especially by the kings.
So is Jehoash for real here? Is Jehoash legit? Is he being sincere? I suspect that his grief is not motivated by the loss of a great prophet and man of God, but it's motivated by the loss of a vital component of Israel's national defense.
Elisha was a very handy prophet to have in one's country. Remember, it was as a result of Elisha that Israel gains victory over Moab in 2 Kings 3. It's because of Elisha that Israel gains victory over Syria in 2 Kings 6 and 7. So his grief here isn't at the loss of a great man of God and prophet of God.
It's at the loss of a vital component in Israel's national defense. That's more than likely what is provoking these tears. If Elisha's gone, what's going to happen to us? If Elisha's gone, what's going to become of Israel?
Again, not that he worshipped Elisha's God, not that he was committed to Elisha's prophetic word, but he certainly liked the benefits that Elisha brought. Kind of like that in life, isn't it? People hate Christians, but they kind of like the fact that Christians do what they're supposed to do. They hate Christians, but they kind of like the fact that Christians keep their grass cut and pay their taxes and don't sleep with their neighbor's wives and all those sorts of things.
I mean, we may not like your religion, but we kind of like the way you behave yourselves. You'll hear that sometimes. Your kids are so well-behaved. Isn't that just wonderful?
Well, yeah, it's because we fear God and we seek to use the means that God has given to us. Well, we don't like that, but we certainly like the fruit. We don't like the thought that you're doing it because you want to obey and glorify God, but we like the fact that we can sit at Pizza Hut and not watch our kids carry on band sheets. That's a good thing.
Isn't that true? They like the fruit. They don't like the reason for that fruit. And that's precisely what's going on.
More than likely, Elisha brought national security. So Jehoash weeps over him. Interestingly, he uses the same language that Elisha uses of Elijah in 2 Kings 2.12. Oh, my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen.
In other words, what's the vital power in Israel? According to Elisha, it was Elijah. According to Jehoash now, it is Elisha. So the prophetic word is what maintains Israel's security.
It maintains Israel's stability. Do not miss that. The chariots of Israel and their horsemen is the word of the living God coming through the prophet of the living God, either Elijah or Elisha. That's the power in Israel.
And these men recognize that. Now, notice the acted parable, whatever we want to call it, verses 15 to 19. Acted parable, something, what I call it, It's when the prophet uses symbolism, uses props, uses some sort of a particular demonstration to illustrate or to give a particular spiritual lesson. Notice the exercise with the bow and arrows in verses 15 to 17a.
We may not understand all the ins and outs, but I think the teaching is pretty clear. Shoot the bow and arrow to the east, and this is a sign of God's deliverance from the oppressor who comes from the east. John Gill says, hereby signifying that though the king would draw the bow in battle, the Lord whom the prophet represented would give the success, and that it would be his help, and through the blessing on his arms, that he would obtain victory over his enemies. And so we then have the promise or this acted parable interpreted in 17b.
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. And then he gives instruction to Jehoash. He tells Jehoash to strike the ground.
So he struck three times and stopped. Now it's the and stop that should catch our attention there. It's not the three times, it's the and stop. Now it's a bit of an obscure message, but the way that Elisha responds, he upbraids him.
Elisha's angry at him, Elisha rebukes him. It seems to indicate that though Elisha promised that Syria would be utterly destroyed, Jehoash didn't take him at his word. In other words, Jehoash only struck the ground three times. Elisha says, no, that's not what you should have done.
You should have struck the ground five or six times. Again, it's probably hard for us to conceptualize what exactly is happening, but the message is absolutely clear. Jehoash is told that God is going to break the back completely of Syrian oppression. And I want you to now strike the ground.
So he does it three times and stops. He wasn't supposed to stop. He was to keep striking the ground. That would have evidenced his faith in the living God in the fact that there would indeed be the absolute destruction of Syria.
So Elisha rebukes him and Elisha says to him, 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. So it does seem as if he didn't have faith in the promise of God. And there might have been a reason why he didn't want to utterly decimate Syria.
And it may have had something to do with the fact that Assyria is a growing power and Syria provided a bit of a buffer. So we don't want Syria completely gone. We want them there to keep a bit of a buffer between us and Assyria. So there might have been something of that going on.
So there is the promise nevertheless that they would indeed be defeated three times.
Death of Elisha and Miraculous Revival
Now let's look quickly at the death of Elisha. And I say quickly because this is a mysterious passage, especially verse 21. Verse 20 tells us Elisha died and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.
If as I just commented, if what I said is true, back in verse 14, oh my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen. If the stability and security of Israel is the word of God, well the passing of the instrument of the word of God, it ought not to surprise us that now Moab raiding parties have come into Israel. You see the connection? The prophet is gone, and the Moabites come.
The prophet is gone, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen. So the defenses are down, the Moabites come. So Elisha's dead, and in the midst of this Moabite invasion, we see in verse 21, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders, and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha. And when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet." Again, it's a very intriguing passage.
Some suggest that it's absolute balderdash. It couldn't have happened. It just wasn't true. I mean, they do that with a lot of the miracles of Elisha, a lot of the miracles in the Old Testament period.
Others suggest that it smacks of magic, as if somehow the bones or the body of Elisha emitted some magic aura, and because this body, this dead body, came into contact with Elisha, that it was then resurrected. I don't think we need to read all that into it. I think there's a few things going on that we ought to appreciate. First, this is an honoring of the prophet Elisha. and honoring of the prophet Elisha.
Matthew Henry said Elijah was honored in his departure. Elisha was honored after his departure. Paul House says, Elijah has gone to heaven without dying. Elisha has kept giving Israel life after he has died.
So it's a means by which God honors the prophet Elisha. As well, it would confirm his prophecy. He has just said that Syria will fall three times to Israel. This would certainly give evidence or confirmation rather of this prophecy coming true.
And then we ought to appreciate the hope of Israel. I mean, certainly the fact is that if this was in fact the power of God is demonstrated even through the dead body of Elisha on this other dead body, Israel's hope is not lost even though the prophet is gone. Even though Elisha is gone, it's not as if the power of God has departed. And one man suggests that it shows us the abiding influence of the Word of God.
Ellsworth says, We must not dismiss this account. It shows that the Word of God, which Elisha had so faithfully borne, was still mighty and powerful, even though the prophet himself had died. What comfort there was here for the captives! They must often have thought their nation was as good as dead.
But because of the powerful Word of God, their nation would live again. So you see, even though Elisha, the prophet, is dead, and the Moabites have come and seized their opportunity, it's not as if the Word of God is extinguished. God Almighty is still God Almighty. And it might also point to the ever-present hope for the Israel of God, the resurrection from the dead.
And notice, this is a nobody. Isn't this God's way in these narratives concerning Elisha? Who does Elisha minister to? Nobodies, no names, people of, you know, there's miracles wrought on people that we don't even know their names.
They appear for a time, they're gone, no more record. That doesn't tell us that so-and-so from the land of so-and-so died and they lowered him and he came into contact with Elisha's body and then this so-and-so lived. We don't even know this guy's name. So what is the writer telling the exiles?
Because remember when Kings is written, the people of Israel, the nation of Judah is in captivity in Babylon. What's he telling us? The power of God is not gone. And it would especially speak to the Judahites, because they go into exile.
What comes after exile for Judah? Restoration. Isn't this pictured or typified by a body dead, going into the tomb, touching Elisha, and then coming out once again alive? It promotes hope among the people of God.
Victory Over Syria and Covenant Faithfulness
And then finally, the victory over Syria. Oppression reiterated, verse 22. Compassion reiterated, verse 23. But note the reason why in verse 23.
The Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence. We have seen, especially in the line of Judah, that over and over and over again, the text appeals to 2 Samuel chapter 7 and the promise of the Davidic covenant. What does God say, or what does the narrator say here, is the reason for Israel, the North, their present continuity in this particular moment? It's because of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It's because of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God does not renege. God does not forsake. God would not destroy them or cast them from His presence.
The stability of God is reflected in His covenantal promises, and that is precisely the reason for His grace and His compassion and His regard for them, according to verse 23. And then the chapter ends on the high note of the faithfulness of the veracity or the truthfulness of God's Word. Verse 24 tells us that Ben-Hadad reigned in the place of Hazael. And then in verse 25, Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz, his father, by war. three times Jehoash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.
Precisely what Elisha had declared to this king. God fulfills his word. That is a good place to end this particular study. Well, one more thing.
Elisha as Type of Christ
We ought to appreciate The faithfulness of Elisha. Time went a bit quicker than I had anticipated. I had actually a few more things to say, but I won't take us past nine. But there is a similarity with Elijah in Elisha, and then there is the typological significance with reference to Christ.
Just turn for a moment to Matthew 27. I said that 2 Kings 13.21 is an intriguing and somewhat difficult passage in terms of this body being lowered into the tomb and coming into contact with Elisha and then reviving and standing again. To be quite candid, we're not going to get to this section this week. God willing, we'll get to it next week.
But look at 27.51. Signs and wonders follow the crucifixion of our Lord. Only Matthew records what we find in 51 to 53. It's not in Mark, not in Luke, not in John.
But notice in 51, Then behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened. and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many." Now, there's only one named reference to Elisha in the New Testament. It's in Luke 4, and it's in a context of judgment. It's when Jesus is speaking or preaching or teaching in Nazareth, and the people essentially reject him.
And Jesus points to the example of Elisha. There was a lot of lepers in Israel, but God heals Naaman, the Syrian. That's a statement of judgment upon Israel. And the people that were hearing Jesus understood that all too well because previously they had been amazed at the words that flowed out of his mouth.
And then after he highlights the selectivity of God with reference to Elijah and the widow at Zarephath and the Elisha and the leper Naaman, they want to push Jesus off a hill and kill him. So they understood that he was teaching their unsovereign grace. So in Luke 4, that's the only time Elisha's name appears in the New Testament. But boy, doesn't Elisha appear in the New Testament.
Elisha and Jesus are a whole lot alike. Elijah, John the Baptist, forerunner, and then Elisha comes after Elijah. And we often give more attention to Elijah Not saying we shouldn't, because he was an incredible specimen of a human being, but we give short shrift to Elisha at times. But consider the fact that both men ministered to Gentiles, both men healed lepers, both men transformed water and suspended the law of gravity in relation to water, both men raised the dead, both men multiplied food, and both men demonstrate power over the grave.
It's an intriguing thing. The earth quaked, the rocks were split, the graves were opened, and many of the bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after his resurrection. Now, the way I read that, the graves were opened, the bodies raised, but they didn't exit until their master first exited from the grave. They were indeed the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead.
And so we ought to see Elisha relative to Elijah, but we ought to see Elisha typological of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Both men victorious over the grave. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus. We thank you for the types and the shadows in the Old Testament. Thank you, God, that we have both the Old and the New Testaments, and that we can see and appreciate that from Genesis to Revelation, you are declaring your will, your purpose, your plan to redeem a people by your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for your mercy toward us.
We pray that you'd watch over us now, grant us safety as we travel home, bring us together again on the Sabbath, that we may worship you. And we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.