Your study notes this week were authored by Will Buschmann, Co-Director of Student Ministries.
Congratulations for making it to week 23 of Desiring the Kingdom! This week we find ourselves in 2 Kings 6. This chapter tracks along with the rest of the book where we read some wild and outlandish stories, but each being purposeful and transformative in our lives.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Why the Axe Head?
Observe
Elisha with the double portion of Elijah’s spirit has done miraculous works in the chapters preceding this. Chapter after chapter; miracle after miracle performed gave us a set expectation of the impossible becoming possible. Chapter six opens up with the story of the lost axe head and we are perplexed about the addition of this story. It seems trivial and pointless compared to the other stories upon first reading, but we know that the Word of the Lord is purposeful and we seek to find that purpose even in difficult passages. So as you read this short story ask the question, “Why is this in the Bible?” See what you come up with before the consider section.
{2 Kings 6:1-7 ESV}
{1} Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. {2} Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” {3} Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” {4} So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. {5} But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” {6} Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. {7} And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
{Exodus 22:14-15 ESV}
{14} “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. {15} If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.
The loss of the axe head was not trivial or pointless to the man. It is obvious to see that it was something that mattered. It mattered for two reasons. The first is that it was a borrowed item. The second is that axe heads were very expensive and rare due to the scarcity of iron in ancient Israel. This man lost something that wasn’t his and was very expensive. The Law speaks of how this situation needs to be handled. The man who lost the axe needs to make full restitution to the original owner. The problem was this man obviously could not do that. The best outcome would be the owner forgiving the debt. The worst outcome would be the man entering into “debt slavery” till he paid back his debts to the owner. When the man saw the axe head enter the water, his whole life changed in his mind in an instant. His life went from that of freedom and promise to one of slavery and hoplessness. It was a huge deal. What does Elisha do? Elisha via a supernatural work takes this man from [potential] slavery to freedom in an instant. He takes him from symbolic death to life right then and there.
- How would you characterize the ministry of Elisha? How would you describe its purpose?
- What do the works of Elisha teach us about who God is?
- What is dead in your life that you need the Lord to supernaturally make alive?
Our Lord God,
I come to you seeing your power and your presence through the life and works of Elisha. I see your care and concern about all aspects of the life of your people. Lord, I pray that you would meet me today in your power and presence. I ask that you give me eyes to see the needs of the people around me. That I would have your care and concern for the people I will interact with today. There is death in my life and I need you to speak new life into me.
Amen
Day 2
Counsel of the Lord
Observe
We have seen this theme over and over again as we have worked through 1 & 2 Kings. Time and time again we have seen the counsel of the Lord vs. the counsel of earthly advisors. Each and every time what the Lord says happens no matter if the people listen to him or not.
{2 Kings 6:8-10 ESV}
{8} Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” {9} But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” {10} And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
{Psalm 1:1-6 ESV}
{1} Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; {2} but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. {3} He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. {4} The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. {5} Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; {6} for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
No longer is there a prophet roaming the earth telling us what the Word of the Lord is for our lives. Nonetheless God still speaks, he still guides, he still gives us wise counsel. He does it today through his Word. In 2021, we have more access to the Word of God than we know what to do with. Many of us have enough physical Bibles in our homes that most just collect dust. Not to mention that we have access to the Word of the Lord in any language on all of our devices in an instant. Yet, if you are anything like me, you run to get counsel from everyone and everything else first. In a world full of endless information and opinions it is a discipline to hear from the Lord in our lives.
- When was the last time you went to Scripture for wise counsel? What was it about?
- What is something going on in your life right now that you need wise counsel to help figure out?
- How can you make hearing from the Lord a daily habit in your life?
Our Father and Our God,
You have not left us on our own in this world. You see and hear all things that happen and you want your children to hear from you. Lord, you have given us a way to come to you over and over again throughout the day through your Word and I thank you for it. I also ask for your forgiveness. Scripture oftentimes is a last resort than a first instinct. Lord, I ask that you give me a heart that loves and desires your Word above all things in this life. That I would run to it, that I would memorize, that my life would be shaped by it.
Amen
Day 3
God of Angel Armies
Observe
Elisha finds himself hunted down by a king who seeks his life. A king who has the army and the resources to make it happen, but lacks the power, because he is not God.
{2 Kings 6:11-19 ESV}
{11} And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” {12} And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” {13} And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” {14} So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. {15} When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” {16} He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” {17} Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. {18} And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. {19} And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.
{Colossians 1:16 ESV}
{16} For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.
{Nehemiah 9:6 ESV}
{6} “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
{Hebrews 1:14 ESV}
{14} Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
You could never say that 2 Kings lacks excitement. Elisha is hunted, he is surrounded, his servant is afraid, yet he stands confidently without fear. He sees what his servant cannot. Elisha sees that he is not alone, but the Lord has sent an army of angels to protect him. This can be shocking to our modern sensibilities. Our world comes to us and says the only things that matter are the things you can see. The only things that matter are the things you touch, feel, and hold. The only things that matter are the things that are physical. Scripture comes to us with a much grander picture of this life. That there is a spiritual world around us that we cannot see unless given supernatural sight by the Lord. That there is more to this world, there is more to this life than just what our earthly eyes can show us. God here uses these spiritual beings, these angels, to protect Elisha from an army seeking to kill him. God cares for Elisha deeply and is not finished with him yet. The Lord will fight his battle for him. No king, no army will ever stop the plan of the Lord and the Lord shows us that here. We need not be afraid when we are surrounded, because the Lord is with us. Even when our earthly sight may tell us differently, God has not forgotten us today. It’s beautiful when you sit in it for a while.
- Have you ever had something unexplainable happen to you? One that doesn’t make sense if all you believe in is this physical world?
- Where do you need the Lord’s protection today in your life?
- Where might the Lord be protecting you that you might not be able to see right now?
Lord,
Open my eyes. Open my eyes to the world beyond what I can see. Show me your love and your protection this very day.
Amen
Day 4
Hospitality of God
Observe
The Lord blinds the army and he moves the army to the doorstep of the King of Israel. The normal pattern of war doesn’t take place though, instead something far more beautiful takes place.
{2 Kings 6:20-23 ESV}
{20} As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. {21} As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” {22} He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” {23} So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.
{Romans 5:6-11 ESV}
{6} For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. {7} For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die– {8} but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. {9} Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. {10} For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. {11} More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
The battle belongs to the Lord. He won the victory so he gets to decide what to do with the prisoners of war. The King of Israel wants to strike his enemy down and end the raids, but the Lord has a different plan. God shows his enemies hospitality. He provides for his enemies a great feast. He doesn’t strike his enemies down, but in the midst of his enemies he prepares a table before them. It changes his enemies and no longer does Syria raid Israel. As sinners we should adore this outcome, because it is exactly our situation. Our sin makes us enemies of God, but praise be to God that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. He prepares a feast before us and he showers us with his grace. We don’t become his friend and then all of this happens, but in the midst of our sin and shame he loves us and changes us. God is a friend of sinners.
- Do you believe due to your sin that you were an enemy of God before you put your faith in Jesus Christ?
- How has the kindness of God, not his wrath, changed who you are in this life? What were you like before believing in Jesus and what are you like after?
- How do you deal with the “enemies” of this life?
Jesus,
While I was still a sinner you died for me. Let this sink into my heart today. Let it not just be words on a screen, but let it be the lifeblood that flows through my soul today. Let me never doubt nor forget your great sacrifice for me. I don’t need to clean myself up before coming to you today, but I do need to come. With all of my sin, with all of my garbage and hand it over to you, because you love me. Let me rest only in this promise today.
Amen
Day 5
The Darkness of the World
Observe
We come to a passage today where the darkness of the world is on full display. Awful, horrendous things take place and when you get to the end of the passage there is not going to be some happy ending. The “problem” isn’t solved till the next chapter. It’s easy to want to move on from the difficulty and darkness of the world, but there’s something to be learned in it today.
{2 Kings 6:24-33 ESV}
{24} Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. {25} And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. {26} Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” {27} And he said, “If the LORD will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?” {28} And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ {29} So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.” {30} When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes–now he was passing by on the wall–and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body– {31} and he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.” {32} Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” {33} And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
{John 16:33 ESV}
{33} I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
{Revelation 21:4 ESV}
{4} He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Famines and cannibalism. This passage is difficult to read. This passage is difficult to think about. The darkness of the world is on full display in these verses. There is no earthly hope visible as this chapter ends. The King of Israel cannot stop what is happening, he is helpless in the face of it all. Our modern world can feel like that. If you watch the news for long enough it absolutely feels like that. We live in a dark world stained by sin and at times it feels like there is no earthly hope for it. We want to run away from it and forget about it, because of the overwhelming hopelessness it makes us feel. We are overwhelmed by it all, but like we talked about earlier in the week, the physical world is not all we have. We have a God who cares, a God who is all powerful. A God who makes the impossible, possible. A God that thrives where all we can see and feel is hopelessness. In him no matter the state of the current world we have a hope that cannot be diminished, that cannot be forgotten. We have a role to play in this dark world even when we are not in control of it. We have the duty and the privilege to bring all of those things that are too big for us to our God. We can be absolutely confident, even when we cannot see it, that God has not forgotten about us and about this world.
- What in your life feels hopeless right now? What in your life can you not change or control and you need God to do it for you?
- What in this world feels hopeless right now? What is going on in this world that you cannot control or change and you need God to move in it?
Take some time and pray for the answer to the questions above. And pray with confidence remembering this from 1 Peter 5:6-11:
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”