Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 2 Kings 13 and Psalm 130

The death of Elisha in 2 Kings 13 is far more significant than any of the shenanigans of the kings. Despite his religious compromise and false worship, King Jehoash, when learning that Elisha was terminally ill, mourned deeply and cried, “‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’” (v.14). Elisha had cried these same words in 2 Kings 2, when Elijah was about to die. They are a recognition that the prophet represented the true strength of the nation, for the prophet was able to bring the Word of the Lord which could guide the king and his army to victory. What is more, the prophet was able to mediate the power of God on behalf of the nation.

As he lay dying, Elisha ministered to the king one last time. He called on King Jehoash to shoot an arrow towards the hostile nation of Aram, which had long been seeking the destruction of Israel. This was a well-known symbolic action by which one nation declared war on another. Elisha prophesied that this one arrow shot from the window represented a victory which the Lord would give Israel: ‘The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!’ Elisha declared. ‘You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.’

But then Elisha issued the instruction for the king to take the rest of the arrows and strike the ground with them (this may also be a metaphor for firing them out of the window into the ground). Despite the prophetic connection between the arrows and victory, the king only struck three times. Elisha expressed his deep disappointment: “You should have struck the ground five or six times!” he exclaimed. “Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times.” And in the end this is exactly what happened (v.24-25).

As disciples, this account bears witness against our apathy and prayerlessness. In the gift of prayer, we have a prophetic weapon that can bring down strongholds and defeat the kingdom of darkness. In prayer we have the power to prophesy the victories over darkness which God has promised to minister in the world around us. Yet, all too often our prayer lives look suspiciously like Jehoash’s apathetic arrow-striking: half-hearted and weak. Let us decide today to take up the power of prayer as a God-given weapon with which to accomplish God’s purposes in our lives and in our world.

Come Holy Spirit and empower me to pray the will of God into effect in the world around me. Lead me to correctly discern His will, and anoint my prayers to bring it to pass. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.