A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

worshiping false gods and idols. Even as Joash was falling into the sin of idolatry, Jehoahaz in
Israel was beginning to realize the high cost of his idolatrous practices on his nation. “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” (13:4).
As He had done so many times before, God raised up a deliverer for His people. As a
result, Israel escaped temporarily from the oppression of Syria. But after the crisis passed, Israel
did not change its lifestyle which had originally brought about the problems with Syria in the
first place. The idols remained in Samaria and the people continued living in sin. Though they
were free from their struggle with Syria, the national defense consisted of “only fifty horsemen,
ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made
them like the dust at threshing” (v. 7). On the death of Jehoahaz, his son Jehoash began his sixteen-year
reign over what was left of Israel.
As Jehoash began his reign over Israel, Elisha became ill with a sickness which would
prove fatal. Out of respect for the aging prophet, the king of Israel made his way to Elisha’s
deathbed. There Elisha told him to take his bow and shoot an arrow out the window. Elisha then
told Jehoash the arrow was symbolic of the victory Israel would have over Syria. Then the king
was told to hit the arrows against the ground. Three times Jehoash hit the ground with his arrows.
Elisha became angry and explained if the king had hit the ground five or six times, Israel would
have defeated Syria. As a result of Jehoash’s actions, however, Israel would have only three
more victories over their Syrian oppressors.
One of the reasons from a human perspective that Israel was no longer engaged in a
struggle with Syria was that Syria was fighting a new enemy Judah. God tried to warn His people
that Joash’s new direction was wrong, but without success. “Yet He sent prophets to them, to
bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen” (2 Chron.
24:19). When the son of Jehoiada the priest, Zechariah, rebuked the people, they conspired under
the king’s direct command to stone him in the court of the temple. “So it happened in the spring
of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem,
and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the
king of Damascus” (v. 23). During the conflict, Joash was wounded. After the army of Syria had
plundered the land and returned to Damascus, one of his own servants killed the king in
retaliation for the murder of Zechariah. Joash was buried in Jerusalem but not with the kings. His
son Amaziah was then raised to the throne.
“Then Elisha died, and they buried him” (2 Kings 13:20). But even in death, Elisha
would perform a miracle. “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” (v. 21).
PERSPECTIVE
Christians today sometimes confuse ministry strategies or expressions of personality with
the degree of spiritual reality characterizing a ministry. Certainly the examples of Israel’s two
great prophets Elijah and Elisha should call that approach to evaluating a ministry into question.
Elijah was a controversial, confrontational prophet of God who spent much of his time isolated
from social engagements. His handpicked successor built his ministry on a more relational
approach to the ministry. Each man proved to be God’s spokesman for that hour. While
Christians may identify with a biblical model of ministry as reflected in the life and ministry of a
particular prophet or apostle, they should be careful not to condemn other believers who elect a