November 22

"And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; thou hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." 2 Kings 13:19.

ELISHA was now on his dying-bed, and being visited by Joash the king of Israel, who was deeply affected with the interview, he gave him two orders, the one to shoot and the other to smite. Both these were doubtless delivered under a prophetic impulse, and though they may seem strange to us, they were well understood by the parties.

"And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it; and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. 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 thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphok, till thou have consumed them." The Romans were accustomed to declare war against an enemy by shooting an arrow into their territory. Alexander also did this when he entered Persia. This order, therefore, was an intimation of war. Accordingly it was discharged "eastward;" that is, towards Syria. But the man of God arose while he held the bow, and put his left hand upon the king's left hand, and his right hand upon the king's right hand. For what purpose? Elisha was the representative of God, in whose name he now spoke; and he thus teaches the king that, though he should use means, he should not depend upon them; that the excellency of the power was not of the weapons, but of God; and that if his bow abode in strength, the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. It is therefore called the arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and by which the Syrians were to be vanquished in Aphok.

And is it not so with us? When we work, God must work with us. If his hand be not with us for good, what is our prudence, our resolution, our energy? "Not by might, nor by power; but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." Thus the apostles went forth preaching, and the "hand of the Lord was with them; and many believed and turned unto the Lord."

Again he said, "Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." Joash was conscious that the action was a sign, or he could not have been blamable. The action, therefore, betrayed remissness and lukewarmness; it was expressive of his disposition, and it indicated the event. He therefore showed that he was not willing to push the war to a complete issue; he was only for injuring and enfeebling the enemy he might and ought to have destroyed. And so the prophet viewed it. He saw that he was half-hearted, and would not improve his advantages. He should have resembled David, who could say, "I have pursued mine enemies, and have overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets." But Joash was more disposed to imitate Ahab, who, when Benhadad was delivered into his hand, suffered him to escape, and to recover his power and means of annoying again; in consequence of which God said, "Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people."

Elisha, therefore, was offended with Joash. And was it not enough in such a case to grieve a man of God, burning with holy zeal for his cause? And is it not grievous to God's ministers now, when we are not strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus? We have his promises and invitations, and we have the experience of his people, living and dying, all showing us how willing he is to help, and make us more than conquerors. But, alas, we are satisfied with little—not in temporal things, where contentment is a virtue, but in spiritual things, where moderation is a crime.

Say not, Why, O why did not Joash continue smiting till the prophet said, "It is enough?" Are not you chargeable with the very same offence? Are not you satisfied with slightly wounding your spiritual enemies, instead of breathing after an entire victory over them? Are not you disposed to live on a little corner of your estate, when there remains yet very much land to be possessed?

Look at your desires. Are they not formal and few? Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Do your souls break for the longings they have unto God's judgments at all times? Do you open your mouth wide, that God may fill it? Do you pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he would strengthen you with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that you may know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fulness of God?

Look at your expectations. Are they not few and faint? Is your hope a lively hope? Is it vigorous enough to counteract the impressions of the world? Do you abound in hope? Does it bear any proportion to the exceeding great and precious promises?

Look at your exertions. Are they not few and languid? An occasional retirement, a hasty performance of private devotion, a formal service at the family altar, a forgetful hearing of the word, without early rising, without self-denial, without taking up your cross, without laboring for the meat that endureth unto everlasting life, without striving to enter in at the strait gate, without fighting the good fight of faith, and taking the kingdom of heaven by force—O this vile moderation; this guilty relaxation; this smiting thrice only, instead of going forward, and deeming nothing done while any thing remains to be done!

Wherefore, "giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."