The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 227

instead of thBt, he only smote three times, an.d then gave up. Thus he illustrated hi! own want of faith in God's almighty pow'llT, his own want of patience and perse- verance, and therefore how liUle he deserved God's interference on his behalf. The old proverb truly says," God helps those that help themselves." The chief lesson of this incident is- Want of f,1,ith a hindrance to sw:cess in (Jhristi= work. J. CHRISTIANS SHOW WANT OF FAITH, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE DIVINE PROMISES. It was so here in the case of Joash. I-le had stood beside the bedside of Elisha in a state of utter dismay. It had seemed to him as if he already saw the downfall of his kingdom, as if all other resources were useless if the man of God, who had so often guided kings and people to victory, was taken away. But look at the encouragement which Elisha had given him. He had taken his thoughts away from human wisdom and human strength, and turned them upward to the almighty, unlimited power of God. "The arrow of the Lord!s deliverance." What suggestions of power, of help, of victory, were in 1hose simple words! The Lord!s deliverance! That almighty power which delivered Israel out of the hand of Pharaoh; that almighty power which turned back the waves of the Red Sea, and brought the people over safely on dry lan<l ; that almighty power which, only a few years since, :filled the dry valley with water and thus gave victory to Israel, and which, by smiting the Syrians with blindness, delivered Israel out of the hands of their enemies ;-that almighty power, 0 Joash, will be with you, will deliver you. Oh, what a thrill of determination, of resolute, energetic purpose, should have been awakened in his mind I Might he not reasonably have felt, " Yes, the Lorrl is on my side. Victory is sure. I shall redouble my efforts against the enemies of Israel, against tbe workers of evil.· Oui; of gral itude to God I shall serve the Lord only"? But Joa.sh failed when put to the test. When Elisha gave him an opportunity of showing his faith by his own efforts, he only showed how little faith he had in the promises of God. If we believe that God's Word is true, that his promises are true, it is but reasonable that he should expect us to act on them. To every misaved soul God says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The promise is salvation. But there is a duty, a condition, a necessity, coupled with it. That duty is faith in Christ-taking him as our Saviour, serving him as our King. How many act like Joash! They would like to get to heaven, but they are not williag to tread the narrow path. They would like to obtain salvation, but they are not willin11: to take God's way of obtaining it. They say, "If I'm to be saved, I shall be saved." To any one who has been thinking about eternity and the judgmeut to come, whose heart has been softened by sickness or bereavement, wbo has been impressed by any message from God's Word, but has not yet accepted Christ, we would say, "Stay not thine hand. Let not the gond impressions pass away." "Thea shall we kaow, if we follow on to know the Lord." Ari~e to-day, and ia the strength of God smite your unbelief, smite the tempter to the ground. 1:ltrive to enter in at the narrow door. Then shall that good impression, then shall that warning voice, prove to be to you the arrow of the LorrJ:s deliverance. Take the step, fulfil the condition, if you would obtaia the blessing. The same applies to (Jhristian work. How ma11v call themselves God's servants, bow many exrect tbe reward of the faithful servant, who are doiag absolutely nothing for the Lord. Jesus has given one very precious promise to his people: "Lo, I am with you al way, even unto the end of the world ; " but it is to those who in some way are seeking to fulfil that command, " Go ye therefore, and preach the gospel to every creature." The truth is, the promise depends upon the work, and the work depends upon the promise. We cannot expect God's blessings if we are not doing his work. And we cannot do his work if we do not meditate much on his promises. II. CHRISTIANS BROW WANT OF FAITH, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE PROOFS OF DIVL'!I!: POWER. In the history of his nation, even in the history of Elisha's life alone, Joash had many proofs of Divine power, yet still he showed a want of faith in God. In the wholo history of God's kingdom in the world, in the whole history of the Christian Church, we have proofs of God's power, yet where is our faith at all proportionate to the strength of evidence on which it rests? There is no stronger testimony to the power of the gospel than the history of modern missi0'1ls. It is just se\·enty years since the first missionaries landetl in Madagascar; it is not thirty years since the terrible persecutions ceased there, by which the missionaries were driven out of t.he island, and  272 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [arr. xm. 1-25,