The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 232

succeeded by his son Jehoash, or Joash. In this reign, after a long interval, Btisha ag~in appe3rs. I. AcoE8SION OF JoAsH. The change of rulers was in some respects a gain for Isrnel. Joash wae a man of better disposition than his father, and under hie reign the kingdom, which had been so sorely broken down, was again partially built up. But he still adhered to the car<linal sin of the nation-the calf-worship-so that of him also the formula has to be employed, " He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." That is, notwithstanding military successes, and some signs of respect for and attention to Elisha's monitions, things still remained on a fundamentally false basis in the kingdom. So Herod feared John the Baptist, and observed him, and, when ho beard him, did many things, and beard him gladly, yet remained a bad man (Mark vi. 20). God's judgment on men is not according to superficial characteristics, but according to the fundamental bent of their miuds. II. ELISHA ON ms DRATH-BED. 1. Elisha's sick'/1ess. Elisha by this time was a very old man. He was Elijah's attendant in the reign of Ahab; he was a prominent figure in the reigns of Abaziah and Jehoram; be gave the commission to Jehu to overthrow the incurably corrupt dynasty of Ahab, and lived through the twenty-eight years of that king's reign; be witnessed the troubles of the reign of Jeboahaz, and was per- haps the means of that monarch being led to humble himself before God; now, in Joash'e reign, he is still alive. From the time of Jehu's accession he seems to have taken little part in the political life of the nation ; at least, no accounts of his activity remain to us. When the curtain again lifts he is lying on his death-bed, It was not to be with him as with Elijah. He must pay the common debt to nature, experience the infirmities of age, be smitten with sickness, and succumb to death. The longest and most useful life thus comes to its close. It is well when, on a death-bed, one can look back on a life which has been spent in the service of God. 2. The visit of Joash. To the bedside of tbe dying Elisha came the King of Israel, apparently drawn thereto by sincere ret"erence and respect for the aged prophet. He came to him, it is said, and wept, saying, "0 my father, my father, the cha1 iot of Israel, and the horsemen thereofl" This language speaks to former relations of intimacy and friendship between the king and prophet. Probably Elisha bad been the counsellor of his youth, and had guided and encouraged him in his duties as king. It is to be remembered also that the promised deliverance from the Syrians was iiot yet begun. The kingdom was still in humiliation and distress, and Joash may have felt as if, with the death of Elisha, the last spark of hope for tbe nation would be extinguished. We see bow, in the hour of extremity, good men are felt, even by the ungodly, to be a tower of strength to the state. Their presence and prayers are its truest bulwark. 'l'he full extent of the Joss sustained by their removal is only realized when they are taken away. We see also how possible it is to have great respect for God's servants, to appreciate their worth to the community, and to weep over and deeply regret their loss, and yet not do the things that they say. Joash shows fairly well in this narrative, but his conduct as a whole is stai;nped as "evil in the sight of the Lord." ill. THE ARROW OF DELIVERANCE. Once and again had mighty deliverances for Israel been announced through Elisha. The last was to be the greatest of all. 1. The pledge of rieliverance. Raising himsel! up_on his btJ?, prophetic fire gleaming i~ his eye, Elisha bade the young and stalwart krng take his bow aod arrows. Joash did as the prophet required, not yet understanding his meaning, but no doubt fqrecasting some encouraging message. Elisha then bade him put his hand upo!l bis bow, and placing his own hands on the king's, told him further to open the wrndow eastward, and shoot. This was done. Theo the symbolic action was explained. That arrow he bad shot into the air was the arrow of the Lord's deliverance, an arrow pledging deliver- ance from the yoke of Syria. It was shot eastwards, because the Syrian ravages were com- monly from that quarter (eh. x. 32, 33). 'fhe action declares: (1) 'l'hat deliverance in trouble is from God only. As he alone can give it, so he is the t111e Source from which to seek it. (2) God employs human agency in liis deliverances. The bow and arrowa were the symbols of the human instrumentality. Joash bad to put his hands upon the bow. It was he who shot the arrow. It was he who was to smite the Sy1ians. Man has bis part given him in all God's works of deliverance on earth. (3) 'J'he human agent could only succeed as God strengthened him. Elisha put his hands upon Joash's, ell, Xltl, 1-25.] THE SECOND BOOK OF 'l'lIE KrnGS. 277 -------------------------------- aignifying that the power to gain the predicted victories came from God. His hands were to be" mnde strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob" (Gen. xlix. 24). It is on God's power we must always rely for victory. "Not unto us, 0 Lord, not unto UA," etc. (Ps. cxv. 1). 2. The victories vn. detail. The symbol wa.s not yet complete. Joash's quiver was yet full, minus that one arrow, and the prophet bade him shoot other arrows, this time to the ground, as if smiting somethincr down to it. Joash took his arrows and began to smite, He shot once, and twice, atd thrice, then stayed. 'l'he prophet woe wroth at this, and told him he should have gone on smitin", then would the Syrians have been wholly consumed, whereas now he would only gai; three victories over them. These successive smitings, therefore, represented the victories iu detail which Joash would gain over the Syrians. One is at a loss at first to see why the prophet should have dealt so severely with the king for what may have been a perfectly natural mistake. But the stopping with the third arrow no doubt brought to light a certain weak line in Joash's character-a want of perseverance, a teudency to be satisfied with partial results, to stop short of the ultimate goal of effort. .And one can see how that may have hindered his complete success over the Syrians. We learn : (1) Very trivial actions often reveal a great deal of character. (2) We often have not from God because we ask not. These shootings of the arrows were at once prayers for victories from God, and pledges of victories. Joash, as it were, asked for only three victories, and he only got three. Had he asked for more, he would have got more. Had .Abraham not ceased pleading for Sodom when he did, he rr.ight have got a yet further extension of grace for that doomed city (Gen. xviii. 32, 33). It is never in God we are straitened in our prayers; it is only in ourselves. (3) It displeases God that we do not ask more from him. His controversy with us is not that we ask too much, but that we do not ask enough. Joash missed the full blessing by stopping in his asking.-J. 0. Vers. 20, 21.-Power in dead bones. These verses contain a circumstantial notice of a singular miracle that was wrought at Elisha's sepulchre by contact with bis bones. Bands of Moabites were ravaging the country, and one of these bands came upon the scene during a funeral. The mourners were terrified, and hastily thrust the corpse into Elisha's sepulchre, which was hard by; whereupon the dead man, having touched the bones of Elisha, revived and stood upon his feet. We notice- I. THE GOOD MAN LAID IN HIS GBA VE. Elisha's sickness had proved to be indeed unto death, and his mortal remains had been reverently conveyed to a sepulchre. He who had been the means of restoring life to others, whose very bones were ma,le the instrument of reviving the dead, was not able to protect himself from the universal law. He left the world by the same gate as ordinary mortals. It is pathetic to reflect that, however long and useful a life may be, this is always the end of it. The certainty of removal by death from the scene of their labours should animate those who are still in the vigour of their powers to work while it is to-day (John ix. 4), and should lead those who enjoy the presence and services of good men to prize and honour these servants of God while they are here. From the side of the saint himself death is not a calamity, but a gain. "He rests from his labours, and his works follow him" (Ilev. xiv. 13). II. PowEn ISSUING FROM THE GOOD MAN's GRAVE. Though Elisha. was not taken to heaven as Elijah was without tasting of death, he had yet great honour put upon him in his d~ath, God set the seal on bis prophetic work by nrnking life-giving power to issue even from his grave. The miracle suggests to us the fact that from ewry good man's grave there issues in an important sense a. life-giving power. The influence of men does not die with them. On the contrary, it is often greater after their deatbs than during their lives. 1. Sometimes in a literal sense the grave is a source of new life to men. In the act of committing dust to dust, and ashes to ashes, holy irnpressious steal over men, new resolves take possession of their hearts. Many a man, e.g., has been brought to his senses at tho graveside of a father or mother, whoso counsels, perhaps, he disregarded in life, 2. Sometimes in a figurative sense souls are quickened by the bones of the dead. A man's actions, for instance, are things of the past when he is de11d. But they may be written in a. book, and become a source of life to countless aenerations who read them afterwards. It is but a few facts of any man's life which  2i8 TRE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS, [on. XIV. 1-29,