Bible Study November 22, 2023
2 Kings 13:18-19 (NLT)
“Then he said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. 19 But the man of God was angry with him. “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.”
We look for the big things God wants us to do and in doing so we often miss the smaller ones. The grandiose things brings the greatest glory (or so we think).
God’s power does not negate us to act in faith. Elisha told Jehoash to strike the ground to claim the victory on earth God had already been declared in heaven. Elisha had declared victory that had not yet happened. This is a picture of the natural being sanctified by the supernatural. This is what is meant by “call those things which are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17)
When Jehoash had enough faith to follow Elisha’s instructions, the arrow that left his bow was no longer his as Elisha said earlier the Lord’s arrow of victory … over Aram. The ordinary became extraordinary when linked to the spiritual. The battle was now a spiritual one – not a physical one because the weapons of war were sanctified.
Jehoash did not have the faith to trust God for a greater victory. He simple did not trust in God’s supernatural ability to conquer. As a result Israel would only receive a partial victory not a complete one because he failed to use the resources at hand indicating his lack of both faith and commitment.
Complete obedience and engagement are needed for complete victory.
God Bless.
Asbury Chapel 