Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so.“Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.” Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”
Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings 13:15-21
“Two episodes appear respectively in which the dying Elisha performs a symbolic act to ensure Jehoash’s victory over the Arameans, and which relate the miraculous resurrection of a dead man who is cast into Elisha’s tomb.
Both episodes emphasize the power of the prophet, but they also related to the overarching theme of Aramean oppression in Israel in the Omride and Jehu periods… The first episode presents Joash’s visit to the dying Elisha…
By shooting an arrow out the eastern window of the house where Elisha resides, Joash dramatizes the arrows that he will shoot against Aram and effectively make his shot an “arrow of victory” over Aram…
The second episode provides another example of the prophet’s extraordinary power by portraying the resurrection of a man whose body came into contact with that of the prophet… The resurrection motif is characteristic of the Elijah and Elisha traditions.”
Marvin A. Sweeney in I & II Kings: A Commentary (Old Testament Library; Louisville: WJKP, 2007) 358-360.
This is an interesting set of stories at the end of the life of Elisha and after his death. What unites them in my mind is the touch of the prophet. In the one instance, Elisha touches the hands of the king and the “arrow of victory” flows from it. In the other case, a dead man touches his bones and experiences healing. But how does this relate to us?
The touch of God’s worker brings victory and gives life. This is the message we can’t miss and the end of the life of Elisha.
Sure there’s an odd human element in the two episodes. But there’s a lesson in that layer too. In the first part, Elisha gives the king some arrows and says “Shoot” and he stops after three. God’s worker got upset with him because He did not do as instructed.
But we do that, don’t we? We walk with God and then maybe we stop reading the Word or stop doing the things we know we need to do.
Then the raiders do as they should not do (raiding, that is) and yet the touch from even the bones of God’s worker brings life. What’s the point? Life is found in God for everyone. Again, the touch of God’s worker brings victory and gives life!
We will only experience victory to the measure of our faith (like the king), and the life we find in God is for everyone, not just the deserving people (such as raiders). So, the last message of Elisha should inspire us to serve others in a way that brings a holy touch that points people to grow in faith and have victory. And may our legacy after we are gone, still be life giving to those who are touched.
This concludes my exploration of the life of Elijah and Elisha. I am in a season of service where I feel I can relate to them so I studied them closely. I pray you too have been touched by the lessons they have taught me which I have tried to share generously. With you!