2Ki 13:14-25  “For the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands” (1Sa 17:47)

2Ki 13:14  Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. 
2Ki 13:15  And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.
2Ki 13:16  And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. 
2Ki 13:17  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 Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
2Ki 13:18  And 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. 
2Ki 13:19  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. 
2Ki 13:20  And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 
2Ki 13:21  And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 
2Ki 13:22  But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 
2Ki 13:23  And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet. 
2Ki 13:24  So Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead. 
2Ki 13:25  And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.

In last week’s study we learned that Jehoahaz besought the Lord to take the nation of Israel out from under the oppressive bondage of “Hazael king of Syria” and “Benhadad the son of Hazael“, and the LORD hearkened unto Jehoahaz and gave Israel a savior who we learn in this section of kings is Elisha who typifies Christ our savior. 

2Ki 13:3  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days. 
2Ki 13:4  And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 
2Ki 13:5  (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.

The deliverance God gave Israel came as a result of Elisha, just as our deliverance is completely dependent upon Christ’s hand in our lives (Joh 10:28, 2Ki 13:16-17) and there are many instructive events which take place in this section of kings that show us how we are to make spiritual warfare in our walk in Christ as we die daily and are blessed to be “baptized into his death” (Rom 6:3).

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

2Ki 13:16  And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. [Php 2:12] And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. [Php 2:13]
2Ki 13:17  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 Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 

Without Christ our hope of glory within (Col 1:27), we cannot make war against the enemy within (Rev 13:4) and cannot understand the extent of the battle to which the Lord has called us that belongs to him (1Sa 17:47). In the end, the Lord will triumph through His people both to will and to do God’s good pleasure which is to give us the kingdom of God (Luk 12:32) through the destruction of the giants in our own land [our bodies, our hearts and minds] typified in this story by the nation of Syria which is oppressing Israel. God calls us to arm ourselves with His mind and to not take any anxious thought for the morrow because “the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands” (1Sa 17:47, 1Pe 4:1-2, Mat 6:34).

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

1Sa 17:47  And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 

Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

2Ki 13:14  Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. 

Elisha is on his deathbed when these events transpire with Joash, and what we are being shown is in the sickness that he had “whereof he died” is the sickness we all have, which is found in these corruptible marred vessels that are in the hand of the Potter (Jer 18:4) who knows all our days and how they are numbered and meant to play out according to the counsel of His own will (Psa 139:16, Eph 1:11).

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

What God is showing Joash, in type and shadow through Elisha, is that his deliverance and the nation’s are going to come through the death of his carnal nature which can only happen through Christ abiding in us (Ecc 7:2-4). He is mournful for the condition of Elijah, “And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face“, and does not yet understand the power that this situation represents (Luk 23:28-31) even though he alludes to it in his description and memory of Elijah, “O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.“

Ecc 7:2  It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 
Ecc 7:3  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. 
Ecc 7:4  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 

Luk 23:28  But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 
Luk 23:29  For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck [Gal 4:27]. 
Luk 23:30  Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 
Luk 23:31  For if they do these things in a green tree [Christ and his Christ], what shall be done in the dry? [1Pe 4:17-18, Joh 5:29]

2Ki 13:15  And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. 
2Ki 13:16  And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. 

It is in our weakest state where God’s strength is made perfect through us (2Co 12:9) as we learn to make war against the enemy within us with the word of God symbolized by “arrows“. The bow represents the strength of God’s arm in our lives (Gen 49:22-24, Gen 9:13), and the arrows represent the word of God (Num 24:8, Psa 127:4-5) which enables us to accomplish what God proclaims from His mouth (Isa 55:11).

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Gen 9:13  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 
Gen 9:14  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth [Rev 11:15], that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: [Heb 1:21]

Gen 49:22  Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
Gen 49:23  The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 
Gen 49:24  But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel).

Psa 127:4  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth [2Pe 1:4]. 
Psa 127:5  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate [2Ti 2:15].

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Verse 16 further confirms where our strength comes from and how God is faithful to accomplish all He has set out to do through Christ (Joh 4:23).

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

The imagery of these words “And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands” represents our putting our trust in the strength of Christ in our lives who is represented by the bow. Elisha putting his hand upon the king’s hand reminds us that our victory in the Lord is not by might nor power but by God’s holy spirit (Zec 4:6). As mentioned earlier, it is all of the Lord both to will and to do of His good pleasure as we are instructed by the Lord to trust in His power in which we rest, “And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow (Php 2:12).” It is when we cast our cares upon the Lord, or rest in Him, that we learn of His mercy and great power and continual desire to deliver us from ourselves, “And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands” (Php 2:13).

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling [resting our hand on the bow].
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. [Typified by Elisha who puts his hand upon the king’s hand, Christ’s effectual working in His body (Eph 4:16).]

2Ki 13:17 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 Aphek, till thou have consumed them. 

Then Joash was instructed by Elisha to open the eastward window and to shoot an arrow which symbolizes the need for our obedience to God’s word as we are led by the spirit to accomplish God’s will of overcoming the enemy within us (Act 5:32, Rom 8:14). God’s word is the “The arrow of the LORD’S deliverance” that if we are blessed to continue will set us free (Joh 8:31-32). We are delivered from the sin within our members, typified by Syria, and it is in “AphekH663” this battle takes place “till thou have consumed them“. Aphek represents the strongholds of our flesh which are giants in our lands that will be bread for us at the appointed time of their destruction (Num 23:30, Exo 14:9). It is at an appointed time, and the process starts by shooting an arrow toward the east, meaning the word of God comes into our heart and starts a process of judgment which destroys the man of sin within us who is destroyed by the brightness of His coming from the east unto the west (Mat 24:27, 2Th 2:8).

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

Num 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. 

Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

2Ki 13:18  And 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. 
2Ki 13:19  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.

This part of our study references back to Romans 6:1-3 where we are shown that initially we are repentant and do war against our flesh, but it is not enough to completely defeat the enemy within us as we can’t help but “continue in sin, that grace may abound”, so it is worded this way, “And he smote thrice, and stayed.“

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, [stop trying to overcome and not keep under ourselves, and just abide (stay) in sin] that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? [Rom 6:11] 
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? [rather abide, (stay) alive in Christ and be dead to sin]

Joash has no idea how many times he should have smitten the ground, and yet the prophet was inspired to say that three times is not enough, that initial process of judgment is not enough as it caused him to “stay” and not move forward. This movement forward is what happens when we abide in Christ or stay in Christ in order to become His disciples indeed who go unto perfection on the third day, pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ (Joh 8:31-32, Luk 13:32, Php 3:14). In this story we see the number three being used to demonstrate judgment that is not complete, and the need to endure until the end (Mat 24:13) to be saved going beyond these verses in Hebrew 6:1-3, Lord willing.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

‘Disciples indeed’ are permitted to go beyond this degree of overcoming by the grace of God that gives us the power to overcome our flesh. “Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times“, which is something that is permitted by God (Heb 6:3). The man of God being “wroth with him” typifies God’s wrath against our old man, and God knows the only way to go onto perfection is to have that man of sin within us smitten “five or six times” which represents the chastening grace of our Father in the elect’s lives that causes us to be received by the Lord (Heb 12:6-7). The earlier mentioned three [3] times smiting the ground is worldly repentance, but the [2×3=6] witnesses [2] to the process of judgment that brings about Godly repentance which moves us forward by God’s grace through faith [5] (2Co 7:9-10).

Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

2Co 7:9  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 
2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

The foundation of Christ in our lives [12] is preceded by the dissolution of our flesh, represented by the number eleven [“five or six times“=11]. We must endure His chastening from start to finish, in other words, in order to have Christ’s body built upon the Rock that is Christ [12] (Mat 21:44, Mat 16:18).

Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

2Ki 13:20  And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 
2Ki 13:21  And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
2Ki 13:22  But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 

It is when Elisha dies that “the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year” showing us the natural way our flesh goes when Christ is no longer in our midst, who is typified by Elisha (Act 20:29-30, Joh 21:3).

Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 

Joh 21:3  Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing [as opposed to when Christ was there giving direction Joh 21:6, Rev 7:9].

The Moabites invaded Israel’s land, and at one point “as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha“.  This situation is a parable for us of how the dead bury their dead or hide their sinful flesh that will be exposed through a resurrection which comes about as a result of our being touched by Christ who is the power of the resurrection (Joh 11:25). 

It is “when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, [that] he revived, and stood up on his feet“. BonesH6106 are a symbol of our essence/substance/self but they are not the body and blood of Christ and the flesh and bones that together make it possible for God’s elect to be raised in heavenly places today with our Father and Christ, in earnest, in heaven (Eph 5:30, Eph 2:6).

These chapters in 2 Kings don’t follow a strict timeline as we see here with the writer being inspired to now return to remind us of the king of Syria who has been given a hardened and unbelieving heart to continue oppressing his neighbor, “But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.” We do not know if Hazael had heard of this miracle of a resurrection, but because of its placement here in scripture, right after mention of the man touching the bones of Elisha and reviving, it brings to mind how it is the Lord who opens and closes the hearts and minds to fulfill His will (Job 12:14, Rev 3:7, Rev 17:17).

The elect rising from the dead in the first resurrection will cause the world to believe at first, like certain Jews that believed on Christ but could not continue in that belief (Luk 16:31, Joh 8:31-32). This unbelief is centered around the inability to repent “but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent“, not until they are washed with the word of God and baptized with fire in the lake of fire (Joh 3:5-6). This resurrection of the nameless man was temporary, as all others were, until Christ comes (Psa 85:6, Isa 57:15,  Rom 7:9, Rom 14:7-9).

Luk 16:30  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 
Luk 16:31  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Psa 85:6  Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

Isa 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 

Rom 7:9  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died [Gal 2:20].

Rom 14:7  For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 
Rom 14:8  For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 
Rom 14:9  For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 

2Ki 13:23 And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.

The Lord is not a respecter of persons but “because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob“, He will save all of humanity, which can only happen by going through a process of judgment that is shown us in the symbolic words of “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” [3 people]. 

‘Jacob’ is whom God loves while we are in this flesh as His elect, and ‘Esau’ our old man is whom He hates within us (Rom 9:13). The seed of promise matures and progressively goes from Jacob to Isaac, who is the more mature man of God being formed in us, leading to the father of the faithful Abraham, who typifies the matured creation that will go on to perfection on the third day as a result of coming into the unity of the faith through Christ (Luk 13:32, Eph 4:13). 

Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Abraham is mentioned first because God declares the end from the beginning and knows that all men will be saved by grace through faith, typified by Abraham who is a type of Christ (Heb 11:8, Rom 5:19).

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; [Php 2:12] and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

Rom 5:19  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Christ] shall many be made righteous [all in Adam (1Co 15:22)]. 

2Ki 13:24  So Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead. 
2Ki 13:25  And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel. 

After Hazael king of Syria dies, Benhadad his son reigned in his stead, and “Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war“. These cities that were taken represent the bondage of sin that our old man overtakes in us at an appointed time, and only by God’s mercy can we recover “the cities of Israel” (Pro 16:4). 

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. 

The “three times” that Joash beat Benhadad reminds us that overcoming in the Lord is a lifetime process of judgment where we must keep under our body, “and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1Co 9:27). This exercise of evil is one that is unavoidable as the body of Christ (Ecc 9:3, 1Pe 5:6, Act 14:22), and yet it is one that we can rejoice in, and again I say rejoice, because it is through this process of which we pray we never grow weary, which we learn of our Lord’s faithfulness toward His children and the certainty of our victory through Christ over our enemies within, “for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands” (1Sa 17:47).

Ecc 9:3  This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 

1Sa 17:47  And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

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