2 Kings 6 (Part 1) Bible Study (The Axe Head Recovered) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Turn with me to second Kings chapter six. We're beginning a new chapter tonight in the study of this precious book. And as you're turning to the second Kings six, I wanna ask you a question that you don't have to answer. You can answer in your heart. Which of Elisha's miracles has impacted you the most up to this point?

If I were to ask you that personally, what would your answer be? Would it be the miraculous provision of that oil for that widow and her two sons? Would it be the marvelous resurrection miracle of the Shunammite son? Would it be the undeserved guidance that Elisha provided to the three kings when they were preparing to go to war with Moab? There is no right or wrong answer.

Each miracle is powerful in its own way. But if you were to ask me, what supernatural story up to this point has moved you? I would tell you that the one that resonates with me the most is what we're about to read in the first few verses of second Kings chapter six. We're going to study seven verses. That's how brief this miracle is.

Within the span of seven verses, and in it, you're gonna find an interesting insert in this collection of supernatural interventions from God through the ministry of this man, Elisha. So I trust that you're there. Let's begin in verse one down to verse seven. And if the sound team can help me with the buzzing, I think there's bees or wasps behind me. There it is.

Verse one. Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, see the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there. And he answered, go. Then one of them said, be pleased to go with your servants.

And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his ax had fell into the water, and he cried out, alas, my master. It was borrowed.

And the man of god said, where did it fall? When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, take it up. So he reached out his hand and took it. Pray with me.

Lord, we wanna pray what we sang. Oh, Father, use my rants of life in any way you choose. We surrender ourselves to you afresh tonight. And Lord, we know that we cannot ultimately be used unless we know your word. And so we pray that you bathe us in the revelations that you desire to convey through these verses.

Help us hear your voice, see your wisdom. Lord, we just pray that there would be a great protection from any distraction, anything that would rob us from the fullness of this Bible study. Please, Lord, guide us step by step, verse by verse. We depend on you. And we thank you in advance that we are people who could come freely with open Bibles, not having to fear to look over our shoulders.

And we can relish and enjoy all that you have for us with any risk of being persecuted, arrested, harmed, harassed. So, Lord, we thank you for this time. May not be wasted because we know things can change very quickly in the culture, with government. So, Lord, help us help us be used by you and for your glory while it is day, for night is coming when no man can work. We ask these things trusting you with a zeal in our hearts, believing that you're gonna fuel that passion more through your word.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. There are so many things that I can say from verse one alone. So many observations. I want us to look at it again.

Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, see the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. So I'm reading this, and the initial thought that comes to my mind, and this is why, listen, it's always important to keep in mind the wider context of whatever book in the Bible you're reading. We have this tendency of isolating parts of God's word when it was designed to be understood and viewed with a collection of other truths surrounding it. So let me ask you this, to read that the place where the sons of the prophets dwell, these students, these seminary, enrolled young prophets, to see that where they were going to school, where they were living for the time being was too small. What does that indicate?

It's very simple. It's not a trick question. Growth. Now, okay. We say, okay.

Growth is good, but it's even better when you understand and you remind yourself of the spiritual climate of this time. Was Israel loving the true Lord? No. There was rampant idolatry, growing apostasy. And all the while, the culture, Israel, society was increasing in moral darkness, God was still recruiting servants of God.

He's calling men. He's training men. He's selecting men more than ever. And right there, I'm encouraged as I take a peek outside and look at our nation and realize that it's not the same nation as it once was just a few decades ago. And instead of being overcome by, a culture that is growing in their indifference towards the things of God, I realize that God is still recruiting.

He's still doing things in people's lives. He's still drawing people. He's still gifting them. He's still anointing them. He's still empowering them.

It's no different than this day. We should trust that he's always been doing that throughout church history, and he will continue to do that until the end of the age. And so we should be encouraged by this. Right? That despite all the craziness, the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.

And god is building his church and strengthening his church. Yes. Governments are collapsing. Yes. Society is is derailing.

But the church, the true church, is developing and growing stronger and stronger. With that, I see something else. The passionate dedication and interest of these sons of the prophets is wonderful not just despite the issues going around them culturally, but because of a certain scandal that happened among the sons of the prophets. Again, always keep in mind what happened before, what's happening next, what's going on in the larger context of the book. Where did we conclude when it came to Elisha's ministry last last Friday?

What what did we study concerning him and his ministry? Something happened, not with Elisha, but with his assistant. What was his name? Gehazi. Yes.

And what happened? He was cursed by God because of his embezzlement. He lied, he deceived, and he used the ministry for personal gain, and he became a leper. Now, Gehazi was not just Elisha's personal assistant. We have reason to believe that he was actually being trained to succeed Elisha, just like Elisha succeeded Elijah.

So he wasn't just any ordinary servant. He was somebody who was selected potentially to take this man of god's place one day. And if that's the case, then you can imagine how his downfall would have sent a shockwave of discouragement among the sons of the prophets. But what do we read instead? We find these students laser focused, committed more than ever.

They didn't lose any steam. They didn't recant in their convictions or their callings. They kept their eyes on the Lord, and they marched on. So let these students in verse one inspire you and me. Because failures that are committed by other people who claim to serve God, even spiritual leaders, is not a rare occurrence.

And if you haven't experienced it in your context yet, God forbid you never have to, but at the same time, I have to be honest, brace yourself. Brace yourself. You will be let down by somebody who bears the name of Christ. You might even be let down by a major leader or influence. When that does happen or if it does happen, what are you gonna do?

What are you gonna do? Determine today and let this study inspire you that you will serve the Lord wholeheartedly even if others choose not to. I'm going to keep my eyes on Christ, and I'm going to serve him in whatever way I can even if others fall on the wayside. So Gehazi is removed. Right?

I mean, we gotta remember, there's only a remnant in Israel. There's only a few thousand among millions. And the the guy next in line to take the top position among the prophets blows it. What do you find the sons of the prophets doing? Lining up for months and years to counseling sessions?

I'm not against counseling sessions. But you don't see them doing that. I know, okay. What do we need to do? Let's get to work.

Man falls. God doesn't fall. God doesn't fail. So let's see what God wants us to do. And they are going to do something.

And I want you to be inspired with that too. I wanna bring a different vantage point though with with Gehazi's failure brought to our attention. I mean, that's the last verse of chapter five. Right? The leprosy of Nabon shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.

So he went out from his presence a leper like snow. And then the next verse in chapter six verse one, now the sons of the prophets said to Elijah, and they're talking about how they outgrew this space. Is it possible that there's some connection between Gehazi's disqualification, dismissal, and the growth of the sons of the prophets. It's not explicitly stated, but it's biblically warranted. We saw some dark streaks in Gehazi's character early on, did we not?

One of them was when the Shunammite woman came to Elisha because her son died, she clung to him. And what did Gehazi do? He shooed her. He tried to shoo her away, and and he was rebuked for that. Red flag.

What was another red flag in that story? When Elisha told him to go on ahead, take his staff, and to place it on the boy, did the boy show any sign of life? Another red flag. So there were warning signs, and then ultimately just manifest in chapter five. And I'm thinking, I wonder if this man carried that kind of an energy.

If he unintentionally, just because of who he was, made a negative impact among the sons of the prophets. And I wonder if Gehazi was that kind of guy, like, when he was in the meeting, and when he was when he was sharing his thoughts or something, just people kinda cringed a bit. We can't say for certain. I also wonder if there was a sense of relief in some way because Gehazi was removed from the scene. Again, we can't say for sure, but one thing is for certain as a biblical principle.

Sometimes before a spiritual house can increase, God has to clean that house. Hey. There's so many examples of that. Funny enough, this morning, I'm in my Bible. I told you earlier I was reading the book of Matthew.

I still am reading Matthew. And I came to a familiar passage. I want you to see it with your own eyes. But this time, maybe because I was reading second Kings the other day, preparing for tonight, this was highlighted to me. Matthew 21 verse 12.

This is when Jesus entered into the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple. I want you to read it, but I want you to see a sequence of thought, perhaps that you haven't noticed. Matthew twenty one twelve. And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.

Most of us know this by heart. So he comes in to clean house because they were operating in a manner in which it was not designed. And he reminds the people there, the audience, this house is called a house of prayer. It's not meant to be a business. But Matthew gives us something interesting in the following verse.

After he cleans house, notice what happens in verse 14. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. Isn't that an interesting thought to include there? So here's here's how things flow. Jesus comes in.

He cleans house, God's house. And after He cleans house, the power of God in the temple manifested and people were receiving healing. People came in after something was done. After things were removed, people were able to come in and experience something heavenly. This is one of many examples that revealed instances of the Lord's purging work.

And sometimes when the Lord purges us, what's included in that procedure is that he will remove certain influences or relationships that will hinder personal or even collective growth. That's why you and I have to train ourselves to not be so overwhelmed if the Lord in his providence removes people from our lives or ministry that bring no spiritual benefit to you. Because in his sovereignty, one of the things that he assures those who are truly abiding in him you know it very well in John 15 verse two. Any branch in me that does not bear fruit, he removes. But the branch who does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit.

Pruning is cutting. Cutting is uncomfortable. It hurts, but it is necessary for growth. And maybe in a corporate setting, an individ individual setting for sure, the Lord will prune. He will remove.

Sometimes that looks like distractions in your life, misplaced priorities. Sometimes it's people that should not be connected to you or people who should not be in leadership positions. Before a house, whether it's a corporate house or the individual temple of the Holy Spirit can increase, God sometimes has to clean. Gehazi is removed. I find it interesting following that, that the seminary there in Israel is growing.

It's booming. Let's go to verse two of second Kings. The inspiration of these students only grows more. Let us go to the Jordan, and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there. K.

So it's one thing to recognize a need. It's a whole other thing for you to offer a solution and to volunteer to be an answer. So you have these sons of the prophets who say, why don't we move, go closer to the Jordan and build a bigger place? We have real estate there. Let's take advantage of it.

May I suggest to you tonight, precious people of God, that we must adopt a similar mentality? It is helpful to highlight problems and bring that attention to your leaders. But it's much more helpful to not just come with issues, but to also present prayed up solutions. And even to be willing to be part of an answer. Voicing problems can help, but doing more than that and coming alongside to be a part of the answer is how we will thrive.

And there are three important words in this verse that we can't afford to miss. Read it again. Let us go to the Jordan and, here are the three words, each of us. Each of us. Not some of us.

Each of us. We're all signing up for this. Get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there. The only way that we can see significant growth if you're passionate about God's kingdom advancing in this city, in this state, the only way that we can see that progression is with this each of us mentality. Some of us will not take us very far.

But like these sons of the prophets, when you and I are willing to cut a piece of the work and carry that load, miracles can happen. Amazing things can take place. And we've seen that here. I praise God that Maranatha Bible Church is filled with people. Like, I I mean, I I shared it in the announcements.

Last Friday, I made an announcement. Can we can we have people help us downstairs to set up? You know how long that took us? Fifteen minutes. You know what would have taken us if we just had people who were designated for that?

Probably a couple hours. And then the same thing happened Sunday night when we tore down. So many people stay stayed back, and we were able to get things done in such a short amount of time. And so now I want you to take that very recent and simple example, magnify it on a larger scale and on a consistent basis. What can we do as a church if each of us can identify a load that we're carrying?

I'll tell you what, we can see great leaps and bounds. We can see massive increase. Development and effectiveness and fruitfulness and people being impacted and touched. I'm not talking about numerical growth necessarily. I'm talking about impact.

And it's gonna have to take that kind of dedication. Each of us. Selfishness will stop the growth of any ministry, even this one. And we will not see true growth if it's only some of us. You know this language of each of us is found all over the New Testament.

Can I show you one place? Look at Ephesians chapter four. In that chapter, Paul talks about the body briefly. And notice what he says about the body, the mystical, the spiritual body of Christ in Ephesians four and verse 15. Rather speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way in to him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which is it is equipped, when each part is working properly.

Makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Do you see it? It's there, right? When each part is working, not just working, working properly. It's possible to be working aimlessly.

It's possible to be working and wasting your time. He's saying when each part is working properly, it makes the body grow. Can I ask you a simple question at this Bible study? Whatever church you're a part of, can you identify a load that you are carrying? Or do you just listen to messages about carrying loads?

I'm not talking about everybody's gonna carry the same load, but if everybody carries a load, then it's gonna be a lot lighter, and things can get accomplished much quicker. So what's the load you're carrying? What is it that you do? Not where you go, what do you do in that place where you go? It could be anything from I pray for this church.

I wish I was physically capable to do more things, but I can pray. I have a voice. I I lift up the members of this church. You're carrying a load. I greet people here.

I'm part of that ministry. I play an instrument. Wonderful. I teach the kids. I clean up.

I'm I'm willing to clean up. Sign me up. Call me whatever you wanna call me. Put any label on me. I'm willing to clean up.

If that's caring, Lord, I'm caring, Lord. When each part. The sons of the prophet says each of us. Not just some of us, when each of us. And in this case, they want to build a new campus.

They want to find a new facility. And so they come up to Elisha and they say, let's go build it, which I find absolutely fascinating concerning how God works. So what's fascinating about this? Let me tell you what's so fascinating about it. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible, there is no one else who has more recorded miracles attached to their name than Elisha.

This man performed a lot of miracles. So with that in mind, here's here's what I would think if I was one of the sons of the prophets, if I was clever, I would've grabbed a couple of other students like, hey, we've seen Elisha do some amazing things. We need a new building. Doctor Elisha, we've seen you do incredible things. It's kinda tight in here.

Can you just, you know, say something, do something, wave your hand, you know? They didn't do that. Nor did Elisha look at them after they suggested this plan and say, oh, you of little faith. Do you not remember how God made the manna appear on the dew of the ground? Do you not believe that he can also provide a dwelling place for us out of thin air?

None of those things were suggested. You know what this shows me? Even God's prophets are practical. You know why I say that to you? Because you have a lot of Christians who think being spiritual means being as impractical as possible.

You have some good hearted Christians who want everything to be a miracle. So they're looking for a spouse and, instead of, you know, like talking to people and getting to know them, they want it to happen by way of a miracle. You need a new house to live in, and you're expecting it through divine intervention instead of saving up money and getting an agent and looking at places. You wanna be healthier, but you just wanna pray about it instead of going to the doctor and changing your diet? Are you more spiritual than the sons of the prophets and Elisha?

I'm not saying that God can't work in miraculous ways in these areas. I've seen it in these areas. But to be immobile unless he does is plain foolish, and it's actually not spiritual. It's silly. You know what the spiritual thing is according to the Bible?

That you are practical, And as you engage in these hands on, feet on the ground, realistic approaches, you do the next thing that these sons of the prophets do in verse three. So they suggest, let's get some tools, we have some land, let's build a place, but notice again what they do in verse three. Let's read it. Then one of them said, be pleased to go with your servants, and he answered, I will go. So why did they want Elisha to come along with them?

It's very simple, because they recognize that he had a special connection with the Lord, and they realize at the same time that they could benefit from his ongoing counsel and guide guidance in the process. So here's what I see from this, that we're gonna build a place, but Elisha, we would love for you to be our source of guidance every step of the way. Can I tell you what they're doing? They're including God's man, ultimately God, in their pursuits. That's what a truly spiritual person does.

No matter how practical your task or your proposal may be, you don't fail to invite God in it. And this miracle is going to show that we should do that because He cares. What do I mean by He? God cares. God cares about even these things because He cares about us.

So can I ask you, whatever you do, make it a habit to ask the Lord to protect you from foolish investments, blind spots in your decisions, to go ahead of you so that you would not waste your time or deplete yourself of resources? I pray this all the time. I'm talking about when when we have to purchase things for the house, or we have to do something very hands on and and we have to engage with other people for that work, I always ask the lord, lord, please, I don't wanna make a mistake here. I wanna be a good steward of my resources. I I want this to be in any way possible a a a gracious transition, a gracious process, Lord.

Just please go before me in this. Please open my eyes. Right? Please use this for your glory somehow. Invite the Lord in those things.

Not just for crises, not just for problems, not just for evangelism, in everything. Even when you're building an extension to your school, invite him. And this is what's so wonderful. These are Bible college students. And I wonder if these students of God's word had a particular verse in mind before they invited Elisha.

Psalm 27 verse one. Unless the Lord builds a house, those who labor build it in vain. I just like to, in my sanctified imagination, think that that was one of the verses that came to their minds when they said, we can't look, we have every we have our we have our land, we have the wood, we have the exact location, we have some tools, we got enough men, but we need God's blessing. We need God's blessing on this. Elisha, please come with us.

And we're we're gonna find out by the end of the story that it was a good thing that they did bring Elisha with them. So far, this body of believers are doing everything just right, but something happens. Verse four. So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down the trees. But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water and he cried out, Alas, my master, it was borrowed.

There's one detail about this incident that you and I have to meditate on. It's a very simple thing. This axe head was borrowed. He didn't buy it. It was lended to him.

And that really just reinforces the point that I just made earlier, that God didn't make a building magically appear, nor did he provide the tools to build it in a supernatural way. You have to understand that servants of God are not exempt from the natural courses of life's challenges and actions. So this son of one of the prophets had to go to a relative or one of his neighbors, knock on the door, and convince that person, we're building a new school. Can I borrow one of your axes? Right?

The Christian life is very practical. So he does this, and I think this is also a reflection of the the destitute condition of the sons of the prophets. They didn't even have enough tools. They didn't even have enough of the necessary instruments to make this thing happen. They had to go around and ask.

And this is actually, more of an encouraging thought than anything else. Why? Because this was a season of need. They weren't getting a lot of funding from fellow Israelites for their school. They barely had a a meal to eat just a few chapters ago or verses ago.

And here we see that they also didn't have enough resources. And yet, in this season of need, they still had God with them. Why? Because, yes, this is a borrowed ax and he got a little bit too excited. The ax had flies through the air, plunges into the water, and God is right there.

And for some strange reason, it's then where he performs the miracle for this ax head to be restored. So some might say, where was God for this body of students to get the resources? I'm saying don't look at it that way. Look at it in this way that God in his wisdom knows what to give us and what not to give us, but he's there every step of the way. He's there when you have plenty.

He's there when you're borrowing. He's there when you're working a wonderful job. He's there when you have no job. He's there when you're healthy. He's there when you're sick.

He's always there. And that's what this story shows us. But what's so interesting here is that this happened after everything that you can imagine can go right went right. Every kind of attitude, act of faith, practical humility. Why did this happen?

Why did this inconvenience take place? Why couldn't it have just been a smooth process? You stayed in the will of God despite the scandal, despite the growing coldness spiritually in the land. Instead of being lazy, you're active, and you said each one of us are gonna participate. You invited the man of God who represented God into your plan like, you did every you checked off every box, and here's one of them who's going to work, and he loses something that he borrowed.

And he's saying, I get it. Like, I get that losing something can be an inconvenience, it can be annoying, but what's the big deal about a piece of a tool breaking? Well, it's a big deal to him. Notice the language again in verse five. But as one was felling a log, his axe had fell into the water, and he cried out.

He didn't just drag his feet to Elijah and say, oh, look. Something happened. We gotta find out a solution. He was desperate. He cried out.

What's the reason for the fear? Well, I think there's different things that we can consider. One thing to consider is that this man now was no longer able to participate in the building process. So that made an impact on this whole project to begin with. And it annoyed him that he could not serve in this capacity.

I wonder if we've come to the place in our service to the Lord that if we're ever hindered from doing it, it would bother us. It bothered this man. My wife and I were talking on our way here about the COVID years. I can't believe that even happened. It's like a dream.

Like, how did that happen? Because we were driving and things were busy, and we were talking about the meeting tonight and past meetings, and I did not enjoy talking into a camera with no other faces in the place. I really didn't. Thank God that we didn't take too long to open back up again. But I was reflecting on that, And I remember we were talking about the days when people were, again, coming back together, and we were able to sing in each other's presence, and hear a word from the pulpit, and fellowship again.

And I made the comment, I hope nobody takes what we have for granted ever, because we learn how quickly that can be taken from us. This man was bothered that he could not help out, I'm sure. But more than that, it was borrowed, meaning that he went to somebody. We're not told who he went to to ask for it, but the sons of the prophets were not popular to begin with. They were maligned.

It it wasn't too long before this where they were actually being chased and they had to hide in caves because a certain queen was in charge and she persecuted them heavily. So now you have this man who is walking on thin ice as a student of one of Elisha's schools, and he asked for an accent. He says, like, I'll give it back. You have my word, and it's gone. In the murky waters, and he doesn't know how he's gonna retrieve it.

Great. Now this guy who I gave my word to is gonna think, maybe this is gonna now be another stain on the reputation of the sons of the prophets. I might say this is speculation. This is definitely not speculation. Do you know that there is a law in the old testament that actually tells you what you have to do if you borrow something and something goes wrong with it?

Go to Exodus. Look at chapter 22. Exodus 22 verse 14. If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. So the context here is actually speaking about if you're borrowing an animal, an ox, or any kind of beast for agricultural work, if you rent anything, but here it's expanded.

If you borrow anything and it's injured or dies and you can include if it's lost, it's a simple law. You gotta pay back, full restitution. Now, do the sons of the prophets have a, helpful financial situation going on? No. The very fact that he had to borrow the tool indicates that.

So he had to borrow it because he didn't wanna pay for anything, and now he has to pay for it. Right? That might not be an issue for you because you have some cushion in your bank account. It would be if you have barely anything in that bank account. So this student who's already trying just living by faith day by day now adds more debt to his student debt, so to speak.

This bothers him. It may not bother you, but in his situation it is. It's annoying. It's frustrating. And here's the thing that I wanna bring to your attention.

Problems can still ensue even though you do everything right. So you might be thinking, then what's the point of doing it right? And I'm here to tell you that the primary goal of that is to please your lord. It's not for certain outcomes. It's ultimately to please the Master.

But more than that, we can be confident that any obstacle or challenge that pops up in our pursuit of righteousness is not in vain. There are countless holy reasons why the Lord would allow detours as you walk the path of obeying Him wholeheartedly in every way possible, being a man or woman of integrity, holy. There are many reasons, and you should never forget the possibilities of what I like to call sanctifying pit stops. Surprising sanctifying pit stops. Where there's some kind of a delay or some kind of roadblock and you have to stay somewhere.

Why? Why? I'm I'm I'm examining myself. I can't consciously recognize any sin. I'm living right, and so why this?

Why why this issue? Why now? Why this much? Why would these people? Again, there are many reasons.

One of them is potentially just to purify you further, and it requires that. So you're asking God to be more like Christ, and that includes patience. So here's a situation that requires more patience. It's like that joke of that person who says and prays, Lord, give me more patience and give it to me now. And not not everything is sprinkled on you supernaturally.

Sometimes it takes real situations where, one, you're exposed to the lack of fruit in a certain area, and then you now turn to God and ask him to to deal with it. And sometimes, there are times where the Lord allows these things so that he can position you in a way where you will witness something of his glory and splendor. And it requires that kind of place or problem to behold it, as we're about to see here. So this young son comes to the master. I I borrowed this.

This is not the best time to I I don't know what to do here. And the Lord is ready to position this man in a way to see something of God's character and kindness in his own life. But before we look in that, let me offer a helpful observation. Do you know it was not uncommon for ax heads to fly in this culture? Oh, look at all the heads that went up.

You see that? It wasn't uncommon saying, what are you talking about? I wanna point you to another law. And in this law, it it deals with what one is to do if they commit involuntary manslaughter. So let me turn you there to Deuteronomy 19.

Look at verse four with me. Deuteronomy 19 verse four. This is a law that describes the regulations of what we know to be the cities of refuge. You remember that? I hope you remember the cities of refuge.

Wonderful picture of Christ. But let let's look at one law, one instruction pertaining it. Deuteronomy 19 verse four. This is the provision of them for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past, as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the ax to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, he may flee to one of these cities and live.

Don't you find that interesting that out of all the hypothetical situations that you can give of somebody dying accidentally, you give the axe head flying off of a stick, and it's smashing somebody's skull. Evidently, it was common. Or else why would you give this kind of an insight and instruction? Just like it's common in our day to see cars crashing into each other. So to us, it's like that's weird to them.

It's like, yeah, it's like what you see in intersections or what you see on the news sometimes on highways. But that's not the reason why I bring this to your attention. The reason why I wanna bring it to your mind is because of the provision that was made for this accident. What was the provision that if this happened, you're in a forest with a friend or a coworker and the accident flies off, you can run. God has provided a place for you to flee where you can be protected, where you can know a level of deliverance and safety.

Now, this young man in second Kings six, he could have been thankful that the axe didn't hit somebody in the face. Right? It just fell into water. But I bring this to make this parallel, that in the same way that in Deuteronomy 19, we're told that there is a provision for the one who did something accidental, but it was tragic, life altering, there was also provision for that young man in his case. He didn't have a place to run to.

He had a person that was accessible, namely Elisha, who represented represented God. The same way those cities of refuge represented something of God's heart. And so making this parallel, here's the principle. That at any moments where something stuns us, surprise us, an inconvenience, it could be as severe as what we read in Deuteronomy 19, where the trajectory of your life will never be the same. Or it can be a moment of inconvenience that is burdensome to you, keeps you up at night.

You know it can be solved in different ways, but it's just it's just pricking your heart. God is accessible. And the Lord actually bids you to come to him. He bids you to come to him when the accident hits somebody and kills them. He bids you to come to him when you borrowed something, and you don't know how you're gonna pay it back.

Do do are you beginning to see why this miracle resonates with me so much? I hope it warms your heart as well. It's only gonna get warmer, I'm sure. And here's what's so interesting. Let's come back to second king six.

Where did this axe head fall? Water. Is there any clues in our story that tells us which body of water it plunged into? Very good. You're reading carefully.

You read there in verse four that as they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. So it's very likely, most likely, that this fell into the Jordan River. Is there any miracle that we recently studied that dealt with the Jordan River? Very good. Naaman the leper.

In his case, it wasn't an ax head that was recovered. It was his skin. It was his health. It was his body. Now, we we understand that kind of miracle being included in Holy Scripture.

A man, a gentile, a general of the army, healed of leprosy, that's gotta go somewhere. An axe head coming back to the service for a student. Is that is that worth putting in the Bible? Or is that a little trivial? Don't say it's trivial because when you consider, again, the wider authorship going on here, then you realize something wonderful.

God cares about the big and the small. He cares about your unintended debt as much as he does about disease. He is compassionate toward a general of an entire nation's army, and he is just as compassionate towards a student who's studying the Bible and is struggling to know how he's gonna be able to have a future. That's what this miracle is showing. That at the Jordan River, two miraculous things took place, same message but different messes.

God's heart is for all. For the major issues, for the minor inconveniences. Why is that important? Because the New Testament instructs you and I in first Peter five seven, cast all your anxieties. Not some of them.

All your anxieties. Whatever makes you anxious. You know, to Naaman, I'm sure the story of the ax head while he was suffering leprosy didn't really connect with. I I have a bigger problem here going on. And it could even be that this student with the ax head being loosened and launched into the water, he couldn't think about anything else except how am I going to solve this.

Whatever makes you anxious, you're commanded by a loving God to come to him and to cast at his feet. Cast all your anxieties on him. Why? Because he cares for you, for all the anxieties. And, you know, it hit me today even meditating on that verse.

This is not just something that, should make you feel a little giddy. It's a command. So it's a comforting command, but it's a command nonetheless. Cast all your anxieties on him. Do you know what what's told right after that?

Do you know the next thought in Peter's writing? He says, cast all your anxieties because he cares for you. And notice what he says in first Peter five eight. Be sober minded. Be watchful.

Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Some would say that Peter's starting a new thought here. I'm saying it's somewhat connected to the previous point. There's something connected between our obedience to casting all our anxieties on Him, and if we fail to do that, Satan is right there ready to do something to your faith. Anxiety makes you vulnerable.

Anxiety makes you weak. Anxiety makes you dizzy. And Satan can smell it. He loves to mess with those who struggle with it. Create a recipe of greater disasters in our thinking, in our faith, in our commitments, in our relationships.

I know for certain this is not accidental, that there is a charge to release that before Satan takes advantage of it. So learn to take all your no matter what it is, train yourself in accordance to God's word to come to him. And if that observation doesn't move you, perhaps the next one will. Because here's what I thought looked at looking at this as a final meditation. If the Lord showed concern for a lost axe head in order to relieve one of his servants, what does he feel about those who are lost in their sins?

God's willing to look down from heaven, if I can use that imagery, and send forth the necessary power to raise this axe head to the surface and make it reachable for this man so he can attach it again, not have to worry about his neighbor? What's God's heart for those who are suffering a greater loss, one that will lead to an eternal separation? It's very, very dangerous to read too much into things, but sometimes there are vignettes of the gospel in the Old Testament that we must acknowledge. And I think we have one here. Saying how the reason why I believe that there is some gospel theme that we can pluck from these verses is because of the way that the miracle was performed.

Look back again here at verse six. Then the man of God said, where did it fall? In two Kings six. When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick. Why?

He cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float, and he said, take it up. So he reached out his hand and took it. Without any explanation given, Elisha goes to some kind of a tree or some kind of a plant of some sort, and he takes a piece of that stick, cuts it off, throws it into the water. And that was the causation for this iron to float. He could have performed that miracle a million different ways, but it was in this way.

So here's the procedure. Something was given so that something can be retrieved. And not just anything was given, for something to be cut off, for a branch to be cut off from a living tree or a living plant means that it's cut off from life, and it's thrown in there. So this thing that was cut off from life was thrown into this body of water, and it rescued something else. Does this language sound familiar to you?

Much more significant in the gospel where Christ, our Lord, is cut off from life so that you can live. Christ dives into what buried us so that we can be raised from it and rise above it. Christ rescues us by separating himself and reaching to us when we were beyond human help. If it was reachable, they could have reached for it, they could have fished for it. Evidently, it was deep enough, and it was murky enough where it required some kind of divine intervention.

And with your salvation, no human hands, no human effort, no human rescue endeavor can make your rescue possible. But it's even more than that. What I love about this is, yes, this stick that's cut off and thrown in, surrendered, given, so that something else can be retrieved and rescued. Iron doesn't float. Isn't that a deep bible study?

It doesn't. But because of this miracle, through this transaction, this object was able to perform contrary to its nature. And through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not only are we miraculously justified, but we are supernaturally being sanctified. And now, because of that cutting off, surrendering, we're not just rescued. In that also, we are living in the spirit.

And now we're able to overcome what once overcame us. And now we're able to go from glory to glory, and to be conformed to the image of the one who rescued us. And we're being sanctified and changed and transformed, and our desires are altered, and our thinking is changed, and our behaviors are being melted into the image of him who loved us. So even in this, you get a little snapshot of the underlying themes of the gospel. Something was cut off to rescue something else.

And more than just rescuing it, it was able to perform in a way that didn't make sense, such as the Christian life. That when a person is truly born again, the way they walk after that can only be explained because of a miracle. And that's what Christ does for you and me. I'm ending the bible study right there. I I can't add anything more than that.

Let's thank God for the study of how even in this miracle of an accent being restored, we can reflect on our own restoration. If the praise team can actually join me so we can go straight into worship, I I want you to take the time, which is a habit of ours at this bible study, to think about what you heard in these seven verses. And whatever touched you, whatever point, maybe more than one, that ministered to you, bring it to the Lord now. Talk to him about it. I don't wanna rush this time.

I'm gonna join you as well before we sing. Lord, your word is amazing. We're moved by it. All the force behind these truths, we feel it in our souls. And Lord, if anybody here is in different or they didn't sense your power behind these things, we just pray that in these final moments, you wouldn't let us leave unchanged.

I'm you wouldn't let us leave unchanged. Lord, deepen these truths in our hearts, embed them, mark us for life to never forget these wonderful promises and principles. I thank you for allowing us to see Christ in it. Lord, we we wanna worship you because this book is supernatural. You're the author of it.

We confess that gladly, unashamedly, and we pray, Lord, that you would work in our lives so that this word would be reflected in our lives. We want to be transformed by you, Lord. That's our ultimate goal of these studies, to be transformed by it. And we thank you that you're doing it and you'll continue to do it. We give you all the honor and all the praise.

In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand. Let's give him thanks as we close this time together.