The Final Countdown

2 Kings 13:14–21 NASB95

When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. He said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them.” Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. So the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.” Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.

INTRO: Well, we’ve come to the end of our study on the prophets Elijah & Elisha. I don’t know about you, but I’ve truly enjoyed this series and have personally been challenged and built up throughout it.

Today, I will ask you to engage in some rather serious reflection of your life. Are you ready?

If you knew that you only had a week to live, how might your life change?

Would you spend more time with close friends and family or more time scrolling through Social Media or glued to the tv?

Would you pass on valuable information or would your life’s wisdom die with you?

Would you consider how others might think of you after you’re gone or would you focus on others’ personal and spiritual growth?

Now, I know that we don’t like to talk about death… subjects like this are uncomfortable, aren’t they? I’ve found, however, that sometimes we must have uncomfortable conversations- after all, avoiding tough topics won’t make them disappear.

ILL: For example: If we refuse to have those tough conversations about sex with our kids, they will only hear about this topic from a sinful and broken world. How then can we expect them to make wise decisions? Likewise, if we refuse to think or talk about death, we will not be prepared for it and neither will the ones we love the most.

In our text today, we get a peek at Elisha’s last days as we wrap up our study. This section of scripture gives us some insights into Elisha’s perspective and priorities that I believe will inform our own thinking- especially as we consider our life in relation to our God.

In the final countdown of Elisha’s life, there are three main actions which point to God. My prayer is that we will reflect upon the components of our own lives and consider whether our testimony clearly points to God. The sermon is titled, “Final Countdown” - if you picked up a bulletin, I invite you to follow along as we learn together.

Let’s dive into God’s Word.

Verse 14 points us to the first order in Elisha’s final countdown. That is his final moments. What we can see here is that:

Elisha’s Final Moments Point to the Lord of History (14)

(READ)

The time has come for Elisha to die. Notice: he did not die of old age. He was not martyred. He was not a casualty of war or some other tragic event. He died of an illness… perhaps a common illness, we do not know.

Perhaps it seems a bit ironic that the prophet who performed so many miracles- including healing sick and raising the dead - would find himself with an illness which had no cure and would indeed be the cause of his death.

But then again, I do not believe we should be surprised. Scripture tells that our days are numbered and known by God. Listen to:

Job 14:5 NASB95

“Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.

And again

Psalm 139:16 NASB95

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Elisha’s days had been numbered and I believe that he was not only aware of this, but this reality did not trouble him.

Admittedly, we don’t know how old Elisha was, but I imagine he probably had friends or family that would say he was too young or that this was “too soon” - after all, think of all that Elisha had done and imagine how much more he could do if his life were extended!

But his final moments reveal that God is sovereign over all of history and Elisha did not lose sight of God and grasp longingly for more time. Instead, I believe he leaned into God’s plan with humble confidence. You see, this life truly is but a vapor. And when we recognize that God is in charge of all history, we can live in confidence because all our days have been determined.

Friends, maybe you, like a pastor-friend of mine, have been diagnosed with a condition or illness that will eventually end your time on earth. And, while we may wrestle with such news, we can rest knowing that we won’t die a second sooner than God has ordained.

Have you ever known someone who was so worried about getting sick and dying that they lived isolated and oppressed by their constant fear and paranoia?

As Christians, we don’t have to fear death because death is not in charge! God is! Death has been defeated! God has it all worked out! (Someone say Amen!)

In Elisha’s final moments, his faith pointed to the Lord of History. I pray that this will be my testimony as well- will it be yours?

Elisha’s final moments yielded more than his trust in the God of history however. In his final moments, we have recorded his final message. And here we can see that:

Elisha’s Final Message Proclaims the Lord of Victory (15-19)

This message was delivered to the king of Israel. Let’s read it again together (READ 15-19)

You may have noticed that Elisha made good use of props and symbolism in his message to the king. This symbolism was intended to paint a picture that would not easily be forgotten. Let’s take a look at the symbols:

First we see the bow and arrow. Note Elisha’s hand upon the king’s hand as he directs the king to shoot the arrow out the window to the East.

This is a picture of God’s presence in an upcoming battle against Aram. This arrow is described as the Lord’s arrow of victory over Aram.

Next we see the king commanded to strike the ground with the arrows: This was a picture of the king’s attacks against Aram in which he would strike them down.

These symbols paint a clear picture that Yahweh is the Lord of Victory! If God is for the king, nothing can stand against him! No enemy can prevail, no army can overcome! Friends, Elisha is proclaiming to the king that when we are fighting with God on our side, there is no defeat, only victory.

Now look at this: Elisha chastises the king for he only struck the ground 3 times.. the poor king didn’t see what Elisha was hoping he would see. Why did you quit at 3? Why not strike it 5,6 times? Perhaps the king was just being polite- he felt like he should humor Elisha by playing along with his object lesson…

But here’s the thing: when it comes to our faith in God, it must be more than ‘going through the motions’!

Elisha was upset because the king lacked enthusiasm and confidence in God’s promise of victory.

I’m gonna pause for a second and let that sink in.... Christian brothers and sisters, we too, through the covenant in Christ’s blood are given a promise of victory!

Death has been defeated!

The grave has been conquered!

Our sins have been cast as far as the east is from the west!

Our King has come! Our kingdom is eternal!

And if this is our promise, we should enthusiastically live out this faith! It’s not just an exercise or activity; This message we proclaim is not simply a story nor a checklist for Sundays.

NO! We serve the Lord of Victory! In the book of Revelation, John records the vision of Jesus returning in

Revelation 19:11–16 NASB95

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Hey, let me ask you- how enthusiastic are you about your faith?

Elisha’s final moments demonstrate a man surrendered to the will of God. In them, Elisha proclaims enthusiastically the Lord of Victory. Oh, that the church today would be less like the king and more like Elisha!

Our text records in v. 20 that Elisha died… interestingly enough, God wasn’t done with him yet. This leads us into our final point today where we see Elisha’s final miracle.

Elisha’s Final Miracle Testifies of the Lord Almighty (20-21)

Let’s read v. 20-21 one more time (READ)

How many of you think this is a bit bizarre? Just me?

We could speculate about all kinds of things surrounding this account.

Why did these men choose Elisha’s tomb? Convenience? Intention?

How do you think they reacted?

But, the most important question we need to ask is, “What does this mean?”

Here’s what I want to point out: God did not need Elisha’s skill or compliance in order to perform this miracle! Elisha had been dead for some time, but God illustrated in this miracle that He is the source of power!

All those miracles at the hands of Elisha- the parting of the Jordan, the healing of the bitter waters in Jericho, the healing of the Shunammite’s child, the healing of the poisonous stew, making the axe head float- all of them must be understood in the same manner as this final one.

These miracles weren’t about the man Elisha - It was God’s power all along! It was God’s mighty hand working through His chosen vessel so that God’s people might hear the words of the prophet- turn from these impotent idols and serve the Almighty Yahweh!

Let’s get personal for a minute.

The greatest testimony of our Christian life might not be realized until after our death.

Can you imagine the man who was tossed in on Elisha’s bones? Don’t tell me he wasn’t radically changed by Elisha’s death!

For some of you, God may use your death to radically change someone else’s life. It might be that some distant family member or former classmate comes to your funeral and hears the testimony of your faith and hears the clear Gospel message of hope and victory, and through your death, they find life eternal in Christ!

ILL: That was the case for some of my family. My mom died when she was just 40 years old. This tragedy brought a number of folks who knew her to a funeral service where they heard the Gospel proclaimed. And in God’s power, there were a few who turned from their sin and trusted Christ as Lord… one of them was my uncle, my mom’s brother.

Elisha’s life was a billboard that pointed to God.

What about you?

Will your life resemble that of the king who lacked in faith and did not grasp the greatness of God, or will your legacy be one of enthusiastic faith and victory like Elisha?

Could you honestly say that your life testifies that you are surrendered to the Lord of History?

Does your message proclaim enthusiastically that our God is the Lord of Victory?

Will your death be a picture of God’s power so that long after you are gone, your life testifies to the Lord Almighty?

Church, I implore you - If your life is a reflection of anything other than Christ, won’t you come and surrender yourself to His Lordship today.

[PRAY]

Discuss: What would you change about your life if this were your final week?

Discuss: How enthusiastically do you live out your faith?

Discuss: How will your death testify of God’s power?