The Floating Axe-Head (Waitara Edition)

Introduction

Body

As you’re well aware of the title, we’re going to look at the story of the floating Axe-Head and it is quiet interesting this story. First off, and it’s quiet obvious, have you ever seen a axe-head that floats? Try any thick solid metal the size of an axe-head and tell me if it floats? It’s impossible correct? So, what we’re seeing here is something supernatural; a miracle!

Secondly, when you read this story, what significance does this story share to help us in our understanding of God? Or, of Jesus?

Now, as we go through these 7 verses, we’re going to go through each verse one by one to shape the context of this message, once we have established the context, I am going to share my interpretation of these verses and how it is applicable with us. I will also share a bit of my testimony to make it interesting.

We start with our first verse in 2 Kings 6:1

2 Kings 6:1 NKJV

1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us.

School of the Prophets

In the first verse we find Elisha and the sons of the prophets, some other translations says Elisha is with a ‘company’ or ‘group’ of prophets. In Hebrew translation it says בְנֵי־הַנְּבִיאִים - benee ha navi’im (sons of the prophet), does that mean that they were children from a prophet/prophetess? Were they a school of the prophets in training? Why is it important if they were?

Well it is important as it will be essential to my interpretation of this message, it is believed that these sons of the prophet or group/company of prophets is in fact a school of the prophets.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Titles and History of the Prophets

Elisha clearly had such a group under his instruction (2 Kgs 6:1), and “sons of the prophets” (e.g., 2 Kgs 2:3, 5; Am 7:14) probably refers to “prophet in training” under the care of a master V 2, p 1782 p 1782 prophet.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary Prophet, I

The “sons of the prophets” were not necessarily direct recipients of the prophetic gift, but were divinely called, as are gospel ministers today, to instruct the people in the will and ways of God. The schools of the prophets were a powerful force to restrain the tide of evil that often threatened to submerge the Hebrew people in a flood of idolatry, materialism, and injustice, and provided a barrier against the fast-spreading wave of corruption. These schools provided for the mental and spiritual training of selected young men who were to become the teachers and leaders of the nation.

Who do you think was the founder of this school? Moses? Joshua? Samuel?

It appears that Samuel may have founded the school of the prophets, as a prophet himself, he trained up people to guide and direct worship to the True God of Israel.

God saw it fit for this school to form to educate His people and prepare them for something very important. Why else would they be called the school of the prophets?

But, keep that thought in mind. It’ll come in handy later on in the sermon.

So returning back to 2 Kings 6, what were the sons of the prophets asking of Elisha?

2 Kings 6:1–2 NKJV

1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.” So he answered, “Go.”

So, who is in charge here? Elisha is in charge of the prophets and they were asking to relocate their school and their home to the river Jordan using the wood there. Elisha accepts and in verse 3-4 they ask Elisha to come with them and he agrees as they arrive and start work in cutting the trees down.

Inviting the leader

I want you to stop and think about that, these guys didn’t need the leaders help, I am sure the prophet Elisha had more important places to go to than travel and be around these prophets in training. I mean, Elisha could have travelled to Samaria, the capitol of the Northern Kingdom (Israel), and counselled king Joram, the king of Israel.

But they invited Elisha to join them in their travel and Elisha agreed to join them and spend time with them building.

The Floating Axe-Head

We now come to the part where they are cutting down the trees and someone becomes overly dramatic in losing something borrowed.

2 Kings 6:5 NLT

5 But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”

If you were one of the people working with this guy, in our day and age, you would tell this guy to take a chill pill and go to the nearest Bunnings and get another one. At least then it would be a new one that you can return to the guy. Here you go, you can get a good axe at Bunnings for <$50.

Or, if you were in that period of time you could just go to any blacksmith and get one made easily. Right?

But, it is not so simple, first off, these sons of the prophets had limited money (in most cases they would have shared the money together but that wouldn’t have been enough).

However, have a read of this, it comes from the law of Moses, one that this prophet in training should have been familiar with and should have been aware of.

Deuteronomy 19:5 NLT

5 For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety.

So, the losing of an axe-head may seem like a common occurrence and it would appear that this prophet wasn’t paying attention to the axe-head (of which it was borrowed).

[Share a story about something borrowed]

This prophet should of been more aware with an axe-head that would have been dangerous if it flew off the handle, they could have seriously hurt other people nearby.

To add to that, although there may have had a blacksmith maybe nearby, most of these blacksmith would have been busy with the war effort against Syria or other neighbouring aggressive kingdoms that Israel had to prepare for. So, getting a new axe-head would have been expensive and the waiting time for the a metal object to be completed would have to wait till after the conflict.

Understanding the situation.

So you can understand the dilemma this prophet in training, who being a keeper of the law of Moses, is experiencing. This individual may have no money but is obliged to pay back what was lost. How is this individual able to pay back? They would be indebted to the person that they borrowed this item from.

We call this individual a prophet in training right? Unfortunately, this prophet didn’t see this coming that’s for sure, some prophet hey?

The leader that saves the day.

When we see the next two verses we come to the climax of this story, the miracle that concludes this story.

2 Kings 6:6–7 NKJV

6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

Elisha comes and saves the day, but observe now how he proceeds in assisting the prophet in retrieving the lost item.

Elisha starts with a question, “where did it fall?”; Elisha is then shown where it fell into, so he cuts off a stick and throws it in that same place and the axe-head floats. Elisha then commands the prophet to get it and work resumes (I presume).

Application

So, that’s that story, does that conclude the message? No, because I haven’t gotten started on the application of this message to ourselves, this message has a lot of applications especially for us as Seventh-day Adventists Christians in these last days.

Now bare with me as we return to the start of this story, but this time I am going to share this from my personal point of view and how it is important for you and me.

Adventists - School of the Prophets.

As Seventh-day Adventists, what distinguishes us is our interpretation of biblical prophecy, it is through prophecy and the expectation of the Lord’s soon return that we prepare and ready ourselves for that wonderful and awesome day. In so doing, we also share this good news; the everlasting gospel, to prepare others for that wonderful day.

Let me reiterate what was mentioned regarding the School of the Prophets from the Adventist Bible Dictionary.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary Prophet, I

The “sons of the prophets” were not necessarily direct recipients of the prophetic gift, but were divinely called, as are gospel ministers today, to instruct the people in the will and ways of God. The schools of the prophets were a powerful force to restrain the tide of evil that often threatened to submerge the Hebrew people in a flood of idolatry, materialism, and injustice, and provided a barrier against the fast-spreading wave of corruption. These schools provided for the mental and spiritual training of selected young men who were to become the teachers and leaders of the nation.

Do you see a linkage to us as Seventh-day Adventist Christians?

We are divinely called as gospel ministers today! We know about the soon return of Jesus, we know what He would want us to do, how are we directing people to Him? How are we becoming the teachers and leaders of the everlasting gospel message? How are we doing that for Jesus?

Especially when it comes to COVID-19? Should a pandemic stop the everlasting gospel message? Should the pandemic stop us from preparing our neighbours and friends to learn more about Jesus?

The movement

Now the next part can involve the church or as an individual, but the school of the prophets decides to relocate and to the river Jordan because there is plenty of wood there for building.

But, before they made the move, who did they consult first? Their leader, Elisha, the prophet of Israel, and the spokesman of God.

But who do we call for or pray to when we are making a decision in life? Jesus, the Son of God and Author and Finisher of our faith.

[Share testimony on how you became a Pastor]

Strathfield Chinese church —> 3am

Work —> serve the Lord for 1 year

Pr Daniel Chong —> inspired me to pastor (declined because no future)

Dad passed away 2011 —> decision to go into ministry

Every step of my journey there have been countless of times I asked the Lord for His guidance, sometimes there I didn’t ask, but I know that there were people who were praying for me.

Where ever we go or whatever we do, how often do we consult our Leader? Our Great Teacher? How many of us pray for others?

Even though I faced opposition in choosing this path as a minister, in the end, I consulted with the Lord and He has lead and guided me to where I am.

Imagine where you could be if you consult the Lord in prayer?

Something else mention, as an individual, when we think about the school of the prophets they were going to Jordan to build, presumably their homes and school.

What is it that is spiritual that we should be building with the Lord? It is our relationship with Christ? Where does Christ dwell? In us of course. As it is written:

1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT

19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

What is your relationship with Christ Jesus? Have you invited your Leader to help build this temple within you that He may dwell with you? Is your Great Teacher part of your daily plans? Are you moving together with Him?

Consult with the Lord and build your faith and trust in Him and see the wonders of the Lord at work in your life. This is what I’ve experienced and you too can experience that too.

Now, when we build we need tools to help us build, what are the tools to help build this temple? To help build this relationship with Him?

Borrowed tools

[lift up Bible] What is this?

Did I earn this? Did you earn this?

[Ask people to open Bible, or Bible app] Open it up, look inside it, are these your stories?

Look at the godly people that have died in the Bible and think about the people that have died through all ages, all of the martyrs. Why did they die? [Look to the Bible]

Let me ask you this question, your lives, do you own it? Is it yours to parade?

Do you see where I am getting at? Are you catching what I am throwing at you?

The Word of God that we have in our hands is a borrowed tool from God!

All those books, chapters, and verses are testimonies (THEIR STORIES) of what they experienced and not of our own. We look to them as examples, we look to them to build our faith, we search the Scriptures of people who looked forward to Jesus and who experienced Jesus.

But this Mighty Tool that helps build a relationship with our Loving Saviour can easily slip from our hands if we’re not careful with it, just like the prophet and their axe.

Just like the prophet, it is an expensive loss to lose the Word of God.

However, it’s not only the Word of God that is a borrowed tool!

Piano/organ (borrowed)

The pews (borrowed)

Cameras (borrowed)

This church (borrowed)

What is the church? Is it the building or the people?

This building is a tool!

Are any of these yours? I see names of other people on the plaques and so forth, is this yours? Or is it a borrowed item from God?

How are we fully utilising and being mindful of God’s items? As stewards we are held accountable and just like that if we’re not weary it can be lost!

Jesus will help us when we’re lost

But even if we’ve lost this important borrowed tool, Jesus will not leave us or depart from us.

I mean, you may have backslidden or been neglectful in your faith or God’s tools and you’re feeling guilty and ashamed.

The key thing is to remember what Elisha said to the prophet “where did it fall?”

In situations when you feel that you are so far away from Jesus, when you are lost and searching for your borrowed tool to get you back on track with Him. “Where did it fall?” or “where did you fall?”

Look back and reflect where you have backslidden, consult and point to where failed, Jesus won’t throw you a stick like Elisha, but He will show you His cross and you will find your way back to Him.

Do you get that? Elisha threw a stick and saved the poor prophet, Jesus was nailed to a tree to save our poor souls.

You do not need to panic for Christ has saved you, you just need to point to where you have fallen and He will bring back His Word to restore you to Him.

1 John 1:9 NKJV

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus wants to help build

​Jesus wants to help build this temple within us, He wants to help build a mission for this church. He wants this school of prophets to do His work and to spread the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred and tongue. He has given us so many tools and equipment, it’s up to us to utilise it and be mindful of it.

To be good stewards!

He wants us to go out in faith and use what He has borrowed to us for His glory.

Paul says:

Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Borrowed time

Friends, everything that we have, the Bible, this church and our lives are borrowed. The breath that we breathe is God’s, the life that is in us is God’s because He gave His Son to die for our sins.

The time that we have left on this earth is borrowed, I am turning 40 this year, the average Australian lives up to 82 years old, that’s another 42 years give or take left in this body but anything can happen between here and then.

God is the Creator of Time and He could come at any moment even during my lifetime. However, how am I using this borrowed life for His glory?

I don’t want to scare you, I am not trying to scare you. I want you to know that these days are all important and God is Merciful and Loving that we have these days as a blessing like all things that are borrowed, because we didn’t pay for it, Jesus did, We are blessed because Jesus helps us complete the task that we need to complete.

Jesus isn’t distant or busy, but He is personal and present, He will not depart from you because He is in you!

Do you know the greatest thing about borrowed items? Borrowed items can be given to us freely, and this is what we call ‘amazing grace’. Where we receive something for keeps that we don’t deserve. That’s how amazing our God is.

Conclusion

God is Gracious, we serve a Loving God, there is nothing to fear in Him for His perfect love casts out all fear.

So, let’s all work together to help build this school and be the ministers that He is wanting us to be. To tell people of that great and awesome day and prepare for His arrival.

Consult with Jesus with the decisions you’re making in life, let Him take part with making those choices.

Christ is coming and what God has given us is borrowed. They are borrowed because God wants to help us get everything ready and heading in the right track.

So, look to your Bibles [raise Bible] this is an important tool.

Hebrews 4:12 NLT

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Will you treasure it?

Will you guard it?

Will you consult it?

Will you use it?

[This church building]