Monday, 05 July 2010
-
Elisha's Floating Axehead: What Does it Mean?
"So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down 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.' Then 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."2 Kings 6:4-7 (English Standard Version)
This is my interpretation, what do you think? I figured this out all by myself today.
The man of God in the story is Elisha, successor to Elijah (my hero). He was building a larger shelter for some people, and the people then proceeded to the River Jordan to cut logs near the River Jordan to build the new shelter. One person that swung to cut logs lost his axehead flying off the shaft and falling into the water. Axeheads were normally constructed out of iron or bronze. So naturally they would sink to the bottom of the River Jordan, never to be found again.Now, l think I figured out what it could mean: the axehead sinks down to the bottom of the river because it is made of iron; the natural inclination was the axehead to fall since iron is heavier than water. I am born naturally sinful and dead in my sins; beyond any human intervention to save me from going to hell. I am the axehead.
Yet something as insignificant as an axehead, God would send his Son to save us from our sins. So that something miraculous would happen: that the axehead would float. For the axehead to float is totally unnatural and not according to the laws of nature. It seems totally stupendous that we can put on the blood of Jesus Christ who God sees instead of us. The axehead was floating not because of anything that the axehead had done but only through what God's messenger Elisha had said.
The miracle is this: sins made us sink down to the bottom when we were beyond hope, but God came and made us float above the water that flows over our lifeless bodies. That is what I think is interesting about the passage.
"Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!" Isaiah 10:15 (English Standard Version)
May great discernment be given to those who think they can manipulate the hearts of man for 'evangelism'. Only God can make these stubborn axeheads float.
Do you agree or disagree? What does this interpretation mean for our lives?
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to revelife's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in revelife's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: llamalima@xanga
- About Me: Who am I? I am 19 year old university student, prone to stressing over about some assignment due the next day. I sometimes have time to blog mostly about Christian thoughts. In my spare time, I am also a musical connoisseur, ninja, movie junkie, and full-time hypochondriac. I may have lied about one of those, or a few.
-
True
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 162 Views: 0 143715 Comments: 0 1733 View all posts by llamalima@xanga
Comments (23)
I like this interpretation a great deal. Thanks for sharing. I have wondered what the point of this story is and I think you may have found an excellent one.
Creative, but I really don't think that's what the story was trying to communicate. I don't think most Old Testament narratives were meant to be allegories for Christ. There are some (Abraham sacrificing Isaac) but this one doesn't seem to have that intent. Sometimes I think it's best for us to allow narratives to be narratives (to simply tell us what happened) rather than searching for a hidden meaning.
If there's any specific meaning to the miracle, my guess is that it has something to do with Elisha's reputation as the prophet. In the previous chapter, a gentile named Namaan was instructed by his Israelite wife to seek the prophet for healing. He is healed, and says that there is no God but the God of Israel. Perhaps the miracle in chapter 6 has to do with God wanting to preserve the reputation of the prophet (and consequently, God's own name.) That's just speculation, although I think we should first try to find meaning for the miracle within the text, rather than seeing it as an allegory.
The idea that we cannot save ourselves is biblical, but that is not the point of this story afaik.
While I don't think that is the interpretation of the miracle, or that there need be one for this miracle, I do like that you took the opportunity to share the Gospel.
I agree with @Theophilus166@xanga - @stuartandabby@xanga - @MagisterTom@xanga - especially where @Theophilus166@xanga - said - "Sometimes I think it's best for us to allow
narratives to be narratives (to simply tell us what happened) rather
than searching for a hidden meaning."
I agree with the general trend of comments (this is probably a first). Its definitely creative and a I'm happy you took the chance to illustrate the gospel, but the point of this story is possibly not exactly as narrated. Though I have no problem with it.
Very interesting though. Keep it up.
I also agree with the above comments.
That being said I believe that different things will speak to us at different times from the Bible, if this really seemed to stick out to you perhaps it's what you needed to hear at the time or something.
I've read the bible cover to cover but I still don't know it. Nobody can ever fully know the bible because it changes when our perspective changes. Different messages for different times in our life.
Great article.
Like others have said, I think it is good to look for the face-value interpretation of a passage first, but it is possible for literary works (including the Bible) to have multiple layers of meaning. For example, the account of Moses striking the rock with his staff has plenty of meaning in its own context: God gave Moses instructions, and Moses let his angerlead him to disobey God's instructions. We should understand the face-value meaning and take it as a warning for our own lives. However, when Paul talks about the story, he says the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). He seems to be ok with reading deeper meanings into historical accounts.
People do tend to understand truths better when they hear analogies. Your analogy of the axehead paints a vivid picture of our sinfulness and God's salvation.
We in the west are analytical, people of the East are intuitive, typically. The writers of the Bible saw and understood things in pictures, we call that "hidden meanings". To them these things are not hidden at all. All of the Bible points to Christ, so I understand your interpretation as right on.
I would add to it though, water always refers to creation, cleansing, Holiness, the Word and life. Miricles are almost always a sign or a wonder. (hidden meanings)
Deut. 29:29 says: The Hiden things belong to God but the revealed belong to us and to our sons forever..." I'll remember the 'revealed' thing you shared and share it with my children too.
@Kidd - @deepestrecesses - @musterion99@xanga - @MagisterTom@xanga - @stuartandabby@xanga - @Theophilus166@xanga - In my original post, I did not say that it was an intepretation of the verse. I agree with your comments. I only was using the miracle as illustrative of the principle that God is the effector of our faith, therefore, just like the axehead.
Sorry, not intended at all to be what the verse in itself means.
@llamalima@xanga - Thanks for the clarification.
The axe handle would shrink.Oboviously like the minds of some of the readers who commented.When the axe flies through the air and off it's shaft it could at any point strike another worker,and kill him.The axe was also used as a weapon.And when someone swings it in a fit of rage he or she is what they call flying off the handle.To understand the apranax method elisha returns to the point of where the axe has landed.And resurfices the root of the problem for all to see.The miricle in all this is that spiritual baptisim works the same way.When a dog returns to his own vomit he is so stupid he eats it again.Thus recreating a similar situation for himself.But with spiritual repentance of knowing that one is accountable for thier sins.And then understanding the sacrifice on the cross.We then can understand spiritualy that the water baptisim cannot raise us from the dead.But the spiritual baptisim is where the Holy Spirit lifts us up after death and returns the broken shaft back to the savior to be redeamed.And the miricle is that we can be redeamed from any state as long as we understand the principle of forgiveness,and believe in the one who made that possible.Spiritual repentance is where in your heart you worship God for who he is,and his the truth of his wisdom.repentance means a changeof heart spiritually then.And by believing in God you then apply his wisdom to your life,and never look back.Unfortunatelly,We are all still in the santification stages.And I hope that we all will rejoice at the glorification ceromonies!Thank you,The Klamath Knight
THE TRUTH HERE IS SIMPLE AND PLAIN.
1. THE MAN LOST HIS POWER TO WORK. WITHOUT THE SPIRIT OF GOD WE CANNOT DO WHAT WE SHOULD FOR THE LORD. WE RECEIVE POWER FROM GOD. WITHOUT GOD WE ARE POWERLESS.
2.THIS MAN LOST HIS POWER WHILE WORKING!! HE WAS SO BUSY HE DID NOT TAKE TIME TO CHECK AND SEE IF THE AXE-HEAD WAS LOOSE. I HAVE SEEN SCORES OF PEOPLE SO BUSY DOING GOD'S WORK THAT THEY NEVER HAVE TIME FOR PRAYER, BIBLE READING AND WORSHIP. WORKING IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY. MAKE SURE THE AXE-HEAD IS TIGHT!!
3. THIS MAN LOST WHAT WAS NOT HIS OWN. "IT WAS BORROWED". I KNOW WHAT SOME BELIEVE AND TEACH.... BUT HERE IS A SOLEMN TRUTH... GOD COMES TO THE HEART AND TAKES UP HIS RESIDENCE. BUT THAT RELATIONSHIP MUST BE MAINTAINED. THERE ARE ALOT OF PEOPLE TODAY WHO WERE ONCE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT... BUT NOW NO LONGER ARE. LIKE SAMSON THEY WAKE UP AND KNOW NOT THAT GOD IS GONE OUT OF THEIR LIVES UNTIL THEY NEED THE POWER TO RESIST TEMPTATION AND FIND THAT THE KEEN EDGE OF THEIR EXPERIENCE IS NO LONGER THERE. LIKE THIS MAN THE AXE-HEAD IS LOST.
4. THIS MAN BECAME CONSCIOUS OF HIS LOSS. HE CRIED OUT "ALAS MASTER". HE CALLED THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD HELP HIM. IF YOU ARE WITHOUT GOD'S SPIRIT CALL ON THE MASTER HE WILL HEAR AND HELP YOU.
5. THIS MAN'S POWER WAS RESTORED. HE CONFESSED HIS LOSS. HE WENT BACK TO THE SPOT WHERE HE LOST THE AXE-HEAD. HE EXERCISED FAITH..."HE PUT FORTH HIS HAND AND TOOK IT." GOD STILL OFFERS HIS SPIRIT TO ALL WHO WILL PAY THE PRICE AND CONFESS THEIR LOSS.
THAT IS WHAT THIS INCIDENT IS ABOUT. POWER LOST AND POWER REGAINED. PRAYERFULLY EXAMINE THIS STORY AND YOU WILL CLEARLY SEE THIS WONDERFUL TRUTH THAT GOD HAS BLESSED US WITH. AND IF YOU HAVE LOST THE EGDE OFF OF YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD, THERE IS A WAY TO REGAIN IT.
Its funny that most think there is only one meaning to a Bible stories - if you watch Gods working closely with humans He always has many different things He is trying to help us understand. He is the most efficient being in the universe and utilizes every opportunity to help us in many ways with our journey through life. Plus I am sure there are so many ways that God uses everything in nature and our little world here as a lesson book for the universe - not just us
He utilizes our world as the lesson book for other unfallen beings so that they can understand this terrible thing called sin and why it is so deadly (remember our little world is the one the Great Shepard left the 99 unfallen ones for to save us)
Nicely done, the deeper your relasionship with God the more He will reveal. Seek God always. Â
first off greetings and blessings to all my brothers and sisters that may read this. how great it is for believers to read and study the Word of God "together" and seek the meaning of it! Thank God for His Word which is a lamp unto our feet and His Spirit that leads us to all truth!!
Just a couple comments for ya all. 1. I believe it is very appropriate to look at all text especially in the OT as plain narrative and as allegory. Neither perspective is wrong. but both can/must be approached. I know on this article there has been some debate some saying u shouldn't some maybe saying u have to. I believe the truth is, both r true. obviously there is no defense needed for the opinion of this being narrative so i wont touch on that but to those that aren't comfortable with finding allegory underneath the text id like to share something. (this being said i dont believe we should look at the Bible as only allegorical. ppl have a tendency of making the Bible only allegorical, that i believe to their detriment. for example making the book of Revelation all allegorical. I believe even though there is allegory in the Bible, God meant most of it to be literal. He says what He means and means what He says.) That being said:
Jesus said in Mat. 5:17 He has come to fulfill the law and the prophets and in Jn 5:39 that all scripture, (which at the time was only the OT) testified of Him. That being said i think that u can find Jesus on every page of the OT, but u have to look for Him there. Let me give u an example.
In Ex. 17:6 God commands Moses to hit the rock to bring forth water that the nation may drink. He does so and water comes forth. He does well. Then once again in Num. 20:11, the Israelites find themselves back at the same rock and thirsty, needing a miracle. God now commands Moses to speak to the rock. He disobeys and strikes the rock. He disobeys God and sins. We find out later that because of this one sin he is told he cannot enter the promise land. So after serving God FAITHFULLY for 120 yrs, leading a very unfaithful ppl across the desert for 40 yrs, they get to go over the Jordan to the promise land at least the believing generation and Moses for one "lil" sin is disqualified! Outrageous right? He didnt do anything blasphemous. He did what previously was accepted. And now there is no grace in this lil incident. How can God be fair but treat Moses so unfairly. Here's the issue. These 2 events at the waters of Meribah the Lord wanted to be analogous of Christ and His 2 comings. The first to be struck down, but in doing so, brings forth the waters of sanctification and baptism. The second time as not struck, but triumphant bringing forth the glorification of His ppl and His kingdom on the Earth. This was meant to be a sign and a prophesy of their coming messiah and Moses messed it all up. He destroyed the analogy! And when there is greater responsibility comes greater consequences. the point in all of this to say that while these stories are plain and textbook narratives, Jesus says they all speak of Him and essentially gives us permission and even tests us as He did the pharisees 2000 yrs ago, to see if it be true.
so going back to Elisha and the ax, i really dont know what to think it all means yet, thats kind of why i stumbled on this page. ha. but u all had thought provoking things to say, so thank you!
Nice try evryone, but we must remember to keep this in context first. The prophet had just recently Healed Naaman the Syrian leper, knowing that he is going to battle against Isreal in the near future. He is confronted by one of his servants to build a bigger house. You will notice that Elijah says "go" and then the servant begs him to come with them. Elijah the leader of these men and the prohet was not without vision of the present and future. He goes with them because he knows they have taken risk they shouldn't engage in and we find this out by the man who loses a borrowed ax. No man can build except he first count up the cost of building the bible tells us this. Like many of Gods people we forget the real battle that we are in, and we get impatient and desire more things, more confort, more power. We borrow ourselves into much debt trying to fix problems. Why did they not tell Elijah they borrowed the ax? He was covering it from the man of God. Notice how he cries out Alas! which is to say, "all is lost!" But Elijah because he knew ahead of time what was going to happen and where it would happen was prepared as a leader should be, to bail out his devoted follower. There are crises all around Elijah and he is not busy trying to build a bigger house, it was his followers who wanted more room. Paul writes, ":Godliness with content is great gain. Like Elijah, Jesus saves us from the debt of sin that we should have paid. He delivers us from the faults that we have in our life, he rescues us deliberatley regardless to how lost we are , or how heavy the burden we are carrying because of our bad decisions during the time of war.
Hope you all get my message.
Pastor Mario V. Price Zion Community Worship Center, A ministry for those who just need hope, and want to spread hope in Christ.
731-736-0992
mvp@pricelessmvp.com
@skypilot - i fully agree with ur comment here.power lost,power regained.
Love your analogy... I would add on to say that the piece of wood that Elisha threw down represents the cross of Jesus and it is the finished work of the cross alone that can redeem us from our state of sin and make us float again! Thank you for sharing.
My comment is concerning the "This is my interpretation...
I figured this out all by myself today."
I commend you on allowing God to use this story to share the gospel through you; but keep in mind, "Flesh & blood did not reveal that to you. It was by HIS Spirit, HIS revelation, for HIS glory. Without HIM, you (alone) could figure nothing.Be sure that He get's the glory...that they may see your good works and glorify HIM"!God Bless You!@kidpastor - Nice!
I liked your interpretation but your comment "I figured this out all by myself today" also stood out to me. kidpastor offered a gentle reminder :) Thank You both!
Great insight I loved your analogy. Keep it up
The spirit of the Lord has revealed to me, that It's all about FAITH. Nothing is impossible with GOD, just believe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A follower and servant of Jesus!