2 Kings 6:1–7 ‘“Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”’ (v5)
The ‘floating axe-head’ story is one of many about Elisha and his life as a prophet of God. These stories don’t take a chronological form, but are included in the overall narrative to show that God will reveal Himself even when His people do not follow Him.
Some biblical commentators think that this story follows the one about Naaman because both take place at the River Jordan.
Note the sparse prose of the story – there’s not a lot of comment about why the company of prophets need this new place to meet, or why they chose the location they did.
Nor is there a lot of hoopla about the miracle itself. As with some of the other miracles, Elisha doesn’t know everything (such as when he didn’t know that the Shunammite’s son had died); he has to ask where the axe-head was dropped.
He fashions a new handle for it, which could signify new beginnings, as with God’s help he fishes it out of the river.
Notice how God’s tender mercy is conveyed in this story. The man who dropped the valuable piece of kit cries out, ‘Oh no! It was borrowed!’
Probably meaning they had had to pray and ask for the donation of this item, making it that much more valuable. God sees this man’s distress and sends His prophet to rescue him.
God sees our anguish too and has sent His Son to rescue us. We have our ultimate salvation through His death on the cross, but we also experience so many everyday stories of His saving grace.
A Prayer To Make:
‘Lord Jesus Christ, Your saving love brings me redemption, hope and peace. May I live out this gift of love today. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
Ask God to open your eyes today to a gift of mercy He’s given you and then deliver a gift of mercy to someone near you.
Scripture To Consider:
Deut. 4:29–31; Lam. 3:22–23; Eph. 2:4–5; Heb. 4:14–16
