Its been said that the reason our country is so good at archery is because weve always practiced under the same temperatures, weather, and climate changes that can occur in real life. Training is key in everything, and same applies to do the QT, too. You need to have the Word youve heard and the Word youve applied so that when things happen, you can win with the Word. So 'the old ways' are the best kind of training. Today, Elisha, facing death, commands King Joash to shoot the arrow of salvation. Today, lets THINK about the arrows of salvation we need to shoot in honor of the holiday.
First, we need to shoot for the sin of Jeroboam, son of Nebat.
This king of northern Israel, like his father Jehoahaz, 'did evil in the sight of the LORD. what is evil in the eyes of God? It is not listening to Gods word and constantly weighing right and wrong. I hope the young couples who are married in faith these days are doing well, but they are impulsively talking about suicide and divorce, and they are fighting so frighteningly. I hope the parents will keep their center because they are fighting on the ranch. The world says there are reasons for divorce, and this is right and wrong I am right is the greatest sin. A person who has realized the history of the Redeemer thinks by replacing the evil of others with my evil, and uses gentle language even in the midst of suffering. Salvation is Gods domain, and we must shoot the arrows of salvation. Northern Israel cannot eradicate Jeroboams sin from generation to generation because of how deep the roots of sin are. No matter how many mournful signs God sends to each king to return, repeating, I have followed the sins of Jeroboam, I have followed the sins of Jeroboam, they will not turn back because I am right and you are wrong.
Second, you still have to shed tears.
The Bible doesnt record much of Elijahs life because he was still living well during his 40-plus years of ministry. He carried out his mission behind the scenes, out of sight, out of mind. God shows us in the text how Elijahs mission ended and he died. When Joash hears, that Elisha is going to die, he comes down to him. To 'come down' means spiritually to 'descend from a high place to a low place.' He calls Elijah with tears in his eyes, 'My father, chariot and horseman of Israel.' Israel is now destroyed by Aram. Israel is in a lowly situation, having been wiped out by the Arameans, and Elisha is seen as their best weapon, but Joashs descent into the presence of the man of God allows him to shoot an arrow of salvation. When events come that cause fear, worry, sadness, and surprise, there is hope if we humble ourselves and weep in response. The important thing is that we dont go down to the bottomless pit of despair, the pit of depression, the pit of death because were afraid and sad, and thats why we need an Elisha-like body of faith to lead us to the Word, and we need an event of suffering to lead us down to the Word. Friends, when something happens that frightens and surprises you, its an opportunity to get down to the Word. If you have a family member or a limb standing beside you right now shouting and urging you to 'come down here,' I want you to trust that they are sent by God. Dont wander off in the midst of hardship, come down to the seat of the Word, weep your heart out, and I will shoot you an arrow of salvation.
Third, you need be fully obedient to be fully victorious.
Joash comes down to Elisha and weeps, not out of faith, but out of unbelief and worry, but Elisha speaks to him and tells him to take his bow and arrows, to hold the bow with his hand, to lay his hand on the kings hand to reassure him, and then to open the east window and shoot an arrow at his dreaded enemy, the enemy of Israel. We need to do this too, cueing, asking, questioning, and being led step by step in the corral. Elisha explains that this arrow is an arrow of salvation for the LORD, an arrow of salvation against Aram. Its not an arrow for Israel, its an arrow for the LORD, for the glory of the LORD. When you fight for God, it becomes your faith, and God gives you strength. But when you fight for your own happiness, when you fight for your own marriage, it breaks down quickly. Next, Elisha tells Joash to pick up the arrow and strike the ground with it. Joash strikes three times and stops, and Elisha is angry. Joash only struck three times because he was 'thinking for himself,' like he didnt want to break his bow. He doesnt get the full victory because he wasnt fully obedient. We too must be perfect in our application to fully bear the fruit of soul salvation. Full obedience is doing only what we have been told, and God gives us full victory when we cutie every day and obey as much as He gives us in a day.
Theres a story about Deacons Stock, a dentist like Joas, who is good at what hes told to do, and hes good at talking about himself, but hes also good at stock. He listens too much and doesnt listen too much. He asks me to pray for him while hes doing it, which others do in secret. And in answer to his prayers, his stock 'explodes. After 21 years of carrying the stock, his house is broken, his hospital is broken, hes a salaried doctor, but he comes to church, he listens to me, and his children are newly married at church.
Can you believe that after 21 years of coming every week to weep and wail to stop divorce, there have been very few divorces? Its not like theres a Joas out there. You dont win a marriage, you dont win a cutie, you dont win a company, you dont win a whole lot of things because you think its unorthodox. There is no exception for the home, and as we celebrate this holiday, may the Lord shoot a saving arrow into the evil value of 'Im right' in your home, and may you come down to the seat of the Word in tears when it doesnt make sense, and may you be fully obedient and fully victorious.
