ALAS, IT WAS BORROWED! -- Monday:
"But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed." (2 Kings 6:5)
The "sons of the prophets" were dwelling with the mighty prophet Elisha. There were so many of them, and the space was so restricted it became "too small" for them. It is a most pleasant thought to ponder, when the place where godly people gather together becomes too small to hold them. What a wonderful problem to have!
In our text, the "sons of the prophets" determined they would stay together, which required a building project. They presented their plan to Elisha. "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.' Then one said, ‘Please consent to go with your servants.' And he answered, ‘I will go'" (6:2-3). Every man would take part in the project, each one cutting down a tree. Too, they would not do it without the presence of the man of God. Elisha consented to the project, and said he would go with them. Thus the venture got under way.
Blessed projects, however, are not without difficulties. The men came to the Jordan River and "they cut down trees." As one "young man" was cutting down a tree, his ax head came loose and "fell into the water." Being iron, it sank forthrightly. The response of the young man is noteworthy. Immediately he cries out to Elisha, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed." He did not jump into the murky Jordan in a vain attempt to retrieve the ax head, but cried out to the man of God. He did not simply consider it a lost tool, because it did not belong to him, but was "borrowed." Wisdom and sensitivity were wed in this young man.
The exceptional prophet did not dismiss the matter as though it was of little consequence. They were engaged in a noble work, and that sanctified their activities and their tools. The person who had thought enough of the work to lend his ax to one of the "sons of the prophets" would not realize a loss because of it. His investment would also be protected in this most honorable work.
Elisha did not assume the retrieval himself, but required the involvement of the young man who lost the ax head. "Where did it fall?" he queried. We see the alertness of the young man, for "he showed him the place." This indicates that, had the young man been able, he would have retrieved the ax head himself. But now, all he could do is show the place where the ax head it had been lost.
Elisha then "cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float" (NKJV). To some, this miracle may appear most trivial, having little to do with spiritual matters. In this regard, it is much like Jesus causing a fish to deliver a coin to Peter with which to pay the "temple tax," imposed upon the Jews by the Mosaic Law for the support of the sanctuary (Ex 30:13; Matt 17:24-27). However, rather than being inconsequential, it confirms the interest our Lord has in life's most detailed involvements. "All" of our care is to be cast upon the Lord, from losing what is borrowed, to paying taxes levied upon us (1 Pet 5:7).
When the stick cut by the prophet hit the water, the iron ax head immediately came to the top, contradicting all natural law. Thus the prophet, empowered by God, used something natural to accomplish something supernatural, something often occurring in Scripture: i.e., Moses' rod (Ex 10:13), Samson's jawbone of an ass (Judges 15:15), a widow's last oil and flour (1 Kgs 17:12-116), and a young man's lunch in Jesus' hand (John 6:9-10).
Having, through the power of God, done what the young man could NOT do, the prophet now told him to do what he COULD do: "Pick it up for yourself" (NKJV, v. 7). The young man immediately "reached out his hand and took it." The crisis was over!
What may we learn from this most unusual event? After all, "all Scripture is profitable," and has been written "for our learning" (2 Tim 3:16; Rom 15:4). A number of things come to my mind.
1. Nothing is too trivial to bring to the Lord.
2, Our greatest wisdom and ability can fail in the most incidental matters.
3. Handling what belongs to someone else is always Serious– particularly in the matter of receiving graces and abilities from God.
4. It is good to know where the difficulty occurred, and where grace is needed.
5. God can bless what is available to us, bringing about an answer through it.
6. The Lord can enable us to recover what we have lost, taking possession of it again.
7. Whatever is involved in a work for God is important, and to be protected.
8. Everything natural yields to God's power.
PRAYER POINT: Father,