2Ki 13:17-19 (AMPC)
17 And he said, Open the window to the east. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria. For you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek till you have destroyed them.
18 Then he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike on the ground. And he struck three times and stopped.
19 And the man of God was angry with him and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had destroyed it. But now you shall strike Syria down only three times.
V19: MOGs can get angry—and even makes whips and cane those who misbehave
The context of the verse is set within a transition period of the change of the guard! The old guard was being retired and a way made for the new.
Elisha when younger was described as "… Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah." 2Ki 3:11 (KJV). After his service to the MOG, he saw the prophet taken away in a Chariot and the Prophet dropped his mantle to young Elsiha—making him the new Head Prophet. Here in this verse, Elisha has had a wonderful ministry and is ill and about to die. Unfortunately, he did not have a successor.
His spiritual son was the King. He came to him and stated:
2Ki 13:14 (AMPC) …Jehoash king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen of it! [2Ki 2:12]
Where have we heard this before? We heard this years ago when Elisha said the same concerning his father Eljah:
2 Kings 2:12 (AMPC) And Elisha saw it and he cried, My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen! And he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
The man of God is the strength of a nation and its army. It could be a nation of architects or a nation of people like Israel. When these MOGs were about to leave, those left behind shouted, “My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen”. Elijah was not the biological father of Elisha, and neither was Elisha, the biological father of Jehoash. Why then this statement? They are referring to spiritual realities.
Elijah left behind his cloak to his son Elisha. Elisha is not on record as passing the anointing to anyone after him because we have the record that it all remained in his bones—hence his bones raising a dead man from the dead.
But why did Elisha not pass the mantle the same way Elijah did? The simple answer is there was none to wash his hands the right way—Elisha did not have a Joshua or Elisha worthy enough. His sib the King did no wash his hands. He had Gehazi but Gehazi disqualified himself. Not all who begin well finish well.
2Ki 5:25-27 (KJV)
25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
Sometimes fathers are forced to curse their sons for dishonoring God.—by dishonouring the MOG. The only one who came close to a son of Elisha was the King Jehoash.
When he saw the prophet was ill, he made the same statement—“My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen”.
Elisha could not pass on the mantle to the King who did not merit it, so rather he tried to secure his son, the King’s future against his enemies. Yes, Fathers can secure their children’s future. But instead of doing the securing, he left it in the hands of God of the son.
This is how it always is. You always leave the decision of how much blessing the children get to themselves. My actions and your actions here on this platform has set certain futures in place for you. I determine nothing. You determine everything by your conduct.
In this case, the son could have chosen a lifetime victory because his father’s anointing could have afforded it but he chose a 3x victory—" And the man of God was angry with him and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had destroyed it. But now, you shall strike Syria down only three times.”
The son was given the opportunity to dictate their future, but he messed up.
Whenever a man of God gives you a task or an assignment [does not have to be me], take it seriously—no matter how menial it looks like. It might set the course of your future—good or bad. Do not be a Gehazi or Jehoash but be wise. Put more premium on spiritual things than physical things. Elijah the Father of Elisha had many sons in the school of the prophets but only one—Elisha—made it because he prioritized spiritual things and the anointing over physical things. He had his priorities straight. You determine your future—not God! Your present was likewise shaped by you.
