Give it Your All

2 Kings 13:14-19 ESV

Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” [15] And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. [16] Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. [17] And he said, “Open the window eastward,” 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 fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” [18] And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. [19] Then 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 made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.” 

As I read this passage, I saw once again a king’s heart being tested. He was asked to do something and he obeyed, but he didn’t do it as much as was expected of him. Look at verses 18 and 19. The king was told to strike the ground with the arrows; it should not have been a surprise that this going to be a picture of something (in verse 17 he already learned that the shooting of an arrow was a picture of Israel having victory over Israel). But the king only struck the ground three times. The bible doesn’t tell us why. It could have been he was already satisfied with the news of victory, so he just didn’t think it as important. We do that: while in a crisis we fervently pray for deliverance and once the crisis is over the prayers aren’t so fervent anymore.

Once again, I can only guess at the reason why he only hit the ground three times. What I do know is that he should have kept going. He should have given that task all that he had because it was God, through a prophet, putting the task before him. 

What does this tell us? Whatever the task God has put before you, do it with all you have (Col 3:23; 1 Cor 10:31). Joash missed out on a total blessing because his heart was not fully with the Lord. Likewise you could miss out on all God has for you if your heart is not fully with the Lord, but if you are fully seeking Him with your whole heart who can fathom the abundance (not just material) He has for you?