2 Kings 13:20 - Meaning and Application

We must pay attention here to two things, the grave of Elisha and the victories of Joash.

First, Elisha was buried after a long, good life. What happens next shows, in one way, the power his life had in keeping judgment away. As soon as he was dead, Moabite bands invaded the land. These were not large armies fighting openly, but roaming groups that attacked by surprise, killing and stealing. God has many ways to punish a people who keep provoking him. The king had been worried only about the Syrians, but now the Moabites came instead. Trouble often comes from the very place we least expect it. The fact that this is mentioned right after Elisha’s death suggests that when God removes his faithful prophets, it can be a sign that judgment is near. When ambassadors are called back, messengers of war may soon follow.

Second, Elisha’s dead body showed great power when it gave life to another dead body (2 Kings 13:21). This miracle is told very briefly, but it strongly proved that Elisha was truly sent by God and that all his prophecies could be trusted. It also points clearly to life after this life. When Elisha died, that was not the end of him, because a dead man could not do this. From what he did, we can infer that he still existed. It showed that the Lord was still the God of Elisha, and therefore Elisha was still alive, since God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. It may also point ahead to Christ, by whose death and burial the grave becomes for all believers a safe and happy path into life. It also hinted that although Elisha was dead, Israel’s hopes, which seemed completely lost, would yet rise again because of the promises given through him.

The men were carrying a dead body to burial. When they saw a band of Moabites nearby, they were afraid to continue, so they laid the body in the nearest place they could find. That place happened to be Elisha’s tomb. When the dead man touched Elisha’s bones, he came back to life, and likely went home with his friends. Josephus tells the story differently, saying that thieves robbed and murdered a traveler, then threw the body into Elisha’s grave, where it at once revived. Elijah was honored at the time of his departure. Elisha was honored after his departure. God gives honor as he pleases, but in one way or another, all the saints will be glorious at last (Isaiah 11:10). It is a good thing to be near the saints and to share our lot with them in life and in death.

Next, we see the sword of Joash, king of Israel, and we find it successful against the Syrians. The reason for his success was God’s favor (2 Kings 13:23). The Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them in their misery, and looked on them with kindness. These different expressions mean much the same thing, and they call us to notice and admire the triumphs of God’s goodness in saving such a provoking people. It was because of the Lord’s mercies that they were not destroyed, for he would not destroy them yet. He knew they would finally ruin themselves, but for the moment he gave them time and room to repent. God’s slowness in punishing sinners should be seen as mercy, not as weakness in justice.

The result of Joash’s success was good for Israel. He took back from Benhadad the cities of Israel that the Syrians had held (2 Kings 13:25). This helped the cities themselves, because they were freed from oppression, and it helped the whole kingdom, because it became stronger when those cities were recovered. Joash defeated the Syrians three times, just as he had struck the ground three times with the arrows, and then his victories stopped. Many people have later regretted, when it was too late, both their lack of trust and the smallness of their desires.