Extra Arrows

In the days of Joash King of Israel, the Syrians had reduced the army of Israel to a meager state. Joash inherited an army of fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen (2 Kings 13:7). In desperation Joash sought the counsel of a dying Elisha, and Elisha provided help by the power of God:

"And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." … And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground with them." And he struck three times and stopped. 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."" -2 Kings 13:15-19

Why did Joash stop shooting? Was he tired? Did he not see the importance of the task? Did he feel like he had done what was requested? Whatever his reasoning, it lacked the persistence Elisha expected. The man of God had commanded him to take the arrows and shoot them into the ground. He stopped with extra arrows, and the man of God became angry. This is a lesson about persistent obedience. Christians need to be persistently obedient to God.

• Be persistent in forgiveness. In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asks the Lord how many times he needs to forgive his brother. The Lord’s response is given in hyperbole: “up to seventy times seven.” Jesus’ point was this: be persistently forgiving. God expects His people to forgive as He has forgiven. Forgive always, and forgive all.
• Be persistent in evangelism. In Matthew 28:18-20, Christians are commanded to make disciples by baptizing them into Christ and teaching them His commands. There is no stopping point indicated, so the making of disciples is a constant goal for every Christian. Share the gospel with every lost soul, don’t stop with extra arrows! Be persistently evangelistic!
• Be persistent in sanctification. Paul wrote to the Romans saying, “…present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification” (Romans 6:19). The Christian’s pursuit of holiness in lifestyle continues until the day you die. Persistently pursue good works, and in so doing grow ever closer to the standard God has set forth in His Word.

While living on this earth, be persistently obedient to God. When you grow tired, when you don’t see the importance of God’s commands, when you feel like you’ve done what God wants already, check for arrows. Keep firing, and be persistently obedient to God!