The Axe Head That Swam
(2 Kings 6:1-7)
In this article, we are to consider a matter that occurs in the Second of Kings Chapter 6, looking at the types and shadows that may be involved. We read from the passage as follows:
“And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, ‘Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too straight for us.” [That is too narrow and small] Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan,” [that is the river Jordan] and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell…” (2 Kings 6:1-2)
“So he [Elisha] went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water. And he cried, and said, ‘Alas, master! For it was borrowed. And the man of God [Elisha] said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he [Elisha] cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron [the iron axe head] did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and he took it.” (verses 4-7).
So we shall consider the types that may be involved in the words we have highlighted above:
- Elisha
- axe head
- too narrow
- river Jordan
- cut down wood
- [The] “one”
- Axe head did swim
- he took it
- a stick
ELISHA
“Elisha”, is made up of the word EL, which is a common word for God, but literally means Strength, and iSh(u)a, which signifies Is Saviour ie. God is the Saviour. (source: Gesenius etc.)
The Heavenly Father is the Saviour ultimately, because he provided our Saviour – the Lord Jesus. Christ. But when the Lord Jesus received the Holy Spirit without “measure” at his baptism (John1:32; 3:34) then, by the Spirit ”God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2Cor.5:19) so “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim.3:16) and thus Christ became “Emmanuel … God with us” (Mat.1:23).
We think, therefore, that Elisha typifies the Holy Spirit with which Jesus was Anointed (Grk. Chrio– made Christ – Acts 10:38); empowering Jesus from his baptism. So we would suggest that Elisha, as a type of the Yahweh spirit in the Lord Jesus, for the work of his ministry.
THE AXE HEAD
Now, let’s have a look at the axe head. In Matthew 3:7-10, we read that which John the Baptist said about the appearing of the Lord Jesus:
“… But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he [John the Baptist] said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance … And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
Now, John is speaking somewhat figuratively, but we get the idea that he is speaking of the Scribes and Pharisees, Priests, Lawyers and Sadducees as if they were tall fruit trees, but that they were not bringing forth fruit to God. So John warns that: “The axe is laid into the root of the trees, and every tree which brings not good fruit forth is cut down and cast into the fire.”
This was a reference to the fiery judgements that were to destroy Jerusalem and the temple in AD70 when all the hierarchy in Judea, were all cut down. The priesthood was cut down. The entire Mosaic economy and Temple were cut down/destroyed. And this is what John Baptist is warning them of. But notice, it’s in figure an axe that cuts them down.
Now, we know that the “axe” that cut down the Mosaic economy in AD 70 was swung by the Lord Jesus from heaven; for all power “in heaven and in earth” (Mat. 28:18) had been invested in him. When he ascended to the right hand of the Father, he was committed with certain duties. One was to, cut down the Mosaic economy and scatter the Jews because of their rejection of their Messiah. They are only cast off for a time, but nevertheless that was to be the case.
The destruction of the Temple in AD70 was foretold in (amongst other places) Psalm 74:5-7 as follows:
“A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees. But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground”
“A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.”
In other words, the trees used in the construction of the Temple, mostly came from Lebanon; And the Lebanese Phoenicians, in particular, the men of Tyre, were “famous” for their skills in cutting down the right trees in the right way. Lebanon provided the cedar wood for the first temple, (and the succeeding Temple: Ezra 3:7)
But by contrast it says in verse 6 of Psalm 74; “But now they” (that is the Gentiles, the Romans, in AD 70), “break down the carved work thereof at once with axes.” So we have axes cutting down trees to begin with to build both the first and second temples, but at last the axes of the Romans cut down “the carved” work etc of the temple in AD 70.
Now although the Axe that cut down the unfruitful trees (in John Baptist’s figure of AD 70), bears some relation to Christ’s work from heaven; the axe we are considering in 2 Kings 6 represents a previous work of Christ – his ministry, death and resurrection. This in the type is the work of building the new spiritual temple. However, there are other figures in 2 Kings 6 that do seem to represent the Mosaic House of Moses being replaced, by the more commodious house of Christ; as follows:
TOO NARROW (STRAIT)
“And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us” (too narrow) (2 Kings 6:1).
Now the first house that they had to leave was too “strait’, too narrow, and we think, this represents the Mosaic economy, the House of Moses. It was too “strait” or narrow for salvation. It couldn’t save. It didn’t promise them eternal redemption, eternal salvation. It only promised them a good and prosperous life, in this time, if they obeyed the laws. We get the contrast in Hebrews 3 thus:
“And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Heb. 3:5-6).
The scope of the law of Moses was “strait” – too narrow to promise eternal salvation. Salvation was always dependent upon faith; the faith of Abraham. And even those under the law needed to have the faith of Abraham for eternal salvation.
The Lord was baptised and received the Spirit without measure and began his ministry as the antitypical Elisha. Those of the Faith of Abraham (typified by “the sons of the prophets” verse 1), desired a more accommodating, even an “eternal” “house” (cp. 2 Cor.5:1) The Lord Jesus through his sacrifice laid, and became, the “foundation” of the Spiritual house or temple (1Cor.3:11).
THE RIVER JORDAN
“Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan,” [that is the river Jordan] “and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell…” (2Kings 6:2).
The young sons of the prophets that were with Elisha, said to him “Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan.” Now, we haven’t time to show this, but Jordan tends to represent the river of natural life, because it begins from the Sea of Galilee, which is beautiful, with good water, full of fish and life, and it descends and meanders down the Jordan Valley and eventually empties into the Dead Sea, where there is no life. There is no exit from the Dead Sea, rather the water evaporates leaving the salty minerals which kill all life in the water. Its also the lowest place on earth; the seabed is about 2,400 feet below the Mediterranean Sea level. Let us continue:
CUT DOWN WOOD
“So he [Elisha] went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood” (2 Kings 6:4).
They would be cutting down beams from the trees by the Jordan. These beams, we think, represent those chosen to form the spiritual house of Christ, purchased by the power of the Axe which we think represents the Yahweh Spirit manifest in Christ. At the first, these would be those who followed and believed in Christ during his ministry, but would later represent all true believers, till Christ’s return.
[THE] “ONE”
So they started the work, and in verse 5 we read, “But as one was felling (cutting) a beam, the axe head fell into the water.” (2 Kings 6:5) In other words, it came off the shaft, or helve. And the “one” using the axe would just be left with the helve, (the shaft or handle) in his hand.
“But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water. And he cried, and said, ‘Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”
The “axe head fell into the water”. It fell into the River Jordan; the River Jordan, representing natural life that joins the Dead (sea).
The “one… felling the beam” with the Axe must, we feel, typify Jesus in his ministry, working with the Axe of the Yahweh spirit. The axe head leaving the man, we think, represents the Yahweh Spirit leaving Jesus on the cross, that he might die, as per Matthew 27:46:
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
THE AXE HEAD DID SWIM
The measureless Yahweh Spirit, leaving Jesus as he died, speaks also of “the death of the testator” (Heb. 9:16,17). The Spirit of Yahweh the Father (the Testator) as manifest in the flesh of Christ, was terminated in the dying of Jesus. But on the third day a new manifestation of Emanuel, with “all power… in heaven and in earth” (Mat. 28:18) was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4)
HE TOOK IT
Resurrection, we think is represented by the Axehead miraculously being caused to rise and float, and being taken up again by the “One” who lost it. This is why I think the “one” who lost the axehead in v5 and “took it” again (v7) typifies Jesus.
We move on:
A STICK
“And the man of God” [that is Elisha] “said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he, [Elisha] cut down a stick [Heb. ets], and cast it in thither; and the iron, [the iron axe head] did swim” (2 Kings 6:6)
There are large sticks and small sticks, and the original word could refer to a branch, but we have an interesting example of an axe head separating from its helve (handle) in Deuteronomy 19
“As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve [heb. ets], and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die…” (Deut. 19:5).
“helve” [heb. ets] is the same original word as in 2 Kings 6:6 for “stick”. So maybe the branch cut down by Elisha miraculously reformed in the water, into an Helve (axe handle) and was made to secured itself into the axehead, so that once retrieved, it could immediately be used by the “One” in completing the house. The House, of which, in the anti-type, “has many mansions (abiding places) (John 14:2) to accommodate, from all nations, trees of righteousness for ever.
The axe head, though strong and sharp could not be used to build a house if it did not have an helve (axe handle). There was also a wooden item essential for the Yahweh spirit to build the Son’s house, and that is the Cross or stake of Christ – not the wood itself, but its association with the necessary Condemnation of Sin in the flesh – The Atoning Sacrifice. So the literal cross, is used also in figurative senses. For instance:
“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him… come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21).
Jesus is saying; do as I have done, bear the cross with me, as “the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev.17:6). So here The Cross is used as a figure of Christ’s suffering to “obtain eternal redemption” for himself and for the faithful by sacrifice (on the cross).
But then after Christ’s miraculous resurrection, the Cross takes on the figure of “the gospel of… the Name of Jesus Christ”- his sacrifice by crucifixion (Acts 8:12), and so we read:
“For the preaching of the cross… unto us which are saved… is the power of God” (1Cor.1:18, see also Gal. 6:14; Phil. 3:18).
So if this be so; the first, Natural’ “helve” (wooden handle of the axe) from which the axehead dislodged, could figure the natural pilgrimage (cross bearing) of the suffering Saviour.
And the miraculously reformed “stick” or helve, becoming attached to the Axehead and causing the miraculous ‘resurrection’ of the axehead, could figure the Cross preached by the Spirit- the power to save.
One last word about the part “the water” plays in the typical death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; we know that Baptism represents this. But the actual crucifixion is called by Christ: “a baptism to be baptized with” (Luke 12:50) So we think this is the “Baptism” represented by the detached Axe head sinking and miraculously rising again.
SUMMARY
So that is our consideration of the types and shadows in that incident of the axe head that swam:
- Elisha: the Yahweh Spirit without “measure”
- Axe head: the spirit without measure (asked for/borrowed)
- Strait house: house of Moses; the Mosaic economy
- New house: Christ’s house
- River Jordan: river of mortal life
- Cut down wood: procuring members for the house of Christ
- The “One”: Christ with the helve
- Axe head did swim: a resurrection
- He took it: Jesus re united with the spirit to finish the work/complete the house
- The stick: the stake/cross as a Helve for the axe to work
- Cast it (the stick) in: the efficacy of the cross causing a rising again
Paraphrase of 2 Kings 6:1-2, 4-7
2 Kings 6:1-2: “And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha [representing The Yahweh Spirit], ‘Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too straight for us.” [house of Moses; the Mosaic economy that is too narrow and small to save]. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan,” [river of mortal life] “and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell…”
v4.) “So he [Elisha] went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.” [procuring faithful members for the house of Christ]
v5.) “But as one [Christ with the helve] was felling a beam, the axe head [the spirit without measure asked for/borrowed] fell into the water. And he cried, and said, ‘Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”
v6.) “And the man of God” [Elisha] “said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he,” [Elisha] “cut down a stick [the stake/cross as a Helve for the axe to work], and cast it in thither [the efficacy of the cross causing a rising again]; and the iron, [the iron axe head] did swim [a resurrection].”
v7.) “Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and he took it” [Jesus reunited with the Yahweh spirit to finish the work – complete the house – Christ’s house: “whose house are we”. (Heb. 3:6)
Les Fern
