2 Kings 6:1-7

An Axe Head Floats

Read the passage

1Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us.

2Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha.

3Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.” “I will come,” he replied.

4So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.

5As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”

6“Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.

7“Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

The sons of the prophets tell Elisha that the place where they live is too small. They propose going to the Jordan, cutting logs, and building a larger place there. When one of the men asks Elisha to come with them, he agrees.

As they cut down a tree, an iron axe head falls into the water. The man cries out because it was borrowed. The loss is not treated as too small for God's attention. Elisha asks where it fell, cuts a stick, throws it there, and makes the iron float.

Elisha tells him to lift it out. The man reaches into the water and takes the axe head back. The recovery is more than something remarkable to watch: the borrowed tool is restored to the worker who had lost it.

The scene is brief, but it gives a picture of God's care that does not require a crisis involving kings or armies. A borrowed tool, an anxious worker, and a small prophetic community are all seen. Ordinary faithfulness is still part of the LORD's concern.

Questions

1 Why do the sons of the prophets want to move?

AnswerTheir present dwelling place is too small, so they want to build a larger place near the Jordan.

2 What falls into the water?

AnswerAn iron axe head falls into the water while one of the men is cutting down a tree.

3 Why is the man especially distressed?

AnswerHe cries out that it was borrowed. The loss involves someone else's property, not only his own work.

4 What should we do when we lose or damage something borrowed?

AnswerBe honest about what happened and seek help putting it right. The worker cries out instead of hiding the loss. We are not promised a floating axe head, but we can bring ordinary responsibilities to God.

What This Means for Us

The worker's concern is practical and specific: he has lost something that belongs to someone else. The LORD's care is not reserved for impressive projects or public religious moments.

Bring ordinary responsibilities to God, and treat borrowed resources with care. When someone makes a mistake, help them solve the problem instead of mocking the size of their concern. Small losses can feel large to the person carrying them.

Prayer

Lord, care for us in ordinary responsibilities and small losses. Make us trustworthy with what belongs to others, generous toward anxious people, and attentive to the needs that seem too modest to mention. Amen.

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