Elisha is about to die. The old prophet who guided public policy has one more vision for the king - the fifth one under his watch. And again, the fusion of faith and military force is what this moment is about. Plus, maybe -magic.
The central factor that dictates this historical period is the overwhelming dominance of Aram under Hazael. These turbulent times, predicted by Elijah and activated by Elisha, witness Aram’s devastating forces ascend over Israel, eventually controlling the northern kingdom in its entirety and advancing along the coastal plain. The next chapters chronicle the up’s and down’s of Israel all the way to the final fall.
What caused this reversal in Israel’s fortunes? Here we may offer two explanations.
The geopolitical regional shifts reflect the tensions between superpowers. Aram was able to exhibit regional strength and attack Israel when its main enemy, Assyria, was dealing with wars on its other borders. But by the time the Assyrian king Adad-Nirari III (806–782 BCE), attacked Aram and paralyzed its power, Israel was free to expand, extending the northern and eastern borders to a size not witnessed since the era of David and Solomon.
But it’s not just about military strength. What the authors of Kings are also interested in is how these political shifts are reflected in the religious life and leadership. Did Israel’s kings and its people attempt to live according to the teachings of their ancestors or did their adoption of foreign gods and cults demolish their national cohesion and eventually tear apart the kingdom? Did they internalize defeat as an invitation to repentance and social reform?
In II Kings: In a Whirlwind Alex Israel suggests that this question, as alive now as it was then, leads to the response as the role of the prophet in turning people away from distraction and towards a deeper sense of faith in the factor that is at the heart of history:
“Will a new period of peace and prosperity merely lead to a rise in the standard of living, with an ensuing atmosphere of hedonism, corruption, materialism, and continued abuse of the poor; or will people take advantage of prosperity, calm, and security to better the ills of society?..
The role of the prophet is to convey that the upcoming victory is God-given, not a product of the winds of chance. This awareness might stimulate a positive religious response from the nation. Possibly the carrot will work instead of the stick; the good times as heralded by the prophet will draw people closer to God.”
And thus, it’s Elisha again, with his faith in the God of Israel who is so different from the other local gods. Elisha’s prophetic leadership has left its stamp on this era. Now he is about to die - with one last prophecy and one more spooky supernatural fete.
King Yoash of Israel comes to pay his respects to the dying prophet who still has the strength for one more prophetic act. The old man instructs the king to open the window, pick up his bow and arrow, and aim towards the east - strike at Syria.
The prophet puts his hands over the kings hands as the latter holds the bow and arrow, ready to launch:
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר פְּתַ֧ח הַחַלּ֛וֹן קֵ֖דְמָה וַיִּפְתָּ֑ח וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלִישָׁ֤ע יְרֵה֙ וַיּ֔וֹר וַיֹּ֗אמֶר חֵץ־תְּשׁוּעָ֤ה לַֽיהֹוָה֙ וְחֵ֣ץ תְּשׁוּעָ֣ה בַאֲרָ֔ם וְהִכִּיתָ֧ אֶת־אֲרָ֛ם בַּאֲפֵ֖ק עַד־כַּלֵּֽה׃
“Open the window toward the east,” Elisha said; and he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he shot. Then he said, “An arrow of victory for YHWH! An arrow of victory over Aram! You shall rout Aram completely at Aphek.”
Kings 2 13:17
Alex Israel explores this dramatic moment, the words that accompany it, and the deeper layers of meaning, including the mystical - magical implications:
“Why does the prophet demand this strange behavior, almost a theatrical performance? Is it a magic ritual? What place does this activity have in the world of prophecy?
Prophets of Israel were frequently commanded to dramatize God’s message. Are these actions merely theatrics, or do they generate an otherworldly mechanism?
The implication is that these actions can manipulate and determine future events!
Nahmanides adopts precisely this approach: “Know that once a decree delivered by angels emerges from the potential to the actual via symbolization, this decree will be fulfilled in all cases. “
Nahmanides perceives prophetic symbolic drama as a means of transforming God’s will from a potential decree to fulfillment. He believes that the acts of the prophet have a spiritual-mechanical effect, genuinely determining the future.
Elisha’s laying of hands upon the king invests the figurative action with prophetic aura, and the precise performance of the act is critical; a mistake in the choreography engenders a flaw in the outcome. This view, while highly nonrational, reflects Nahmanides’ mystical wisdom regarding the machinations of prophecy.”
The moment in which the prophet’s hands guide the king’s hands as they shoot an arrow is poetic regardless of the consequences. One old man initiates and guides the younger one. It was Elisha who was mentored by Elijah, and now we see another moment of a passing of a torch.
The farmer who was picked to be a prophet now hands over the vision to the young man born to be a king. Whose fate is in whose hands?
The king will triumph and conquer back some of the lands lost to Aram. At least for a while, he’ll be stronger on the throne and Israel will breath a sign of relief.
Elisha is buried, and one curious anecdote following his burial indicates that even after his death he continues to enable resurrection -- a body thrown into the prophet’s tomb in the heat of battle comes to life by merely being in contact with the holy bones. Who knows? And what’s that fragment doing here?
There won’t be another major voice of vision until Isaiah comes round, and meanwhile the up’s and down’s of life and history continue to question the hidden meanings of it all.
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