The axe head floats depict the king of Aram, the head of Aram. He had been looking for an occasion against Israel but found none, his plan kept floating.
The passage starts with the Prophets and Elisha looking for a place to meet as the place they met was getting small (verse 2). Thereafter, they went to cut trees to use to make their meeting place and the axe (borrowed) fell into the water, then Elisha put a stick to the water and the axe floats.
The stick Elisha puts would be the words the king of Aram spoke in his bedroom which Elisha heard. The place to meet is the departure from trouble. 2 kings 6: 13.
“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” - 2 Kings 6: 13
So, the servant of the man of God got up and went out early. the next morning, an army with horses surrounded the city. and the servant said oh no my Lord, what shall we do?
Then the prophet answered, “Do not be afraid”, those with us are more than those who are with them. In a fright the servant still did not believe the prophet, so Elisha prayed to the LORD, to STRIKE THE KING OF ARAM ARMY WITH BLINDNESS. So, he struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. So, Elisha led them to Samaria, then asked that their eyes be opened so that they see. Then the Lord opened their eyes, and they looked, and there they were inside Samaria.
When the King of Israel saw the captured army were blind, he asked Elisha 'Shall I kill them? Hezekiah told the king, "Not to kill them" that one only kills men captured with their own sword. He says set food and water before them so that they may eat and go, and they prepared a feast and the Aram's left. The ARAMS STOPPED RAIDING ISRAEL TERRITORY.
Foreign nations attempted to evade Israels territory which Samaria is part of, at this time. But the axe floats and a stick bring up their attack.
Famine in besieged Samaria:
After sometime later, Benhadad, king of Aram sets up an army to lay siege to the city of Samaria while they are in famine. The siege lasted long that a donkey was sold for 80 shekels. As the king of Israel passed by a wall, a woman cried out the king! Help me, my lord the King:
The king replied: 1) If the LORD does not help you, where can I get help for you?
2) From the threshing floor 3) from the winepress.
So, the woman tells him a parable: She tells him (the king) to give up his son (i.e. Samaria) that we may eat (famine here means giving your food away). The next day the king asks her to give her son that they may eat, but she hid him.
The parable was about the king of Aram action after mercy was shown to him, he acted opposite to the mercy had been shown and still besieged Samaria, when no one noticed. This caused the king to be enraged swearing to Kill Elisha because Elisha had asked him to show mercy. Elisha noting the king of Israel wanted to kill him, called the king a murderer and blamed the disaster in Samaria as the lord doing and he would not wait on the lord.
Excerpts:
we often blame bad events on others when we are at fault. Elisha did not cause the famine in Samaria, the king of Aram just had more information and besieged them during famine.
Once ideas were put in the king of Israel mind by the woman in Samaria, he blamed Elisha and wanted to kill him.
What will we do as we wait on God, blame him for our calamity like the King of Israel.
Pray for the lord to open our blind eyes.
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