A Determined King

Date: 1st December 2025

Text: 2 Kings 13:14-19

Listen to the sermon below:

2 Kings 13:14-19

43:51

A Determined King

1. Insincere Attendance

In 2 Kings 13:14–19, King Joash visits the dying prophet Elisha. Though Joash was a wicked king who cared nothing for God’s honour, he suddenly weeps over Elisha. Why? Not out of love for God, but fear of losing the power that came through God’s prophet. His cry – “the chariots and horsemen of Israel” – echoes Elisha’s earlier words in 2 Kings 2:12. Whether he saw these spiritual realities or simply feared losing military advantage, the point is clear: Joash wanted God’s benefits, not God Himself.

Joash mirrors anyone who enjoys the outward blessings of religion – good teaching, generous community, uplifting hymns – without any desire for true Christianity. You may appreciate the associations but have no interest in repentance, humility, or knowing Christ. If this is you, be warned: God knows His sheep, and He knows those who only attend insincerely. Even children must understand: it is possible to be in church every week and yet not love God. Do not come like a friend who only uses another for what he can get; come in faith, sorrow for sin, and a true desire for God.

2. The Weak King

To grasp verses 15–19, we must understand the king’s covenantal role. Israel’s kings functioned as federal heads – representatives whose obedience or disobedience affected the entire nation, much like Adam in Romans 5 or David fighting Goliath on Israel’s behalf. Scripture shows again and again that when the king sinned, the people suffered.

Yet in 2 Kings 13, God shows remarkable mercy to Joash. Elisha places his hands on the king’s hands, symbolizing God’s power. Joash fires an arrow eastward, which was a pledge of victory, and Israel later recovers that territory which had been lost in battle (2 Kings 10:33 and 2 Kings 13:25). But when told to strike the ground with the remaining arrows, Joash stops after only three strikes. Scripture does not explain his failure – perhaps pride, unbelief, or indifference – but the prophet’s anger reveals its seriousness. Joash and his half-hearted obedience limited the nation’s deliverance.

This is the tragedy of Israel under a weak, unbelieving king: they had temporary relief, but no lasting salvation. How we long for a better King. One who brings a final, perfect victory.

3. The Determined King

Jesus is that King. Where Joash faltered, Christ never wavered. We are called to submit to Him, confessing Him as Lord. He frees His people from judgment, from the tyranny of sin, from the Devil, and ultimately from death itself.

Above all, Jesus saves by His righteous determination. He endured constant hostility – betrayal, mockery, scourging, crucifixion, and the full weight of God’s judgment. At any moment He might have turned back, but He never did. As Hebrews 12 reminds us, He persevered to the end despite all this, and because He did so, we can be saved.

4. How Determined Will You Be?

Though Christ has won the ultimate victory, Christians are called to fight daily battles. God equips us with His Spirit so we can resist sin, the world, and the Devil. Like Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 and Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, we must pursue righteousness with urgency and self-control. We must proclaim the gospel, even when it brings hostility, loss, or suffering.

So strike the ground again and again. Persevere in faith. And do it with confidence, for the One who places His hands on yours has already secured the victory.

Amen.