Outlines of Sermons 2 Kings 6:5-7 But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.… It cannot be denied that the restoration of the lost axe was miraculous, if we consider — 1. That the man who lost it appealed to the prophet, and to him alone, for help in his extremity, as the only person who could help him, because he was the only person to whom it was given to exercise supernatural power. 2. That the axe came to the surface at the very spot where it was dropped. The Jordan is a rapid river, and if the axe had floated from any natural cause, it would have risen to the surface lower down the stream. 3. The means used to raise it were in no way adapted to the end in view. The narrative suggests — I. THAT THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE GREAT WORKS OF THE WORLD DEPENDS VERY MUCH UPON KEEPING LITTLE THINGS IN WORKING ORDER. A great victory may be lost by the snapping of the linch-pin of an artillery wheel. The sons of the prophet could not raise a house to the honour of God without the help of an axe. "Great weights hang on small wires." II. THAT WHAT IS SMALL AND WHAT IS GREAT DEPENDS ENTIRELY UPON ITS RELATION. To many men the loss of a five-pound note would be a mere trifle, scarcely worth the mention; to millions it would be the loss of all their ability to feed and clothe their families for many days. So there were many men in Israel to whom the loss of an axe would have been nothing, but to this member of a poor community it was a misfortune so serious that it could only be remedied by a miracle. III. THE SMALLEST TROUBLE WHICH COMES UPON A SERVANT OF GOD, OR UPON A COMMUNITY OF MEN ENGAGED IN HIS SERVICE, IS A MATTER FOR DIVINE HELP. The Lord God Almighty is indeed the "high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" (Isaiah 57:15), yet He "considereth all the works of men" (Psalm 33:15), "His eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men" (Jeremiah 32:19), and "He dwells with him also that is of a humble and contrite spirit" (Isaiah 57:15). This is sufficient to account for His interposition in the matter of the lost axe. (Outlines of Sermons.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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