The Axe Head

One of the most unique miracles performed by the prophet Elisha was done to help one of the “sons of the prophets” at the Jordan River. The man was cutting down wood with an axe when “as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.” The head of the axe fell off and sank to the bottom of the river. The account continues, “And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it” (2 Kings 6:5-7). So Elisha caused the heavy iron to float to the top so that this man could retrieve it and, presumably, return it to its rightful owner. The story is a reminder that the Lord cares about even the little things in our lives. Other miracles that Elisha performed included raising a boy from the dead and healing a man from leprosy which were of course very serious and life-altering things. But this was a small miracle that helped one man to keep his commitment to his neighbor to return an axe. We can take small problems to the Lord and He will help us even with those. We can pray to our Father in Heaven and He will help us with whatever challenges we have.

                As I have thought about this story, I realized that it points to the Savior in at least two ways. One of the most famous miracles in the New Testament is that of Jesus walking on water. When He approached the boat where His apostles were, Peter came out of the boat and “he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Peter was sinking into the water when he cried out to the Savior for help: “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:29-31) Like the axe head, Peter sank into the water, but also like the miracle Elisha performed, Peter was brought up out of the water again and saved. In both stories something precious sank into the water and that same thing then floated on water through a miracle. I believe that this story of the axe floating also points to the baptism of the Savior. The axe head fell into the water of the Jordan River, was submerged, and was brought up again. Matthew recorded this: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove.” The man who put the axe in the Jordan River declared that the axe was not his. John the Baptist put the Savior into the water and brought Him back up again, and then immediately it was declared that Jesus was not His (or any mortal’s): “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). Jesus did not belong to a mortal father—He belonged to the Father as the Son of God. Like the axe, we might say that He too was borrowed from the Father. And He also returned once His mortal mission was complete. This and so many other miracles in the scriptures point us to the Savior and remind us, like Peter, to not doubt but believe in Him.