Building a Legacy That Lasts: Lessons from Elisha's Final Days

Have you ever thought about what people might say at your funeral? How would you want your life to be measured? It's a sobering question that cuts through the distractions of our daily lives and forces us to consider what kind of legacy truly lasts.

As we examine Elisha's final days, we find a man who had served Israel faithfully for over 50 years. His resume was impressive: providing water for parched armies, multiplying a widow's oil, raising a child from death, healing Naaman's leprosy, capturing an enemy army single-handedly, and prophesying miraculous provision during famine.

Yet even with all these accomplishments, Elisha's true legacy wasn't his miracles—it was his message. He consistently pointed people to trust God's word and promises.

What Can We Learn from Elisha's Deathbed Scene?

In 2 Kings 13, we find Elisha on his deathbed being visited by King Joash of Israel. This final encounter teaches us three important principles:

• Strike with zeal
• Don't fear the grave
• Rely on God's covenant love

Strike with Zeal: Don't Settle for Half Measures

When King Joash visits the dying prophet, Elisha instructs him to take a bow and arrows. After having the king shoot an arrow eastward (toward Syria), Elisha declares it "the Lord's arrow of victory" over their enemies. Then he tells the king to strike the ground with the remaining arrows.

Surprisingly, the king strikes only three times and stops. Elisha becomes angry, saying: "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it. But now you will strike down Syria only three times."

The king's half-hearted response limited Israel's victory. As one commentator noted, it was as if Elisha gave him a blank check of God's word, but he only cashed half of it. King Joash lacked zeal, and because of that, his experience of God's victory was limited.

Are You Cashing God's Promises?

This raises an important question for us: Has God written a check for you that you haven't yet cashed? Are there explicit promises of Scripture that you've only half paid attention to?

Consider promises like:

• Sin will not have dominion over you (Romans 6)
• You are being transformed into Christ's image (2 Corinthians 3)
• God's Spirit will make you careful to walk in His statutes (Ezekiel 36)

Have you resigned yourself to live a life of timid half-measures in your pursuit of holiness? Do you assume your sins are immovable objects that you must build your life around?

God's promises call us to pursue high standards and lofty goals in our ordinary lives. Don't settle. Fight your apathy and complacency. Don't stop short—empty your quiver into the promise of God. Trust not just the promises but the Promiser.

Don't Fear the Grave: Death Cannot Stop God's Promises

The next scene in 2 Kings 13:20-21 shows us something remarkable:

"So Elisha died and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha. And as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet."

This unusual event—unique in Scripture—isn't teaching us to seek power in the relics of saints. Rather, it demonstrates that even though Elisha had died, God's power had not left Israel. God's promises weren't dependent on the prophet but on the God who spoke through that prophet.

Every miracle in Scripture points beyond itself to something greater. This man's resurrection foreshadows Christ's death and resurrection, which caused tombs to open and saints to be raised (Matthew 27:52). And even that points to the ultimate promise in Revelation 21:4: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more."

How Does This Apply to Our Lives Today?

If you've stood over the grave of a loved one who knew Christ, this story reminds you that God's word still stands. Death does not defeat God's promise of eternal life because it's rooted in Christ's resurrection.

This anonymous man's resurrection is also a picture of the gospel's power to bring spiritual life now. The forgotten, the cast off, the anonymous—all can be touched by Jesus and made whole.

Rely on God's Covenant Love: Grace for the Rebellious

The final section (2 Kings 13:22-25) reveals one more surprise: God's grace still reaches rebellious people.

Despite Israel's persistent idolatry and spiritual adultery, verse 23 tells us: "But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now."

Why was God gracious to His people? Not because of any national repentance or religious reformation, but because of His own covenant faithfulness to the promises He had made to their ancestors.

This echoes God's self-revelation in Exodus 34:6: "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." Even when we break covenant, God does not break character. "If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).

What Makes a Legacy That Truly Lasts?

Elisha's legacy wasn't ultimately his miracles or achievements, impressive though they were. His legacy was faithfulness to God's word. He spoke God's word when it was unpopular, trusted it when it was doubted, and called people to lean their full weight into it, even when they refused.

Even his final miracle—raising a man from the dead through contact with his bones—wasn't about Elisha's power but about God's enduring promise that even though Elisha was gone, the Word was still at work.

Application

As we conclude our journey through Elisha's life, here are some questions to consider:

• In what areas of your life are you striking only three times when God has called you to empty your quiver? Where are you settling for half-measures in your faith?
• What promises of God do you need to fully embrace and act upon this week?
• How can you shift your focus from building a legacy of personal achievements to one that points others to God's faithfulness?
• Is there someone in your life who needs to hear about God's covenant love and faithfulness, even in their rebellion?

This week, challenge yourself to identify one area where you've been holding back in your faith. Then commit to "striking the ground" with full confidence in God's promises. Remember that the legacy that truly matters isn't built on your accomplishments but on faithfully pointing others to the God who keeps His promises—promises that find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.