2 Kings 6:5-7: 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. 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.
The story of the axe head is one of loss and restoration. A group of young students under the tutelage of the prophet Elisha had grown in number, but the place where they would meet was no longer big enough to accommodate them all. They then decided to go to the Jordan River and cut down some trees in order to build a larger place to live. During the build, a head flew off one of the axe’s and fell into Jordan’s waters. After some initial panic from the user about the axe being borrowed, Elisha took a stick and threw it on the water. By the supernatural, the head of the axe rose to the water’s surface and was recovered.
When Jesus came to the earth, He did so to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). As Elisha cast a stick upon the waters to recover the lost axe head, so by the wooden cross Jesus was able to recover the lives of those who were lost in sin. But the story also serves as a lesson to the modern church. The sons of the prophets were building for growth, expansion, and revival, but in the middle of the work, the cutting edge was lost when the axe head fell into the water. So today, the churches have their activities, programs, and structure, yet have lost the true power of the Holy Spirit.
Without the axe head, the worker still swings, but nothing changes. Unfortunately, shallow emotionalism has been traded for the genuine moving of the Spirit. Flesh cannot overcome flesh. Program and performance cannot replace prayer. Comfort and entertainment cannot replace conviction. The churches must once again depend upon the power of Christ rather than their own human efforts.
The worker cried out when the axe head flew off, saying, “Alas, master!” The man acknowledged that only the God of Elisha could restore what was lost. That desperate cry is the first step toward revival and restoration today. Elisha asked as to where the axe head fell, showing that restoration can only begin by returning back to the place where the spiritual cutting edge was lost. Only after having come back to the true Word, to prayer, worship, and holiness, to a complete dependence upon Christ can the real power come back upon the individual.
The axe was a borrowed one. It did not belong to the man who lost it, but was lent to him in order that a specific work might be carried out. The axe representing the Spirit of God did not belong to us. God gave of His Spirit to us in order that we might make something good of our lives and carry-out a lasting work for His kingdom. It was never given for selfish gain.
The axe head also represents the message of the hour. As the cutting head was lost in Jordan’s waters, so the power of the message was lost among the multitudes of the peoples of the earth (Revelation 17:15). Deuteronomy 19:5 states that if a man cuts wood in the forest with a borrowed axe, and the axe head flies off and kills somebody whilst swinging it, then the man was to run to a city of refuge so as not to be killed by the avenger of blood.
This describes the misuse of the message over the decades. It has been furiously swung by man to build their own doctrines, programs, and kingdoms, and people have died spiritually from its wild impact. Those who are responsible are themselves worthy of death because of the damage they have caused, unless they run to the only refuge of Christ Jesus in humility and repentance, in order to find forgiveness and salvation.
As the spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha (2 Kings 2:15), so the Spirit that was with the prophet William Branham now rests upon the Bride. God is riding this trail again through Her. She is the final voice to the final age under Her messenger. She, like Elisha, has gotten back the power that was lost. The Spirit of the message is on Her, and She is working effectively with the Spirit, building for Christ’s Kingdom and for His glory.