I am almost done reading a book titled: “The Last Arrow,” authored by Erwin Raphael McManus. He is an iconoclast, artist, and cultural thought leader known for his integration of creativity and spirituality. He is the founder of MOSAIC, a church movement started in (wait forit!!!) Hollywood with campuses across Los Ange-les, Orange County, Mexico and a global community that spans the world. We tend to think that are no Christians in Hollywood. Erwin Raphael McManus and his congregation proves otherwise. I digress. Let me get back to the point. Oh, by the way, who was it that got “her Dad” into Erwin Raphael? Got it. My/our daughter, Hannah.

The Last Arrow is based upon an obscure text in the Scriptures. At the center of it is Elisha –post, tak-ing the mantle from Elijah. Do you want to read it? Go to 2 Kings 13:14-20. Let me just quote from the book itself: [There’s] an obscure moment and could easily be missed, yet it is both poetic and profound. It is also a window into how God works in the world and how we either open ourselves to his bigger future or ensure that we make the future smaller than he intends for us. In this story, Jehoash is the king of Israel when the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are divided and at war against one another. His kingdom is being threatened by the armies of Amaziah, king of Judah.

The one great advantage Jehoash has is that the prophet Elisha is with them, but now Elisha is suffer-ing from an illness that will lead to his death. Jehoash goes and weeps over him, less because of his sorrow for the loss of the prophet and more because of his fear of the loss of Elisha's protection. Jehoash calls out Elisha, who has been the symbol and source of God’s strength and power, but now is clearly at the end of his life. Elisha then gives him a somewhat unusual series of instructions. Elisha says, ‘Get a bow and some arrows,’ and he does so. Then he tells him, ‘Take the bow in your hands.” When Elisha commands Jehoash to do this, the king immediately complies. When the king raises the bow and arrow, Elisha puts his hands on the king’s hands. 'Open the east window,” he says, and the kings opens it. “Shoot!” Elisha says, and Jehoash shoots. ‘The Lord’s arrow of victory, the victory over Aram!’ Elisha declares. ‘You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.’

Then he says, ‘Take the arrows,’ and the king takes them. Elisha tells him, ‘Strike the ground.’ He strikes it three times and stops. Then the Scriptures tell us something that is quite unexpected: ‘The man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completed destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.’ Right after he says this, the story tells us ‘Elisha died was buried.’ What is the point Elisha seeks to make to the king? Empty the quiver! He says the same thing to us – to you! Are you hanging onto arrows, thinking, believing that you need that last arrow?

Emptying the quiver is about trusting God with your life, your future, your eternity. You cannot take that last arrow with you. The king struck the ground three times and then what? He quit. He quit and the victory was lost. He just didn’t want it badly enough. How many victories are lost before the battle even be-gins because we are misers when it comes to trusting God? Read Hebrews chapter 11 – a whole litany of those who struck every arrow – left none in the quiver! Read it! From Noah to Abraham to Moses to Joshua, all the way around and to Jesus! Oh, yes! Jesus! We go to Holy week at the end of this month. Let me ask you this – ponder this – where would you be if Jesus only struck the ground with three arrows? He empties the quiver for you! His empty quiver leads to the majestic, glorious resurrection! If he does not “strike the ground five or six times,” we/you stand defeated, still lost in your sins. Because He does empty it all at Gol-gotha, you stand victorious over the “three-headed monster” – the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh. Is it not time for you to empty the quiver?

Until next month,
PTK