A Floating Ax Head

There's this obscure story in 2 Kings 6: 1-7 about an ax head. It's just sort of plopped down there between two other stories and seems to make no sense.

Well author Mark Batterson makes some great observations about this in his book In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. Mark says it so well I'll just quote him:

"Second Kings 6 records what may be the most ridiculous prayer in scripture. A group of prophets are chopping trees near a river and one of their iron ax heads falls into the river. The prophet who lost the ax head said to Elisha: "Alas, master! For it was borrowed."

Notice the verb tense. This apprentice uses the past tense. As far as he's concerned, this ax head is gone. It reminds me of one of Jack Handey's deep thoughts: If you drop your keys in a river of molten lava, let 'em go man, 'cause they're gone! If you drop your iron ax head in the river, let it go man, 'cause it's gone!

This apprentice regarded his loss as final. He had no expectations whatsoever that the ax head would be retrieved. I think he wanted a little mercy or a little sympathy, but he wasn't expecting a miracle. He didn't even have a category for what was about to happen, and there is good reason. Any mineral with a density greater than one gram per cubic centimeter doesn't float. The density of cast iron is approximately 7.2 grams per cubic centimeter.

Translation: Iron ax heads don't float.

Or do they?

There is only one way to find out. Pray a ridiculous prayer! Now here is what I love about this story. If I'm Elisha, I feel bad for the guy who lost the borrowed ax head. Maybe I let him borrow mine. Maybe I drive him to the hardware store to get a new one. But it doesn't even cross my mind to pray that it would float. But can you tell the wheels are turning in Elisha's mind because he asks where the ax head fell in. If I'm the apprentice, I'm thinking, "What difference does it make?" But he shows Elisha where he lost it. Elisha cuts a stick and throws it into the water, and something happens that probably never happened before and has never happened since.

And the iron did swim.

This isn't a life-or-death situation. Yes, it's a borrowed ax head. Yes, he lost it. But if that is the worst thing that's ever happened to you, you've led a pretty sheltered life. You know what I'm saying? It's an AX HEAD. This may sound crazy, but doesn't it seem like you ought to save an amazing miracle like this for a little bigger tragedy? But I would put this miracle in the category of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding party. Why waste your first miracle on helping a bride and groom save face because they didn't stock enough wine for the reception? But I think this reveals something about God. He cares about the little things like wedding receptions and borrowed ax heads.

God is great not just because nothing is too big for him. God is great because nothing is too small for him either."