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“The Iron Did Swim”

“And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim” (2 Kings 6, KJV).

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I read a story recently about a young man who was sitting on a park bench reading his Bible. All at once, he began to shout. “Praise the Lord! What a miracle!” A stuffy, old gentleman walking by stopped to ask what he was so excited about. To which the lad responded, “I was just reading how God parted the Red Sea and the whole nation of Israel walked across on dry ground.” Scoffing, the old man said, “Don’t you know? That wasn’t a real sea at all. It was just a few inches of water.” He then walked away, leaving the young man discouraged and confused. A few minutes later, the young man began to shout again. This caused the sneering unbeliever to ask, “What are you shouting about now?” “Well sir, I just read how God drowned a whole Egyptian army in just a few inches of water.” If an army drowning in a few inches of water sounds impossible, think about an iron ax head floating. And yet, that’s exactly what takes place in our central text for this chapter, 2 Kings 6:1-7. As we examine this bizarre incident, first observe the necessary construction that is taking place. The school of the prophets had grown to the point that more space was needed. As

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