2 Kings 13

Saviour

Saviour — one who rescues and delivers

And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 2 Kings 13:4–5

Jehovah hears a wicked king's prayer for his suffering people and sends a 'saviour' to free them. Every deliverer He raised up was a small pattern of the Saviour He would one day send in Himself, Jesus Christ.

How we know: the verse itself names Him

• the same title in Isaiah 43:11 — 'I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour'

Jehovah the Deliverer

Jehovah (LORD) — the covenant name, 'I AM'

And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. 2 Kings 13:17

Elisha says the victory will be the LORD's deliverance, not the king's own strength. Jehovah is the one who delivers, and verses 18-19 show that how fully we receive His deliverance can depend on how fully we act in faith.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

Resurrection

And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings 13:21

Even after Elisha's death, God's power through His prophet brings a dead man back to life. It is a small foreshadowing that life comes out of death by God's power, which is fully realized in Christ's Resurrection. Note that this man was revived to mortal life, not resurrected.

• a type of what is in Matthew 27:52-53 — the dead rising in connection with Christ's death and Resurrection (soft typology)

Jehovah, God of the Covenant

Jehovah (LORD) — the covenant name, 'I AM'

And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet. 2 Kings 13:23

Jehovah shows grace and compassion to a rebellious Israel because He keeps the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The premortal Christ is the God who remembers His covenants even when His people forget theirs.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

• alludes to Exodus 2:24 — God 'remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob'