4th January 2023 – 2 Kings 2:1-15
2 Kings 2:1-15
"2 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.
Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him."
This is a tremendous passage, and will repay long and thoughtful study. Elijah's end, like the rest of his life, was full of drama, and his translation to heaven in the chariot of fire was in keeping with the meteoric nature of his ministry. The circumstances associated with it and immediately prior to it are, however, deeply interesting. In company with Elisha, he went from Gilgal to Bethel, Jericho and Jordan. We need not doubt that this had its own signifi- cance for Elijah, for all these places had historic associations in the story of God's people. It is almost as if the prophet were reminding himself, at the close of his life, of the past covenant-faithfulness of God, seeking to assure himself that He Who had restored the lost fortunes of Israel under Samuel at Gilgal, and Who, far earlier in their history had led them into victory at Jericho, and pledged His faithfulness to erring Jacob at Bethel, would continue to deal in grace with His people in their sin and declension. On the other hand, perhaps he was contrasting those earlier days of grace with the gathering clouds of judgement in his own time. This may well remain a matter of conjecture; but what is clear is that Elijah was paying his farewell visits to the schools of the prophets which by his faithfulness and vision he had established. In an earlier reading (Note on Sat. Sept. 23rd) we suggested that the most significant part of his ministry was not the more obvious and outward series of victories he won against Ahab, Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal, but the deeper and more far-reaching impact he made upon the conscience of the nation. The full implication of this is seen in the legacy of prophetic activity that he left behind him. This is the mark of real greatness and, we may say, success, rightly so-called. Some kinds of work collapse and disappear on the death of a leader, because it has depended upon the strength and force of his personality. Personality cannot be transmitted to personality; but vision can, and this was notably true in the case of Elijah. He committed his ministry to faithful men who carried it on after he was gone. That is the thing that really matters.
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