Take your Bibles with me and turn to 2 Kings 2. 2 Kings 2. We are going to work our way through this chapter tonight, and look at a couple of the most interesting stories in the whole Bible.
Look at verse 1:
[!bible] 2 Kings 2:1 - KJV
- And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
Tonight is all about Elijah and Elisha.
Back in 1 Kings 19, God told Elijah to go find Elisha and put his mantle on him. Essentially, God told Elijah that Elisha was going to be his replacement.
Most Bible scholars believe that Elisha was very young at that point. Somewhere around 20 years old.
We don't know how old Elijah was, but he was nearing the end of his ministry and Elisha would minister for fifty more years.
I just want to point out one principle here before I go any further and that is that God uses all different types of people in his service. We don't all have to be the same.
Elijah and Elisha were very different guys:
- Elijah seems to have come from the wilderness. Elisha came from a wealthy family.
- They were part of two different generations.
- They looked different - Elijah was a "hairy man" and Elisha was a "bald head."
But God used both of them mightily.
It's ok to not be just like someone else. God can use you.
If you think about me and Pastor Pullen, we are very different guys. Pastor Pullen grew up the depression. I grew up in the wealthy self-centered 80s. Pastor Pullen didn't get saved until he was in his late 20s. I grew up in a mostly Christian home and was always in church. Pastor Pullen didn't come here until he was around 42. I'm 42 and I've been at the church for over 14 years at this point. Pastor Pullen couldn't even turn a computer on - but I program them all day. On the flip side, there were lots of things Pastor Pullen could do that I could never do. (No one ever accused me of being good at sports.)
We don't have to be the same. You don't have to be just like some great man or woman you look up to. God uses all different types of people. He can come in with His Holy Spirit and work through you.
Here in this time in old testament history God was working through Elijah - he was the man of God for Israel. But God had determined that it was time for Elijah to go home. It was time for Elijah to literally pass the mantle.
Let's keep reading. 2 Kings 2:1-11
[!bible] 2 Kings 2:1-11 - KJV
- And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
- And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
- And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
- And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
- And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
- And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
- And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
- And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
- And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
- And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
- And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Apparently, everyone knew that Elijah's time was coming, including Elisha. It wasn't some secret. It wasn't a surprise.
As Elijah is going to this place where God is going to take him up. Elisha is right on his heels. You get the impression that Elisha was right on Elijah's heels for years at this point.
Elijah keeps going from place to place and he keeps telling Elisha to stay and Elisha is like "no way, where you go, I'm going."
So I think another principle we can apply from this story is that loyalty is a good thing. Elisha was very, very loyal to Elijah. Even until the end, he was going to stick with his master, with his teacher.
Elijah kept going further and further away from civilization. He kept going to more and more difficult places, and Elisha was determined to stick with his mentor.
Elisha was determined that he was going to be there at the end. He was actively pursuing Elijah and Elijah rewarded him.
We live in a world where the concept of loyalty is a forgotten thing. People treat everything today as disposable. Jobs, churches, relationships.
And I just want to encourage you to be loyal.
- Be loyal to your family.
- Be loyal to your church.
- Be loyal to the spiritual leaders God has given you.
Loyalty is important. Another principle we can see in this story is that when we are moving forward, we should be guided by the past.
Elijah went to four places, and all four of them were significant places in Israel's history.
- Gilgal is where the jews first camped when they crossed the Jordan river.
- Bethel (15 miles west of Gilgal) is where Abraham worshiped, and later where Jacob saw the angels in a dream.
- Jericho of course was where Israel had their first major victory in the promised land.
- And the Jordan was where Joshua led the people over on dry land.
It sure seems like there is something deliberate in these places Elijah is going, like it is a deliberate reminder to Elisha of what God has done in the past.
It's like Elijah was saying to Elisha "don't forget what God can do."
Someone said that the past makes an excellent rudder to guide us, but a terrible anchor to hold us back.
You need to know the past. You need to rejoice in what God has done in yesteryear and learn from it- but we can't live there. God wants us to live in the now.
A third principle we can see in this story is that there the need for both mentorship and education to train preachers.
As Elijah and Elisha went on this little march, they kept being met in different places by "the sons of the prophets." Who were these "sons of the prophets?"
This doesn't mean that Elijah had a bunch of children. This is something akin to a Bible school or seminary today where these men where being trained to be prophets.
Apparently Elijah was some kind of leader of these schools.
So you had two kinds of education here. You had one on one mentorship happening with Elisha, and you had the schools with the sons of the prophets. We need both today.
We need preachers. We need pastors. The story of churches today is that there are thousands of churches across our country with an aging or retiring pastor, and no one to step up and fill his spot.
Our Bible Colleges are hurting, because not a lot of people are answering the call to the ministry.
And I'm glad for the Bible Colleges. Just today I saw a post from Trent on Facebook where he made a website about understanding the Bible. The website was really good - and the content was great too. I'm glad for places where young people can learn more about the Bible and learn how to be pastors and missionaries.
But I also think we need more one on one, on the job training, like Elijah gave Elisha, like Jesus gave the disciples, like Paul gave Timothy and Titus. We need them both.
So Elisha follows Elijah to these four places, and finally Elijah says to Elisha "What do you want? What can I do for you?"
And Elisha says "I want a double portion of your spirit." Now, this probably doesn't mean what you think it means. He isn't asking for double of what Elijah had.
In the Old Testament, a double portion was language used for the first born son. The heir. If you had five sons, you would divide your inheritance up six ways and give the eldest son a two parts instead of one. A double portion.
So what Elisha is asking is "I want to be your successor, I want to be like your first born son, I want to follow in your footsteps."
And Elijah says "What you have asked for is hard."
By the way, I think it is totally appropriate for a pastor to try to discourage young people from going into the ministry. I know that contradicts with what I just said, so hear me out:
If someone is truly called, they are going to keep going. They are not going to be dissuaded. If they can be put off with their pastor saying "I don't know" they probably weren't called in the first place and they are certainly not prepared for all of the setbacks and heartaches that are coming their way.
If a man desires the office of a bishop - that's a good thing. But it is also a hard thing. It's a lonely thing. God's going to test you and work on you and shape you. It's a guantlet that a lot of people don't make it through.
As a pastor I've experienced unbelievable joys. But I've also had heartaches. I've smiled when people walk faithfully with the Lord, and cried while people walk away from the Lord. I've written three sermons a week for nearly 15 years. Over 2100 sermons. There is always Sunday coming, then Sunday night, then Wednesday. It's like getting on a treadmill you can't get off.
And do you know what? When you say you want to be a pastor, most of the time people are thinking about how cool it would be to preach to hundreds of people. They aren't thinking about getting called at 3am because someone's wayward teenager ran away. Or getting an angry letter from a longtime friend because they don't agree with some decision you made.
So it's ok to say like Elijah "Are you sure you want my life?"
But Elisha did, because that is what God called Elisha to.
Now, Elijah says to Elisha "if you want this, you have to see me get caught up." And Elisha says "Ok."
Then God catches up Elijah in a chariot of fire. (Hum chariots of fire theme.) It's interesting that Elijah is one of only two people in the Bible who did not die.
Elijah, and anybody know the other? (Enoch)
It's interesting because Elijah, in his moment of depression prayed "It is enough, Lord, let me die." and God said "No. You aren't going to die at all."
As Elijah goes up, Elijah says "The chariots of Israel and his horseman."
Now, what does that mean? In those days horses and chariots were the peak of military technology. So what I think Elisha was saying was "You are the true defense and power of Israel."
As Elijah goes up his mantle - which was the special garment he wore - falls off of him and Elisha picks it up. Elisha is now the spiritual leader of Israel.
[!bible] 2 Kings 2:15-25 - KJV 15. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 16. And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 17. And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 18. And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? 19. And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. 20. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they bring it to him. 21. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. 22. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 23. And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 25. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
Four stories to confirm Elisha.
- Crossing the Jordan
- Healing the water
- Telling the prophets not to look for Elijah
- The boys mocking him.
