1 Taking Up the Mantle
2Ki 2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2Ki 2:2 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.
2Ki 2:3 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.
2Ki 2:4 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.
2Ki 2:5 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.
2Ki 2:6 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.
2Ki 2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
2Ki 2:8 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.
2Ki 2:9 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.
2Ki 2:10 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.
2Ki 2:11 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
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both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
2Ki 2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
2Ki 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2Ki 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
Elisha had developed biblical values, priorities and eternal perspectives that had captured his heart which then controlled what he did with his life. As a result, he acted on his faith by following God’s call. He was willing to be uprooted from his quiet, peaceful, and rural life with its financial security to follow the Lord. Obviously he knew what his nation needed was the Word of the Lord.
it is also important to note where Elisha was when Elijah found him. Though he belonged to a prominent family, he was at work in the field with the rest of the field hands. Though wealthy, he was not irresponsible or lazy.
Elisha requested that he might go back to “kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you” (19:20). This was not an attempt to put off the call nor an act of hesitation. Some have wrongly related this to Luke 9:57-62. The Lord knew the heart of the men in Luke 9 and saw that for what it was, a lack of commitment and an attempt to avoid His call. It was a failure to deny themselves, etc.
But with Elisha, the case was entirely different. Elisha’s request was prompted by two things: (a) It was an act of genuine respect and honor for his parents, and (b) it was prompted by a desire to celebrate his entrance into this ministry and to declare and confirm his commitment to follow the
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Lord before friends and family.
Elijah allowed Elisha’s request. He said, “Go back again . . .” Then he added a word of caution and said, “for what have I done to you?” This statement seems to be an idiom that sounds rather abrupt or even meaningless to us. According to the idiom, we might translate it something like, “go back and bid farewell, for I have done something very important to you, but think carefully on what I have done to you, for your call is not from me, but from God!” The idea is that Elisha was accountable to God for what he did, not to Elijah. What Elijah had done was to express God’s call. Elijah would become Elisha’s spiritual leader and mentor,
The oxen and the implements, the wooden plow with the yokes, represented the tools of his trade and the means and basis of his past life. Verse 21, then, is basically Elisha’s declaration of his commitment to follow the Lord. In essence, he was burning his bridges and counting his past as loss for the Lord that he might gain and attain the new life and ministry that God had for him as a prophet (Phil. 3). Elisha was showing family and friends that he had new goals, aims, aspirations, new commitments, values, and priorities. It showed his determination to never look back, seek to go back, or leave the calling of God no matter how tough it might get. This is a must for believers and especially spiritual leaders
"Why Did Elijah Take Elisha
On This Whirlwind Trip?"
He could not stay at gilgal which means trust committ
Why did the older prophet want his servant to accompany him to Bethel and Jericho? Surely it wasn't just a sentimental journey for Elijah, one last trip down memory lane. No - this wise, old man wanted to teach Elisha - as well as us today - our need for more of God's power and anointing.
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The two men first came to Bethel, whose name means "house of God." Indeed, Bethel had a great spiritual heritage. Jacob himself had offered his sacrifice there. Yet, over the years, something had happened to the city. Jeroboam had set up a golden calf there, and soon the people were given over to idolatry. As a result, an entire generation had been lost to skepticism, scoffing and mockery, robbing their children of any trace of Bethel's spiritual roots.
Things were so bad, these people probably mocked Elijah and Elisha as the two arrived. How do we know this? Just a day or so later, when Elisha came back to Bethel, the young men of the town ran out to mock him.
Now, as they walked through the streets, Elijah probably noticed his servant's horror and indignation at the totally backslidden society. Elijah himself had faced mockers and scoffers in his own day, on Mount Carmel. But he knew it would take even greater supernatural strength to face this new generation. These young people were far more hardened and godless than the idolatrous priests he had battled.
I believe it was at this point that Elijah decided to test his servant. He most likely suggested, "Elisha, why don't you settle here and pastor these people? You have a sure calling, and you've been well- trained. You could help restore Bethel's great heritage."
I'm sure Elisha listened, because he knew his master had powerful discernment. Yet I believe the young man quickly recalled the story of another prophet. God had sent a certain unnamed spokesman to Bethel to prophesy against Jeroboam's idolatry. This prophet had cried, "Jeroboam, your golden calf is coming down" - and immediately the idol fell from the altar, spilling ashes. When Jeroboam saw this, he reached out to strike the prophet - but suddenly his hand was paralyzed.
God affirmed the unnamed prophet's ministry with other supernatural
works. Yet this same holy prophet was later seduced and compromised by
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a lack of spiritual power.
As Elisha surveyed the situation in Bethel, he knew he wasn't ready to stand up against the wicked spirits there. He realized what Elijah had known all along - the need for the Holy Spirit to do a greater, more powerful work in him before he could face down the evil in such a wicked city. So he told his master, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee..." (2 Kings 2:6). Then, scripture says, "...they two went on" (same verse).
2. We Know This Trip Is Not for Elisha's Sake Alone,
But to Instruct Every Succeeding Generation.
Elijah and Elisha proceeded to Jericho, which means "a place called pleasant, fragrant and quick understanding." Yet this city was now barren,
dry, utterly lifeless. There were no trees, no pastures, no fruit. Everything
had withered because a stream of
poison had infiltrated Jericho's water supply.
This city represents dead, dry Christianity - a church Jesus describes in Revelation this way: "...thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Revelation 3:1).
Elijah had established a school of prophets in Jericho, and apparently he and Elisha visited the school. Some of the young, upstart prophets approached Elisha, asking, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day?" (2 Kings 2:5). Elisha quickly cut them off, telling them, "Be silent."
Now, these strong young men of God were students of the scriptures. They even had some prophetic vision, because they knew Elijah was going to be taken up that day.
But something was clearly missing in them: the power, anointing and authority of the Holy Spirit. The next day, these same ministers would be
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begging Elisha to let them go look for Elijah's body, in case the Holy Spirit dropped him off some mountain or into some valley. They were totally ignorant of the ways and workings of the Holy Spirit. They could witness, preach, speak of miracles - but they hadn't experienced God's power for themselves.
The church today has fallen into the same snare. We study past movements and revivals, looking for keys, trying to discover methods to bring down fire from heaven. Since I can remember, the church has been crying for an old-fashioned, Holy Ghost revival. Yet this all stems from a desire to see God recreate something he did in the past.
Elisha now answered his mentor, "I will not tarry here. I will not leave you" (see verses 2, 4, 6). He knew he couldn't impact anyone in this dead, dry church until he received his own touch from God. He couldn't rely on Elijah's great works. And he wasn't going to settle for anything less than more of the Spirit than his mentor had.
He was telling Elijah, "I respect the faith of my forefathers, the spiritual giants of the past. But I know the Lord wants to do a new thing. And I have to have a greater touch from him than anything seen before."
I want to go back now to the scene at the Jordan River. Why did Elijah insist on miraculously passing through? The Jordan wasn't a deep, wide river, and scripture gives no evidence that it was swollen. Besides, there were fifty strong, young prophets on the other side who could have built a raft for them in a matter of a few hours.
I believe Elijah sought to teach his successor that the miracle crossings of the past - from Moses, to Joshua, to the present day - were all ancient history. He wanted to challenge Elisha, as if to say: "When you start your own ministry, and you preach that God is a God of miracles, you have to testify of what he has done for you personally. I'm going to be gone soon, Elisha. And tomorrow, when you return to this river, I want you to go back across the way you came. Believe God for the miraculous in your
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own life."
Most of us don't have faith to believe God for our own miracles today. We spend our time poring over the incredible wonders in scripture - yet all along God wants to tell us, "I have something even better for you. I want to do miracles in your life - to change your home, fix your marriage, save your unsaved loved ones. You're going to face your own Red Sea, your own Jordan River - and I want to part those waters for you."
3. Now Over the Jordan, Elijah Said to Elisha, "Ask of Me What
I Shall Do for You Before I Go."
The old prophet didn't offer this as if, like a genie, he could pop out of a lamp and grant three wishes. He offered it to Elisha as a godly teacher in the faith. It was one last test, and he wanted to see how his young charge would respond.
I believe most Christians today would have answered, "Society is warped, and things are getting more chaotic all the time. I'm tired of the battle, weary of the devil's harassment. It is now dangerous just to be alive. Elijah, take me with you. I want to go home. Surely there's room for two in that chariot."
Indeed, our cry as God's people should be, "Come, Lord Jesus." Yet Jesus also tells us, "Occupy till I come." As he was ascending to heaven, he commanded his disciples, "Why do you stand here gazing? Go, tarry until I come again."
Elisha knew his place wasn't with the Lord at that time. He knew that God still wept over the rebellious children of Bethel and the barren church in Jericho. And he knew what was needed: He had to remain and take on the responsibility of facing an evil society and a dead religious system.
I'm sure he told Elijah, "You've shown me the condition of this society and
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this church. And you know I'm going to need more power, anointing and
authority than anyone before me has ever had. So, I'm asking for a double portion of the Spirit that God gave to you." "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" (2 Kings 2:9).
When Elijah heard this, he answered, "Thou hast asked a hard thing..." (verse 10). Yet, who exactly would this task be hard for? Would it be hard for God? Would it be hard for Elijah, a man who had raised the dead and called down fire from heaven?
No - it was going to be hard for Elisha. This was something he would have to obtain for himself. Elijah didn't have the ability to empower his servant with a portion of the Spirit residing within himself. Only God can impart his Spirit to man.
But, Elijah replied, "...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" (verse 10).
Elijah was saying, "The Holy Spirit can't do a special work in you as long as you're still leaning on my memory. You have to consider me gone. You don't need me, Elisha. Turn to the Lord, whose Spirit also worked in me. He will answer your cry."
The moment he saw his master whisked away in the heavenly chariot, Elisha assumed his responsibility to carry on God's work to his generation.
He picked up the mantle
And as he stood at the Jordan and struck the water, the words he cried out were, "Where is the God of Elijah?" The young prophet was saying, "Lord, all of my spiritual forefathers are dead and gone. And this awful hour requires even more than you have given so far. Work again, Lord - this time through me. I have to be empowered with more of your Spirit."
Now, after receiving a touch from God, Elisha went forward with his own faith. And his first stop was Jericho. The college of fifty prophets
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immediately recognized God's touch on him, saying, "The same spirit that was on Elijah is now on Elisha." It was obvious to all that this hidden servant was moving in a deeper power and authority of the Spirit.
The young prophets told Elisha, "...the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren" (2 Kings 2:19). They were saying, "There's poison in the water, and it's killing everything." Yet, apparently, these fifty men of God were powerless to stop the poison from bringing death to Jericho.
According to Isaiah, this "pleasant place" represents the ministry: "The
vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah
his pleasant plant..." (Isaiah 5:7). Also, water here represents the word of God.
What was the cure for the poison in Jericho? It was to purify the
water supply. And that's just what Elisha did. He took a clean vessel, filled it full of salt and poured it into the fountainhead of the city's water. Soon all the waters were cleansed, and life sprang up all around.
He took up the mantle
Is 61 garment/mantle of praise for spirit of heaviness
Praying for lost souls
Faithfulness to God/church
Ministry
Faithfulness in giving
Faithfulness to sound doctrine
