Opening illustration: In 1937, missionaries were forced to leave southern Ethiopia because of World War II. They had reached the remote area of Wolayto only in 1928. Nine years later, there were only 48 converts, and they experienced brutal persecution because of their faith. Tears flowed on both sides as the missionaries were evicted, but they called out to their Wolayto brothers and sisters, “We are leaving you, but God is not leaving you!” One man, Wandaro, a fearless evangelist, was singled out for torture and imprisonment in an attempt to stop the spread of the gospel. Despite near fatal beatings, Wandaro survived and his example brought many to faith. Five years later, missionaries were allowed to return and were amazed to find nearly ten thousand new believers in Jesus, many of whom heard the gospel from Wandaro! They never could have imagined the work that God would accomplish through him.
Elisha also needed to be reminded that although his spiritual mentor Elijah was leaving him, God was not. That probably explains why he asked for a double portion of the Spirit that rested upon Elijah. Having seen Elijah's great works, humble Elisha knew that unless God was with him, it would be impossible to carry on the prophetic office. God answered his prayer and was powerfully with Elisha, who obediently picked up and wore Elijah's mantle. The parting of the Jordan gave full confirmation of Elisha's office, especially to the fifty other prophets who looked on. Although Elijah did great things, Elisha did even greater things. This anticipated John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the greater work of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:7).
Introduction: Through his obedience and boldness, Elijah turned the hearts of the Israelites back to the Lord. This powerful spokesman for God emerged from his wilderness hideaway to confront Ahab and Jezebel and to win a great victory of faith on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Who would not desire the anointing upon him and the ministry of God’s manifested power? The phrase “double portion” does not mean two portions of something. It especially does not mean twice as much of the Holy Spirit. Remember that the Holy Spirit is a person and not a substance that you can pour in by measure. John 3:34 tells us that God does not give His Spirit by measure. In the New Testament the command to be filled with the Spirit is a command to be controlled by the Spirit who indwells, not a command to get more of the Spirit. It means we are to allow the Spirit who indwells us to control more and more of our lives. It’s not that we get more of the Spirit but that the Spirit gets control of more of us.
So Elisha was not asking for more power or more of the Holy Spirit, but simply that he might be the successor of Elijah to carry on Elijah’s important ministry. From what we know about Elisha’s life and ministry that follows, this clearly was not a request of pride, for personal glory, or selfish gain of any kind. Instead, it was the request of a man responding to the challenge and needs of the day. It was a man wanting to be used of God for God’s glory. And it was a man showing his willingness by faith to accept the responsibility of God’s will for his life.
How to pursue the double-anointing?
1. Keep your eyes-hands on the ball (focused) vs.1-8
Elisha got his strength largely from his fellowship with Elijah in their common faith in God, so we are strong as we keep close to Jesus Christ. The secret of a growing Christian character, the secret of strength and steadiness in the Christian life, is to persistently keep close to Jesus Christ. Without fail and not winking an eyelid, Elisha’s eyes were firmly set on Elijah, his mentor and the one who would pass on his mantle to him. He knew if he got distracted or sidetracked at this hour, he could mess it up for life. Even though the prophets from other towns seem to divert his attention, he emphatically told them to be silent so that he would not drop the ball.
• Gilgal - v. 1 - Gilgal was the first place Israel camped when they crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land. Gilgal was the place of new beginnings. Here, they were near the battles, but not fighting them yet. They were in a place of safety, of preparation, and of communion with the Lord. Here, they renewed their covenants and grew strong in their relationship with the Lord.
• Bethel - v. 2-3 - Bethel was a holy place for the people of Israel. It was at Bethel that the patriarch Jacob had met the Lord God, Genesis 28:11-22. Bethel signified the place of the altar and of total dependence upon the Lord. Bethel was the place of revelation.
• Jericho - v. 4-5 - For the people of Israel, Jericho represented the power of God to give victory in the day of battle. This was the place of their first major conquest in the Promised Land. Jericho was the place of victory and power.
• Jordan - v. 6-8 - For Israel, the river Jordan marked the end of their wilderness wanderings. It was a picture of death. That is, it was the place where the pilgrims died. When they crossed Jordan, they were no longer pilgrims, but they were a people who had arrived home. Jordan was the place of death. For Elijah, it was the perfect place to reflect on all the ways he had died to self during his years as a man of God. There, he could reflect on the fact that he had lived a selfless life, and that he had lived a life to the glory of God!
Each time Elijah prompted, Elisha refused to stay behind. He even used a double oath to show his “bulldog tenacity” to stay with his teacher to the very last. He said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” This shows us his intense loyalty and faithfulness to his teacher and mentor. What does this teach us about Elisha and about the kind of character God wants in leaders today? Those who pay the price to stay with the Lord and to go with Him through every difficulty and obstacle will see Him do the unexplainable time and again! Those who choose the easy route never get to see God’s best! However, those who go the extra mile get to see the remarkable. Gideon’s 300 - Only a few got to see the miracle! If you want to see the glory and the power of God manifested and displayed before your eyes, then don’t unhook and don’t back up or turn around. Just stay with God and hold on. In His time, He will move in power and glory!
2. Keep your heart on the ball (sold out) vs. 9-12
Elisha is told that he has asked a “hard thing”. In other words, it was beyond the power of Elijah to grant him such a request. Only God could raise up prophets and give positions of power and influence. On the surface, Elisha’s request seems a little selfish! It seems as though he is asking for twice the power and twice the glory, etc. In truth, his request is most humble in nature. Elisha knows that Israel still needs a man of God to deliver the word of God and do the work of God. He also knows that if he is to be that man, then he needs power that he does not possess! He needs the power of God working in him and through him if he is to accomplish this ministry! (Note: Elisha wasn’t asking for power, wealth or position. He was asking to be controlled by the Spirit of God. In fact, to be a dedicated, outspoken man of God during the dynasty of the house of Omri and Ahab, was to live a life of constant danger! He was asking for divine power to accomplish the will of God! This request was not about pride, it was about necessity!)
Our desires and requests show the condition of our hearts. It shows just how ready we are for ministry, responsibility, and sacrifice. It shows if our treasure is primarily here on earth or in heaven. It shows if we really see heaven as home or whether we are trying to make this fallen world our heavenly home. It shows if we are ready to be a servant or still want to be served. Christians who are prosperous and comfortable on earth may give money generously to Christian work, but usually find it hard to think of heaven as home.
Our desires and requests reveal where our true treasures are. This in turn shows where our hearts are, which will in turn determine our priorities and pursuits and willingness to make the necessary sacrifices to fulfill God’s will. Ultimately then, the real issue is the motive behind the request, the deep down longings of the soul. Our requests may be good, but our motive may be evil. It may be an attempt to make this world our home. The request may be born of greed or lust for praise, power, position, applause, prestige, or ease and comfort at the expense of God’s purposes. In other words, it becomes an attempt to find happiness apart from the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” What was Elisha seeking? What did he get?
If there was ever a day when we needed people with a heart like Elisha’s, it is the day in which we live today! When will we learn that we will never be able to do what the Lord has saved us and called us to do without His power? For far too long, the church has tried to operate in the machinery of human wisdom and power. As a result, we have lost the power of God that made us remarkable! A.W. Tozer commented that without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, 95% of what the early church did would have ceased. He went on to say that if the Spirit were removed today, 95% of what we do in the modern church would continue unabated!
My friends, we need to seek the Lord for spiritual power in these days! We don’t need to get concerned about numbers. We don’t need to be concerned about becoming seeker friendly. We don’t need to get caught up in the many debates that are engaging the hearts and minds of church folks. This kind of blessing and power does not come upon the uncommitted! It is reserved for those who will pay the price in pray and holiness before the Lord! If you are willing to go all the way with the Lord, He will bless your life with His power and glory! It isn’t about pride to ask God to fill you with His Spirit and to use you for His glory, it is about survival! The future demands that God’s servants be filled with God Spirit! We need that same spirit of faith, obedience and courage that rested on Elijah to be placed within us!
And when Elijah gave that test to Elisha about whether he would see him or not when he was taken away and raptured up to glory, that is the test of the spiritual eye, the sensitivity of the true man of God, for the heavens are filled with the glory of the Almighty. And the lightning rides the backs of God's cherubim, and the forked powers of heaven are chained in the hands of His cherubim. But we don't see it because we are carnally minded, and our eyes are blinded by the material dedications of our lives. It would do us well to remember that all those great men of God we venerate from the past are gone! The mantle has been passed to us and we are responsible for serving the Lord for ourselves in these days. We need God, not the stories about what He did for someone else! We need Him to do it in us today!
3. Keep the ball rolling (operate under the anointing) vs. 13-14
The transference of this prophetic cloak was, to himself, a pledge of his being appointed successor, and it was an outward token to others of the spirit of Elijah resting upon him. It is interesting to watch the sons of the prophets. They see Elisha part the Jordan just like Elijah did and they know the mantle has passed to Elisha.
You may have heard of the "Peter Principle"—an ingenious concept and quite true: everybody is promoted to the level of their incompetence. Either through death, ambition, or lack of good personnel, people are given a job that they can't do. Often, due to pride or selfish ambition, a person is determined to gain promotion; they get it and celebrate. But eighteen months later, they have a nervous breakdown because they can't cope. But, you see, when you operate within the sphere of your own anointing, it's easy.
Once God has given you an anointing, you will always have it because "God's gifts and his call are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29). The anointing that will be given to you—whatever it is—will put your faith to the test. The anointing may bring difficulties for you. It may lead you where you don't want to go. You may have to go against personal desire. It may lead you to bless those whom you personally may not have chosen to bless.
If you know you have the anointing, even though you don't have other little things, know that blessing from Him is worth more than all the money in the world. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45). What that means is, when you want the anointing more than anything in the world, you'll do anything to get it because you want God's blessing, just like Elisha who would not let Elijah out of his sight.
Elijah did around 9 miracles which are recorded in scripture but Elisha did 14 which are recorded in scripture. In fact Elisha did much more privately which are not recorded in scripture. The God of Elijah is still in power, Hebrews 13:8! He is still moving in great ways to accomplish His will in the world. He still feeds His children, moves their mountains, answers by fire and works wonders the heart cannot fathom. He is still the same God He has always been, and He still has all power in heaven and in earth. The problem is not with God. The problem with our modern churches is that we have no Elisha’s! God is still looking for people who will take up the mantle and believe God for the impossible!
Application: How did Elisha receive the double portion? He asked for it. He was totally focused, committed and sold out to it. And, he received it! How bad do you want it? Where are you in your spiritual journey today? Are you hard after God? Are you seeking the double portion? Do you long to see God move in great power? If so, then get focused and stay focused. In His time, He will move in power in your life. But, if you would have to admit that everything under the sun but God has your attention, maybe you ought to get before Him and get after God until you get all He has to give you. If He is calling you, then you come and seek Him for the double portion you need for your life, your family and for your church!
No one anticipated the works that the Spirit performed through Elisha, just as no one anticipated what God would do through the Ethiopian evangelist Wandaro. Yet both show how God uses His servants to reveal His truth. Howard Hendrix said: “the acid test is a person’s response to the uninspired moments of the more behind-the-scenes ministries, the ministries which are less glorious, more trivial, and sometimes the more thankless jobs, the situations which may not necessarily turn you on, but which are still needed.” He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.
