2 Kings 2: 1 – 25
He made a grand exit
2 And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So, they went down to Bethel. 3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” 4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So, they came to Jericho. 5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” So, he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So, the two of them went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So, he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 Then they said to him, “Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send anyone.” 17 But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send them!” Therefore, they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him. 18 And when they came back to him, for he had stayed in Jericho, he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?” 19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.” 20 And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’ ” 22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke. 23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 So he turned around and looked at them and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. 25 Then he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Brides love to figure out all the details of not only their wedding but also their receptions down to their grand exit. We all have witnessed in various situations people who have made a grand exit. For me just recently I saw one commercial that was able to present a great example of a grand exit of an employee from her job.
The commercial was produced by the Audi automobile company, but you do not know this until the end of the commercial. The spot begins with a company awards presentation. Here a CEO congratulates a guy awarded Employee of the Year. The woman standing next to him is noticeably startled that she wasn’t the one picked.
Back in her office she re-considers her goals and decides to start afresh. Thus, she collects all her personal items from the desk and leaves the offices with a confident smile on her face, surprising lots of people from the office, as they watch her leave. She goes to an Audi dealership, and buys a new Audi and puts the cardboard box with her belongings in the trunk of the car and hits the road.
Today we are going to see another ‘Grand Exit’ which I think you will agree is way better than any commercial company could come up with.
We move away in this section from the annals of the kings of Israel and Judah, to the memoirs of the sons of the prophets. The events that will follow, in which YHWH’s power through his prophet Elisha is remarkably revealed, were crucial to the maintenance of faith in YHWH at a time of gross apostasy. Just as YHWH through Moses had boosted the faith of Israel at the Exodus with specific miracles, and just as our Messiah Jesus Himself would evidence His Messiahship by even greater miracles (Matthew 11.2-6), followed by miracles which accredited His Apostles (Acts 4.29-30; 5.12) so now in these perilous times for the worship of YHWH, the God of Israel, our Holy God encouraged the faithful by miracles, some of which were remarkably similar, although lesser in extent, to those of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is also interesting to note that in some ways Elisha’s spate of miracles can be seen as having commenced with his seeing a ‘Grand Exit’, accompanied by a reception of the Spirit, as Elijah was taken alive up into Heaven. It may be a pointer to the future.
2 And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
After this amazing Grand Exit our Holy Spirit lists for us what miracle our Holy God was about to do with His prophet Elijah. He was going to spare Elijah from dying and take him to heaven courtesy of a tornado. (a whirlwind).
2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So, they went down to Bethel.
Elisha had had a prophetic realization that something significant was about to happen to his mentor and that he should be a part of it, for normally he would have obeyed his ‘master’. Thus, when Elijah called on him to return to Gilgal and wait there while he moved on to Bethel at YHWH’s directing, he declared with a solemn oath his intention of going with Elijah, come what may.
3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
As they approached Bethel the sons of the prophets came to them and asked Elisha if he realized that Elijah was that day to be taken from him. Elisha declared immediately that he was very aware of the fact. Their reminding him did not help in his sorrow on losing his teacher and companion.
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So, they came to Jericho.
Elijah then informed Elisha that he should wait at Bethel because YHWH had sent him to Jericho. Again, Elisha insisted on going with him. It would seem clear from this that Elijah wanted to make no promises to Elisha of what was coming but was quite willing for him to accompany him. (He could otherwise have forbidden it more forcefully). While Elisha was his appointed successor, Elijah wanted it to be recognized that he did not presume to know what purposes YHWH had for him.
5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” So, he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
Once again the sons of the prophets, although this time of the Jericho community approached Elisha and warned him that Elijah was to be taken from them. And once again Elisha confirmed that YHWH had also made him aware of the fact.
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So, the two of them went on.
Once again Elijah sought to persuade Elisha to stay behind, and once again Elisha refused forcefully, with the result that the two of them went on together.
The city of Philadelphia where I serve at has been in a happy mood since the Eagles won the Super Bowl. From my perspective I believe that our Lord blessed the team based on the faith of quite a few players for if you looked at their size and talent there is no way they should have accomplished that championship.
We were blessed in that we have about ten of the solid believers in Christ our Lord and Savior from the team at our church. In one touching moment one player who was traded early in the season to the Patriots came back to be with his former teammates and friends. He shared his feelings on how he was significantly dismayed on his trade because they meant a lot to him. On the day he had left Philly all his Christian teammates took him out to lunch as a farewell. After their luncheon Carson Wentz drove him to the airport. You do not see that kind of concern too often.
I can somehow understand more fully Elisha’s desire not to leave his friend for as long as it took.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
Fifty of the sons of the prophets followed the two and watched them from a distance. Meanwhile Elijah and Elisha approached the Jordan.
8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
Elijah then took his robe and wrapped it together and hit the waters of the Jordan so that they parted before them. As with Moses’ rod, so Elijah’s mantle symbolized his authority. This deliberate act of prophetic symbolism confirms that Elijah was depicting in some way that in him ‘Israel’ was reversing the entry into Canaan. It may well have been declaring that Israel’s future as a nation of YHWH would now totally depend on Elisha for as we will see he will re-enter the land.
9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
Once they were over the Jordan Elijah then asked Elisha what he wanted him to do for him before he was taken from him. Elisha’s answer was prompt. He wanted the firstborn’s double portion (Deuteronomy 12.17) of the Spirit of Elijah.
10 So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
It is significant that despite the fact the Elisha was his duly anointed successor, Elijah did not presume that he qualified him for such an important ‘gift’. In fact he recognized it as a ‘hard thing’. It would all depend on what YHWH’s will was. He had been given a unique gift of the Spirit, and it was YHWH Who alone could decide whether Elijah’s ‘Spirit’ was passed on. But there would be a simple test. If Elisha’s spiritual eyes were so opened by YHWH that he saw what was about to take place in the counsels of God, it would be evidence that he had received the ‘double portion’ of Elijah’s spirit.
11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
As they walked on they saw coming towards them a chariot of fire with horses of fire, which divided the two apart. Then a whirlwind took Elijah up into Heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So, he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.
Elisha ‘saw it’ (saw the whole miracle). By this he knew that the Spirit of Elijah had come on him. And he called out to Elijah as he departed, ‘my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen’. In other words, ‘my spiritual father, I have seen the heavenly occurrences that you spoke of, just as you said’. And he never forgot from that moment that the forces of YHWH, invisible to other men but seen by him, were with him.
13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
A mantle refers to a kind of article of clothing. It is like an overcoat or a cloak. Elijah left his mantle behind when he ascended to heaven. A new prophet named Elisha picked up this mantle to wear and took over Elijah’s role as prophet.
Typically, when people use this expression, it implies that the person taking up the mantle is taking over for someone who is no longer able or willing to continue.
14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
Then he took the robe which had fallen from Elijah, and smote the waters crying out, ‘Where is YHWH, the God of Elijah?’ and the result was that the Jordan once more parted for him to cross over. He was entering the land as Israel had done many years before, on behalf of the new believing Israel.
15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
We are not told what precisely the sons of the prophets from Jericho saw, apart from Elisha wearing the robe of Elijah. But it clearly convinced them that the Spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha, and they therefore came and submitted to him as their new leader.
16 Then they said to him, “Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send anyone.”
I encourage you to watch the movie ‘tornado’ where you will see the effects of objects and people being caught up in one. Our Precious Holy Spirit informs us that Elijah was taken up in a ‘whirlwind’. In their thought they felt that he may have been thrown down to some other area.
17 But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send them!” Therefore, they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him.
When they continued to urge them he gave way while recognizing that they would not cease urging him until he gave up on trying to restrain them.
18 And when they came back to him, for he had stayed in Jericho, he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
When they came back and reported their failure to find Elijah’s body, Elisha said ‘Did I told you so!’ He had known quite well that Elijah was nowhere on earth to be found.
The new beginning for Israel resulting from Elisha’ entry into the land over the Jordan results the men of Jericho asking him to ‘heal’ a spring of water at Jericho, in a similar fashion to the way in which Moses, having crossed the Red Sea into a new deliverance, also healed a spring of water (Exodus 15.23-25).
19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.”
The city of Jericho had been known as the city of palm trees (Judges 1.16). It was well watered by a large spring, and with a pleasant, although hot, climate. But something had happened to the waters of the spring which resulted in ‘the land miscarrying’. Whatever caused it is not indicated but either way the waters needed ‘healing’.
20 And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So, they brought it to him.
Elisha therefore called for a new dish and some salt. The ‘new dish’ would indicate to the people that what he was about to do had a holy, God-connected purpose, which was why the dish must not have been contaminated in any way by earthly contacts Salt was seen as a means of purifying (Leviticus 2.13).
21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’
Elisha then went and cast the salt into the spring, and declared in the Name of YHWH, that the waters were now healed and that there would therefore in future be no death or miscarrying.
22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.
So the waters were healed by YHWH in accordance with Elisha’s word, and remained healed to the day of writing. There was no further trouble. This miracle was a further picture of why YHWH had raised up Elisha. It was to purify Israel and make it fruitful.
23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
As Elisha went up from Jericho to Bethel, continuing his symbolic journey, young men ‘came forth’ from the city and approached him. They were young men in their late teens or early twenty’s. This word is similarly used of Absalom as a grown man (2 Samuel 14.21). So coming out of the city is a large group of deliquents and bullies in order to intimidate Elisha, with the aim of mocking his status. The sanctuary city of Bethel with its golden calf wanted nothing to do with a true prophet of YHWH.
The mob of young men remarks of ‘go up, go up’ is interesting. Apparently, word had spread that Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind. So, in modern vernacular these guys were saying to Elisha, ‘Hey bud, why don’t you take a leaping fly out of here.’
24 So he turned around and looked at them and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
The whole of the city would probably be watching to see what happened. It was a test of the ‘new’ prophet’s standing. If he turned tail and fled people would be able to draw their own conclusions. But instead Elisha turned round and issued a solemn curse on the young men, with the result that two she-bears (probably with the intention of defending their young from this group of men who had disturbed them, and therefore extra fiercely) came out of the forest which was near Bethel, which Elisha may well have been entering, and severely mauled forty two of the young men. These men may not all necessarily have been killed. It was intended to vindicate the prophet, not to be an execution squad.
25 Then he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Then Elisha continued his symbolic journey by going to Mount Carmel the site of YHWH’s vindication by Elijah. He was ‘possessing’ the land for YHWH. Then he returned to Samaria.
