2 Kings 2:1-15 11/23/25 a.m.
Can I ask you a question? If you knew that TODAY would be the last day of your life ... WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Would you spend it with Family and Friends? Give some hugs and kisses. Tell people that you lov’em.
Would you do things that you had always wanted to do? Mark off a couple of things on your Bucket List? ILLUS: BITE
Would you spend time in Prayer? Try to get a little closer to God? I WOULD!!! I think I would ask God for strength.
I ask you this because there are people today spending their last day on Earth. Some know it, most don’t.
This morning I want to spend a few minutes and look at the way that Elijah spent his last day on this earth. And I want to look at his traveling companion. Elisha. So let’s go ahead and read 2 Kings 2:1-15.
“And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
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.
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.
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.
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 both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
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.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
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.
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.
Well, it seems that most everyone knew that Elijah would be moving on up to GLORY LAND sometime that day. It wasn’t a secret.
Verse 3 tells us that Elisha and the Sons of the Prophets living at Bethel knew.
In Verse 5, the Sons of the Prophets living in Jericho knew.
And then Verse 9 tells us that Elijah himself knew.
THIS WAS GOING TO BE A MOMENTOUS DAY!!!
So what did Elijah do on his last day here on earth? Well, he spent the day with ELISHA. A FRIEND and a STUDENT. Someone who he had MENTORED. And on his last day on earth he WALKED and TALKED and he TAUGHT and he LIVED HIS LIFE for others to see. So, that’s what I would like to preach on this morning. Elijah’s LAST DAY on earth. But before we get into the message let’s go to the Lord in Prayer.
Brother _____, would you lead us?
I. Well, one of the first things I noticed, on his last day on Earth, Elijah WALKED a lot.
He went from Gilgal to Bethel. Then Bethel to Jericho. Then Jericho to the Jordan River and when they got to the Jordan River they CROSSED OVER.
That comes out to right at 25 miles. A pretty good days walk. But WHY? Why would he walk ALL of these places on the day he was going to depart?
Well, I think the simple answer is that GOD TOLD HIM TO.
Verse 2. “for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.”
Verse 4. “for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho.”
Verse 6. “for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan.”
So God SENT Elijah from Gilgal to Bethel then on to Jericho and he finally wound up at the Jordan River.
Throughout this ENTIRE JOURNEY Elijah was OBEYING GOD on his LAST DAY here on Planet Earth.
You know what, I think that’s important. Elijah had been through some TOUGH TIMES.
He had faced Wicked Ahab and Jezebel.
He had lived through a TERRIBLE FAMINE.
He had Faced Hunger and Thirst.
He had been fed by the Ravens and the Widow Woman with one son.
He went against the Prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel and WON.
He SLEW ALL of those Prophets. 1 Kings 18:40
He FLED for his life from Jezebel.
He Faced terrible DEPRESSION and wanted to DIE.
He felt like he was all ALONE in this BATTLE.
But yet he NEVER GAVE UP and HE NEVER QUIT. On his LAST DAY here on EARTH he was STILL OBEYING GOD!!!
Man, THIS, THIS RIGHT HERE is a LESSON for all of us.
A. Hey you YOUNG PEOPLE that are here today. I think it’s important for you to see that at the BEGINNING of Elijah’s MINISTRY he OBEYED GOD.
We don’t know how old he was when he began but we do know that he was called Elijah the TISHMITE. It simply means he came from a little known place called Tishbe. We don’t know much about Tishbe. It was probably just a wide spot in the road. A little PO DE DUNK town.
What GOOD can come out of a PO DE DUNK town like Tishbe?
But yet very few men who lived in the same time as Elijah are even known today. Here I am, thousands of years later, PREACHING a sermon about Elijah from Tishbe. Why?Because he OBEYED God from the beginning of his life.
And some may say, “What GOOD can come out of a PO DE DUNK town like Skiatook, Hominy, Sperry, Owasso or even Little Old Avant?” Well, let me tell you what GOOD can come out of these places.
YOUNG PEOPLE who will COMMIT their LIVES to GOD from the BEGINNING!!!!
Young people who will COMMIT to staying PURE!!!
Young people who will SUBMIT themselves to GOD!!!
And it ALL comes down to YOUNG PEOPLE who will JUST OBEY GOD!!!
ILLUS: Pierre Barlot was a gunner in the fort of Mont Valerin during the Prussian siege of Paris. One day he was standing by his gun when General Noel, the commander, came up and leveled his glass at the Sevres bridge. “Gunner,” he said, “do you see the Sevres bridge over there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And that little shanty in a thicket of shrubs to the left?”
“I see it, sir,” said Pierre, turning pale.
“It’s a nest of Prussians; try it with a shell, my man.”
Pierre turned paler still. He sighted his piece deliberately, carefully, then fired it. “Well hit, my man, well hit!” exclaimed the general. But as he looked at Pierre he was surprised to see a great tear running down the gunner’s cheek. “What’s the matter, man?”
“Pardon me, General,” said Pierre, “it was my house—everything I had in the world.”
Young people. No matter what it costs, JUST OBEY GOD.
No matter what “FRIENDS” you may LOSE.
No matter what “FUN” you won’t have.
No matter how many of your “So CALLED friends” may LAUGH at you and make fun of you. Just Obey God.
B. You YOUNG PARENTS and MIDDLE AGED FOLKS that are here today.
JUST OBEY GOD.
Throughout Elijah’s ministry he never quit.
When things got HARD he kept on going.
We don’t know what his MARITAL STATUS was.
We don’t know if he had any KIDS.
We don’t know a whole lot about Elijah but we do know that he didn’t quit.
And I think in this COMPLICATED WORLD that we live in, there is a STRONG PULL upon the LIVES of parents.
A PULL to do ALL the things other parents do.
A PULL to MAKE SURE your children have all the best.
A PULL to MAKE SURE they get everything they want.
To make sure they EXPERIENCE ALL of the same things that other kids EXPERIENCE.
There is a STRONG PULL to MAKE SURE that your children FINANCIALLY SUCCEED in this LIFE.
There is a BIG PUSH that children be SUCCESSFUL in SPORTS or some other EXTRACURRICULAR Activity.
They MUST go to COLLEGE.
They MUST CHOOSE a CAREER.
ALL THESE THINGS YOU WANT FOR YOUR KIDS!!!
And folks listen, I get it. I’ve BEEN THERE and I’M there right now. Our oldest 5 are now adults. Making their own decisions. But we still have ONE CHILD that’s not an adult yet. I understand the PRESSURES of raising a family in this day and age. I’m sure a lot of people would say we’re doing it ALL WRONG.
But I want to tell you something. And please listen to me. I’m NOT saying this to be mean. There is NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT than OBEYING GOD at this point in your LIFE.
ILLUS: I’ve heard a lot of people say. “I want to give my kids everything I didn’t have growing up.” NOT ME!!! Because I was given THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS while I was growing up. We didn’t have the BEST CLOTHES. We didn’t have the FINEST HOUSE in town. We didn’t drive a NEW CAR.
But I had a mama and daddy who walked with Jesus everyday. Did they make mistakes? Sure they did. But they followed Jesus EVERYDAY in EVERY PART of their LIVES.
And if you didn’t have that, then YES, BY ALL MEANS, give your kids what you didn’t have growing up. A LIFE of FOLLOWING JESUS.
But I wouldn’t be too concerned about all the fancy things that this world has to offer. Because they’re not gonna last.
And ALL of these other things that may be GOOD. Sports, Activities, College, Careers, and the list goes on. There’s NOTHING wrong with these things. But they will mean absolutely NOTHING when it comes to ETERNITY.
If you will train up a CHILD in the WAYS of God, if you LIVE IT in front of them EVERYDAY, then it will make an ETERNAL DIFFERENCE in their lives.
C. Now don’t think I’m gonna leave you OLDER FOLKS out today. Listen, in your last years here on this earth, JUST OBEY GOD. Will you do that for me!!!
We don’t know how old Elijah was here in this passage that we have read. But he has to be getting up in years. He probably had the same aches and pains a lot of us do. Old ARTHUR had probably paid a VISIT to ELIJAH just like he has to many of us. He probably didn’t walk as fast as Elisha. But he still obeyed God. I can hear him now as they walked along,
“Slow down there Elisha, I can’t keep up!!!”
I know a lot of you all have RETIRED. I know it’s time for you to take it EASY. RELAX. Enjoy your RETIREMENT. And that’s a GOOD THING. You folks have worked hard for what you got. God has BLESSED YOU with a LONG LIFE.
He has GIVEN YOU wonderful things. He has made it POSSIBLE for you to retire. And there is NOTHING WRONG with ENJOYING your RETIREMENT YEARS. But OBEDIENCE to God has to come first. Still LIVE IT OUT everyday. Still TEACH your children and grand children and great grand children. YOU STILL MATTER and WHAT YOU SAY STILL MATTERS!!!
II. And that leads me to my next point. WHAT was the REASON God would have Elijah WALK from Gilgal to Bethel? Then on to Jericho? And finally to the Jordan River?
Well, one thing, he was an ENCOURAGEMENT to the SONS of the PROPHETS as he went along. He was somewhat FAMOUS at this time. He was a PROPHET of GOD. He had faced those PRIESTS of BAAL and WON. Now here he was taking what I would call a VICTORY LAP. Visiting the TROOPS before he DEPARTS.
And I think it’s SO IMPORTANT for ALL of US to be SEEN OBEYING GOD.
A. Young people.
YOU can be the EXAMPLE of someone who doesn’t give in to PEER PRESSURE. Whether you’re at school, at ball games or just hanging out, YOU can be the ONE to steer your friends in the RIGHT DIRECTION. Someday you can take a VICTORY LAP!!! Someone will tell you, YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!!!
YOU can be the example of the ONE who remains PURE.
YOUNG ladies, you didn’t give in and you didn’t give it up.
Other young people will look to you. That’s a HUGE RESPONSIBILITY!!!
B. Moms and Dads.
Life may seem tough right now but if you will stay TRUE to the Lord SOMEDAY you’ll be able to look back without REGRETS.
You made the TOUGH DECISIONS.
You made your kids MAD.
You DID the RIGHT THING even though it wasn’t popular.
You went through the FIRE.
And because of that you will be able to be an ENCOURAGEMENT to others. SOMEDAY!!! You’ll be old and maybe you’ll get to take a VICTORY LAP.
C. And you older folks,
You’ve FACED some the same things that younger folks FACE today.
You’ve OVERCAME some of the TEMPTATIONS that the YOUNGER SOLDIERS of the CROSS face today.
You’ve made MISTAKES that you can share to HELP OTHERS.
You’ve FALLEN and gotten BACK UP.
You’ve LOST LOVED ONES along the way.
And NOW you’re kind of on your OWN VICTORY LAP.
You’ve been through ALL OF THIS and you haven’t quit. Even in your OLD AGE you are STILL OBEYING GOD.
I don’t know about you but when I SEE an OLD SOLDIER, still in the SERVICE of the LORD, it ENCOURAGES me. It makes me want to cheer you on.
You aren’t PHYSICALLY ABLE to do the things you used to do. I doubt if Old Elijah could have taken up a SWORD and KILLED all of them Priests of BAAL at this time in his life.
At his age it probably would have been really hard for him to survive in the wilderness while being fed by the RAVENS.
But yet as he traveled along on his LAST DAY on EARTH he was still doing God’s Work. He was STILL OBEYING GOD.
One of the SADDEST THINGS I have ever seen is when some FOLKS get older, they let down their GUARD.
They SLACK OFF.
They LOWER their STANDARDS.
They DO THINGS they NEVER would have done in the PAST.
They’re NOT an ENCOURAGEMENT but a HINDRANCE.
ILLUS: Solomon, with ALL of his wisdom. With ALL of his riches. He gave us some GREAT WISDOM but in his OLD AGE He did EVIL in the sight of the Lord. 1 Kings 11:1-6
“But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.”
Now that’s SAD to me. Folks, as we ALL get OLDER. Let’s COMMIT OURSELVES to GOD that we will OBEY HIM. Listen, THESE YOUNGER FOLKS ARE WATCHING US. Let’s be careful WHAT we SAY. WHERE we GO. And the THINGS that we DO. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO OBEY GOD!!!
III. Now lastly, as Elijah and Elisha were WALKING ALONG, it tells us in Verse 11 that they were TALKING. I think Old Elijah was giving Elisha some parting ADVICE.
Up to this point Elisha had refused to leave Elijah and now they come to the Jordan River. OLD ELIJAH takes off his MANTLE, his cape, and hits the river and it parts. They walk across on Dry Ground. And Elijah asks Elisha what he wanted. And Elisha says, “a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”
You see what Elisha is saying here. “I’ve been watching you and I want what you’ve got. In fact, I want TWICE as much as what you have.” And Elijah said, you’ve asked a HARD THING but if you see me DEPART then you’ll get it but if you don’t … then you won’t. And it wasn’t long until the Chariot of Fire came down to pick Old Elijah up. And off he went. And just as Elijah had said, Elisha received a Double Portion of the Spirit of God.
Now PICTURE this in your minds. Old Elisha picks up the MANTLE that Elijah had dropped, walks over to the Jordan River and smacks the water. And this is what he says, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah.” And the waters part. What a way to end this story. The Spirit of God is POURED OUT upon Elisha.
Do you know how many MIRACLES Elijah performed in the Bible? 14.
Do you know how many are recorded for Elisha? 28. Double the number.
A DOUBLE PORTION of the Spirit of God.
Now as you and I JOURNEY through this life, we’re going to see LOVED ONES, RELATIVES, FRIENDS, FAMILY cross on over. And eventually, every one of us will DIE.
ILLUS: There have been so many PASS AWAY since I have become Pastor almost 12 years ago. I’ve preached my mom and dad’s funerals. Rachel’s mom’s. Aunts and Uncles. All of the sweet people we lost during Covid just about BROKE ME. Listen, I’m not trying to be dramatic but through the years, some of these folks we’ve lost along the way really hurt. Brother Rob Shatwell has been gone a little over 8 years now. I still get choked up when I think about him. It was one of the hardest funerals I have ever preached. He was way too YOUNG. 49 years old. Too KIND. Too GOOD of a man.
And he didn’t leave in a Chariot of Fire. It was through an AGONIZING DEATH. CANCER. I HATE CANCER.
It wasn’t all planned out, folks watching for the BIG EVENT. No, it came slowly and he died at home with his family.
And a DOUBLE PORTION of the Spirit of God didn’t FALL upon ME or ANYONE close to him. But yet the LIFE HE LIVED affected me and a lot of other people in a POWERFUL WAY.
ILLUS: Digging for VEINS and his kind heart.
You see he lived a life that was OBEDIENT to God. He lived a life that was an EXAMPLE to ME and to OTHERS. And by doing that he pointed people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Man I miss him and many others but we WILL see them again SOMEDAY.
If you are here this morning and you don’t know Jesus in a PERSONAL WAY, don’t wait. If you don’t have a RELATIONSHIP with Him, don’t put it off. We never know when DEATH could come. Someday it’s gonna be our LAST DAY here on Earth.
And if you’re here this morning and you haven’t been the example that you ought to be, you haven’t been OBEDIENT to God, you can make a fresh start this morning.
Elisha asks the question, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And I can answer that. He is HERE this morning and he stands with open arms waiting for you. Do you know Him?
Let’s Pray
