The Road To A Double Portion

The Road to a Double Portion

Somebody say, I Want A Double Portion

We know that Elisha went from being a ploughman, working in the fields one day, to being a prophet of the Lord the next. Elisha was tested at each step of the journey, Elijah said “stay here, don’t go any further“ And Elisha passed the test saying (in so many words!) “There’s no way at all, I am leaving you. I am staying with you and I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

What I want to do today is look at the four places in

2 Kings 2:1-9. Each of the four places mentioned (Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and the Jordan) are highly significant in Israel’s history and I believe they are highly symbolic of stages in the Christians life.

2 Kings 2:1-9 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.

Somebody say, I Want A Double Portion

Where it all starts: Gilgal

(Separation and Cutting Away)

So the first stop on the journey was Gilgal. Before we even look at the passage, let me ask you a question…

“If you were to go to Gilgal in the days of the Israelites, what would you see?” The answer - stones. Of course, you would see stones in any location,

but in this case, there were some pretty specific stones.

Joshua 4:19-24 ‘On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

Gilgal was a home base for Joshua and the Israelites and it was the first place they came to when they entered the Promised Land. Two things about Gilgal.

First, these stones, that were a reminder that God is alive and well and He acts on behalf of His people. Sometimes we act as if God were not even alive.

“ PREACH JESUS IS ALIVE AND WELL ”

The second thing in Gilgal, is Chapter 5:2, 6-9:

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites.”… The Israelites had wandered this desert forty years. All the military men had died, in disobedience to the LORD, but God raised up their sons in their place. These were the ones Joshua circumcised. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained in Gilgal until they healed. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today,