2 Kings 2:1-12 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Kings 2:1-12. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Kings 2:1-6 (NIV)
1 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “but do not speak of it.”
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “but do not speak of it.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.
On verses 1-6: Here we read of how the prophet Elijah is taken from this world. Presumably in a single day, Elijah and Elisha travel from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and then finally to the Jordan. According to my rudimentary calculations, Gilgal appears to be over 20 kilometres away from Bethel and Bethel is over 20 kilometres away from Jericho. So unless Elijah and Elisha walked or ran the equivalent of a marathon that day together, I would expect that for most of this trip (other than the part from Jericho to the Jordan – v6), Elijah and Elisha traveled by chariot or on horseback to these various places. At every city he visits, Elijah goes to see the school of prophets there so that Elijah can say a final goodbye. When other prophets try to talk with Elisha about Elijah’s expected departure, Elisha doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s not an easy thing for Elisha to come to terms with the idea that his teacher and mentor will be gone soon. So here is Elisha trying to treasure every last moment he has with his teacher, mentor, friend and spiritual father.
What can we learn from this? Just as Elisha treasured his mentor Elijah, may you treasure the people that God uses to show you who God is, to tell you His Word, and to mould you into the leader God made you to be. May you not take them for granted but let them know how much they mean to you. Appreciate them and learn as much as you can from them. You may find in the process that you gained not just a teacher or a leader, but a friend and a mentor.
2 Kings 2:7-10 (NIV)
7 Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan.
8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours–otherwise not.”
On verses 7-10: Much like Elijah’s ministry, Elijah’s final day on earth is marked by miracles. Elijah takes his cloak, rolls it up like sushi and strikes Jordan River so that the waters part and Elijah and Elisha can walk on dry ground. When Elijah asks Elisha what he can do for Elisha before he leaves, Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Why? It’s because Elisha greatly valued what God had done through Elijah and he wanted to see that continue. I also believe it’s because Elisha realized that he could not do anything without the power of God, that he was desperate for God to empower his ministry and longed for God to move as mightily through his ministry as God did through Elijah. I believe Elisha made this request not out of pride or selfish ambition, but out of humility and a longing to see God use his life.
What can we learn from this? God never made you to be a carbon copy of any other individual, but He did make us to learn from others and to grow by watching the example of others. So when it comes to the people that God uses to show you who God is, to tell you His Word, and to mould you into the leader God made you to be, take note of the good things you see in them. To the extent that you are able, wisely apply those good things in your own life.
2 Kings 2:11-12 (NIV)
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
On verses 11-12: To me this is one of the most tender and touching moments in the Bible. To Elisha, Elijah was more than a teacher or a trainer. He was Elisha’s dear friend, a father figure in Elisha’s life. As they’re both walking and talking together, a whirlwind surrounds Elijah and Elijah is taken up to heaven alive. This is one of possibly only 3 times in the Bible that we see this happening (the others being Enoch is Genesis 5:24 and of course Jesus at his ascension). Elisha sees Elijah along with a chariot of fire and horses of fire going up to heaven. Alone on earth, Elisha tears his clothes in mourning.
What can we learn from this? There will come a time when each of us will lose people that we love very much. Those times are extremely tough emotionally, beyond words can say. But know that if that loved one of yours believes in the Lord, though they are gone from your sight, they are not out of God’s sight. In fact, they are safe with God in heaven. So while we will mourn and grieve their loss, we can also know a comforting peace in the midst of our pain. We can rest in the reality that when those who believe in the Lord leave this earth, they don’t leave home but they go home, and we will get to be with them again one day.
Thank You Father so much for the people You have placed in my life who have shown me who You are, who have spoken Your Word to me and who have trained me into who I am today. May I never take them for granted. Thank You that this earth is not our home; that we have an eternal house in heaven waiting for us. Thank You that our loved ones who believe in Jesus and who died before us are safe with You today, and that we get to join them one day in heaven. In the meantime, let Your peace comfort us and Your Spirit empower us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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