Pastor Andy Davis preaches a verse-by-verse expository sermon on 2 Kings 2:1-18. The main subject of the sermon is Elijah’s ascension into heaven and Elisha’s succession of him.
Pastor Andy Davis preaches a verse-by-verse expository sermon on 2 Kings 2:1-18. The main subject of the sermon is Elijah’s ascension into heaven and Elisha’s succession of him.
– SERMON TRANSCRIPT –
If you would take your Bibles and turn to second Kings chapter two, we’re going to be talking tonight about one of the most exciting rides you’ll ever find anywhere in scripture, and that is Elijah’s ascent to heaven in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire. That’s extraordinary, isn’t it? And that’s an incredible thing. But I’d like to begin with an account from Pilgrim’s Progress, and this will be familiar to those of you that studied it with us this summer. This is the allegory of the Christian life that Bunyan wrote in the 17th century, and as Christian and his friend Hopeful come very close to the celestial city, they’re about to enter and they noticed between them and the city, a river. And so they’ve come to the edge of the river, and the river symbolizes death. “Now I further saw that betwixt them and the gate was a river, but there was no bridge to go over. The river was very deep and at the sight, therefore, of this river, the pilgrims were much stunned. But the men that went with them said, ‘You must go through or you cannot come at the gate.’ The pilgrims then began to inquire if there were no other way to the gate, to which they answered, ‘Yes, but there have not any, save two, Enoch and Elijah been permitted to tread that path since the foundation of the world, nor shall to the last trumpet shall sound.’ The pilgrims then, especially Christian, began to despond in their minds and look this way and that, but no way could be found by them, by which they might escape the river.”
That’s speaking about death, isn’t it, and the inevitability that all of us have to face death, that we will at some point die. If we are not that mysterious final generation prophesied about in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and also mentioned in 1 Thessalonians four, we will die. We will come to that river and we may look left and we may look right for a way to get across, and we may be assured that there, “have not any except two, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted that way.” Here is the account of Elijah’s translation to heaven without dying. Now it’s a fascinating thing really, because from the very beginning, sin and death have been linked together. You remember in Genesis chapter two, we have the account of the formation of Adam out of the dust of the earth. God gathered together the dust of the earth, and you will recognize that your body is made out of the same elemental materials that can be found in this world. And so, God used the same stuff but just artfully arranged it, just put it together in an amazing way. And so, he artfully arranges Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life.
But then he warns him. He said, “You may eat from any tree in the garden, but from [the tree in the center], the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day you eat of it, you will surely die.” And so the death sentence is over disobedience. Sin is connected to death, right from the very beginning. The wages of sin is death right from the start, long before Paul wrote those words. And you know the story, the tragic story in Genesis three about how Adam and Eve did sin, and how God spoke to them and said that they would sink back into the dust, for dust they are and to dust they would return. And so our bodies sink back into the grave, don’t they? They came up out of the earth and they will go back to the earth. I’m talking about this to show you the extraordinary mercy and grace that was shown to Elijah here. It’s incredible that God would do this to a man, and I think we need to recognize the sovereign mercy and grace of God here. It’s the center of the story here. Elijah didn’t deserve this. He would be the first to tell you he didn’t deserve this, and yet it was granted to him.
Let’s look at second Kings chapter two and read this incredible account. “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here. The Lord has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elijah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. 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.’ Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here Elisha. The Lord has sent me on to Jericho.’ And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ And so they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take away your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I know,’ he replied, ‘but do not speak of it.’ 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. 50 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. Elijah took his cloak and 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. And 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. ‘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.’ 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. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariots and horseman of Israel,’ and Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left and he crossed over. The company of the prophets from Jericho who were watching said, ‘The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.’ And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. ‘Look,’ they said, ‘We your servants have 50 able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.’ ‘No,’ Elisha replied. ‘Do not send them.’ But they persisted until he was too ashamed to refuse. So he said, ‘Send them.’ And they sent 50 men who searched for three days but did not find him. And when they returned to Elisha who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to go?’”
That’s an incredible story, isn’t it? The beginning, in verses one through eight, we see Elijah testing Elisha. In verses one through eight, Elijah and Elisha are walking along and it seems that they have been busy, they have been active. We don’t really know what he’s done since that whole thing happened with Ahaziah in chapter one of second Kings. But we know that Elijah and Elisha were establishing and working with the schools of the prophets. And so, everywhere they go in this particular account, there are these prophets that come out and meet them and talk to them. And so they’ve been establishing, in effect, these seminaries. We talked about this last time. And this connects again very well to the sermon that I preached this morning, namely concerning Christ’s desire to shape the 12, so also God desired to shape a new generation of Yahweh worshipers, of prophets for Yahweh in Israel, which had been so destitute and stripped of them because of Jezebel, lest Baal worship should ultimately triumph in Israel, lest Baal worship should go on unchallenged.
Remember that Jezebel had snuffed out the lives of most of the prophets of the Lord. In first King’s 18, remember we met a man named Obadiah, and while Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken 100 prophets and hidden them in two caves, 50 in each, and then supplied them with food and water. So we see very clearly that Jezebel had a program of genocide directed right at the prophets of the Lord. You remember also in first King’s 19, how Elijah complaining to the Lord says, “I’ve been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, have broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left and they’re trying to kill me also.” So I don’t know if that meant that the 100 prophets hidden in the caves had also been found out and killed, and Elijah really believed he was the only prophet of the Lord left. Now you know that he had reserved 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal, but some hypothesized that they hadn’t been converted yet, and it may well be that Elijah had reason to say what he says here. At any rate, there were no open prophets for the Lord in the northern kingdom of Israel. It was a terrible situation.
And so, Elijah and Elisha very boldly are setting up these schools of the prophets so that there would be a witness, there would be a testimony to the Lord after Elijah was gone. Now you know what happened, how in the cave at Horeb God told Elijah to go anoint Elisha as his successor and that Jehu eventually would be king of Israel and he would deal with the house and the family of Ahab. Well, it’s interesting that one of the prophets, one of these young prophets from the school of the prophets was the very one who went and anointed Jehu. In second King’s chapter nine verse seven, he anointed him and said, “You were to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.” You see, God didn’t forget, and he didn’t forgive, and Jezebel would pay with her life for what she did. But we can see the wisdom of God in establishing these schools of the prophets that there would be a testimony to his holy name after Elijah was gone. God is never left without a witness. Amen? He always has someone to testify for him. And so it is that these schools of the prophets were set up.
“Elijah and Elisha very boldly are setting up these schools of the prophets so that there would be a witness, there would be a testimony to the Lord after Elijah was gone.”
Now, these schools of the prophets or the sons of the prophets seemed to have special knowledge, didn’t they? I mean, is it just me or do you sense that? How do they know what’s going to happen? I’d just be, “It’s just another Tuesday,” right? It wasn’t just another Tuesday. Elijah was going to leave that day and be taken up in a whirlwind. It seems everybody knows it. Everybody in this story just seemed to know what was going to happen. Right? And so these schools of the prophets had specialized knowledge. And if you didn’t, well, you didn’t belong. Right? You were not included. God was not speaking to you in a supernatural way. But as Elijah and Elisha are walking along, there’s just this unspoken understanding that today’s going to be a big day for Elijah. They knew that something was going to happen. Elijah knew it was his last day on earth. Elisha knew it was Elijah’s last day on earth. The schools of the prophets know it’s Elijah’s last day on earth. Everybody knows it. Look at verse three. “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?'” Just checking your prophetic gift, Elijah, but maybe we’re in the know, and you didn’t know. Did you know? “Yes, I know,” Elijah replied. “But do not speak of it,” he says.
Now it’s interesting to trace Elijah’s steps here toward the end. First, the beginning of his final journey starts in the city of Gilgal, and very appropriate. This was a historic place. All of these places were historically significant. Gilgal was the first stopping place for Israel right after they had crossed the Jordan River and entered into the Promised Land. They stopped at Gilgal and they renewed the covenant with the Lord. It was there at Gilgal that they set up those 12 stones that they’d taken out of the riverbed. You remember? What happened was all of Israel came to the river at the time of the flood. It was flood stage. Was that an accident on God’s part? Don’t you believe it. He wanted it to be flood stage. He wanted to do a mighty miracle. He wanted to demonstrate his power and intimidate the nations in Canaan that there were about to be destroyed. Their fear and their intimidation was a big part of Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land. And so they still knew. As you know, Rahab still remembered what God had done in drying up the Red Sea. And now here it’s the same God doing the same mighty things. At flood stage, the river parts as soon as the priest stepped in. You know, they were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and the priest stepped into the river. And at that moment the river stopped and piled up in a heap, and they went across on dry ground. And this is astonishing. You realize you’re talking about several million people? I mean this is a huge, huge undertaking. So you have to wonder how high that water piled up during all the time it took for Israel to cross over, and God commanded that stones be taken, one representing each of the 12 tribes. And they were piled up in a pile at Gilgal. And in future generations, if some would come and say, what do these stones mean, then the miracle could be recounted, God’s mighty hand and his outstretched arm. They’re at Gilgal.
There also at Gilgal. They had renewed the covenant of circumcision. None of that generation had been circumcised as their father Abraham had. And so they renewed this covenant of circumcision. Here also, they celebrated the Passover for the first time in a generation, the first time in the Promised Land. And here they ate the fruit of the land and the manna stopped. So here at Gilgal, this was the beginning, and it’s very, very much tied, I think to the crossing of the Jordan River. Also, he travels on to Bethel. Bethel’s very significant as well because this was the place where Abraham first called on the name of the Lord in the Promised Land. Here’s where he got the promise that that land would be his or belong to his seed, his offspring. And it was here that he set up an altar, his first altar in the Promised Land, and he called on the name of the Lord at Bethel. Here also it was that Jacob had had that incredible dream. You remember how he had fallen asleep? He had put a stone under his head for a pillow. You have to wonder about Jacob and what was happening there. Can you sleep on a stone? Some said it’s about as heart as his head and that’s what it took. But he was there resting and a vision filled his mind, a glorious vision of a staircase, a stairway up to heaven, ladder or something, and angels ascending and descending on it. And he said, “How awesome is this place?” And he set up a pillar and he poured oil on it. That was at Bethel.
Here, Rachel had also died giving birth to Benjamin. So this was a significant place as well. So they’re going from place to place, and then finally Jericho. And you know the story of Jericho, the first conquest of the Promised Land. Now in every case, as they go from place to place, Elijah tries to get rid of Elisha, doesn’t he? “Stay here. The Lord has sent me on.” And in every case, Elisha responds, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you today.” Not today, I’m going to stay with you. It reminds me very much of what Ruth said. “Your God will be my God. Where you go, I will go, and only death will separate us.” Well, death didn’t separate them that day. Something else did, something unheard of. But he said, “I’m committed to go with you.” Now, what was Elijah’s motive? Why was he trying to get rid of Elisha? Well, there’s various opinions. The scholars are always going to come up with different ideas. One is that, this is the least likely and most ridiculous, that Elijah wanted the honor for himself, and he wanted to go up in a chariot of fire all by himself and didn’t want Elisha taking part in any way. Does that sound like the Elijah that you know? Of course not. But this is the kind of thing that people say. Some say on the other side very humbly, he did not want to make him feel badly that he didn’t have that honor. It was a humility thing. He wanted to say, “I just want to be by myself and the Lord’s going to take me and just go on, go about your ministry.” It could be. But I think even better is that Elijah was probably testing Elisha here. Because at one point, after all of the times, he says, “What can I do for you?” He says, “Make a request.” And so I think he’s really actually putting Elijah through his paces.
You remember in first King’s 19, when Elijah first put his mantle around Elisha. Elijah went on from there, it says, and found Elisha son of Shaphat and he was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen. And he himself was driving the 12th pair, and Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. And this cloak is symbolic of his prophetic ministry, and we see that in the story we just read. That cloak represented his prophetic ministry. And he put that cloak onto Elijah. It was a transfer to some degree, but symbolic at that point because Elijah’s still on the scene. And so, Elisha’s all excited, saying, let me go talk to my parents and I’ll be right with you. And he gives him a very interesting answer. Elijah, it says, “Go back. What have I done to you?” It’s a very interesting answer. And then at verse 21, as you remember, first King’s 19, Elijah left him and went back. He took those yolk of oxen, slaughtered them, burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat, gave it to the people and they ate. And he set out to follow Elijah and become his attendant. Well, that’s pretty dramatic. I mean killing 12 yolk of oxen and burning, he burned his bridge. But what about now? Are you ready now, Elisha, to take over? He’s testing him. He’s testing him to see if he will persevere.
Realize what blessings Elisha would’ve missed if he hadn’t persevered. Think about that. If he had said, “Okay, see you later. It’s been nice knowing you. I hope you enjoy your trip to heaven.” Instead, he persevered. And at one point, he gave him an opportunity, asked for a blessing, and we find out what that is in a moment. But he would’ve missed incredible blessings if he had not persevered. Elijah passed, therefore, his test with flying colors. Is our God the kind of God who tests us? Does he test our resolve? Oh, yes, he does. Genesis 22, sometime later, God tested Abraham saying, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a sacrifice.” Our God tests our resolve. He tests our determination. He tests our faith. And here I think Elijah is testing Elisha. And so it says, “’Stay here, Elisha. The Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ ‘As surely as the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.’ And so they went to Jericho.”
Now in verse seven and eight, the 50 prophets observe Elijah’s final miracle. The 50 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 River. 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. Now, and there’s no question that this is conjuring up the image of the first crossing of the Jordan River by Israel at the time of Joshua. There was no doubt about it. And so in effect, they’re leaving the polluted land of Israel, this idolatrous and wicked place, and really metaphorically Elijah is crossing that river into the true Promised Land. Just as the sabbath rest was only a picture of the final sabbath rest we have in Christ, so also the physical Promise Land is really only a picture of the true Promise Land. And so I think it’s not an accident that they cross the Jordan River in very much the same way that Israel had first entered. And so they’re crossing miraculously, Elijah and Elisha. A sense of a reverse crossing and an entering of the true Promised Land. Now, a reenactment of this exact miracle would establish Elisha’s reputation before these prophets when he came back in a few, maybe an hour or sometime later. When he came back and did the exact same miracle, they all knew that the power of Elijah was now resting on Elisha.
And so, in this very same way, God had elevated Joshua in front of all the people. And from that day on, the day of the crossing of the Jordan River, all of Israel revered Joshua as Moses’ successor, right? And that was a difficult thing, to follow Moses. I believe one of the most incredible verses in the Bible is in Joshua chapter one where it says, “Moses, my servant is dead. Now then you, Joshua…” Dot, dot, dot. How would you like to pick up the mantle for Moses and carry it on? And yet it was the crossing of the Jordan River that really established his leadership over Israel and enabled them to follow him. So also it would be for Elisha in a short time. Notice one more thing, the sovereignty of God in all of this. God chooses the portion for each servant, doesn’t he? He chooses what each one gets. What do I mean by that? Well, the company of prophets at Bethel knew that today was the final day for Elijah. They knew that. They were in that way set apart from the populace that surrounded. They had a specialized knowledge and they could interact with Elijah and Elisha in a unique way. We don’t have any record of any comments made to Elijah, but they at least knew that that was his final day. But they stayed there in Bethel. That was the end of their blessing that day. The company of prophets at Jericho were privileged to know that it was Elijah’s final day, and to witness the crossing of the Jordan River, both across and back, and that was their portion. They had an even greater blessing from God in that they witnessed an amazing miracle, Elijah’s final miracle on earth. And then Elisha’s first miracle is an inaugural miracle and they got to witness that. But that was as far as they went and no further.
Elisha, for his part, got to see the chariot of fire. He got to stand there and watch it as it ascended up in a whirlwind. He got to have a final interaction with Elijah. He got to be his right hand man and receive a double portion of his spirit. But he didn’t go up in the chariot, did he? That was for Elijah alone. And Elijah himself would tell you that was only by the grace of God and by his sovereign choice and his will. He would testify that he was a sinner, that he had fallen short of the glory of God, and only by the grace of God was he given the signal privilege. Do you see the sovereignty of God all over this? And we couldn’t come and say, “I demand that you give me what you gave Elijah.” How far would that get you? Would he give you the chariot of fire? Oh, I don’t think so. And then in verse nine and 10, we see Elisha’s request. “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. ‘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.’” This is the point, I believe, of all the testing. Preparation, final preparation for Elisha’s ministry. Elisha’s request is laudable. It is praiseworthy. It is not selfish. He did not ask, I think, for anything that would ultimately bless him. He wasn’t seeking some blessing for himself. But rather, I think his request was similar to that of the young King Solomon, who feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities he was taking on as king, asked God for wisdom, the ability to carry out the office. Is that not what Elisha’s asking for here?
Now, you might say, “What is this double portion thing?” I misunderstood this for most of the time that I read this. I thought it meant, I want twice as much of what you have. But I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. A.W. Pink does. He thinks that God gave to Elisha a double portion, in that he had twice as long a ministry and did twice as many miracles. And I think that’s a reputable position, but I actually want to go a different direction. In Deuteronomy 21:17, it says there, you don’t have to turn there, you’ll look at it later, it talks about sons, rival sons, and their position in the family, and one of them is going to be the inheritor of his father’s possessions. In Deuteronomy 21:17, “He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the first born by giving him [listen] a double share [or a double portion] of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength. The right of the first born belongs to him.” I think that’s what Elisha was requesting. I think there were many sons of the prophets, and he would desire that all of them receive some of Elijah’s spirit, namely the Holy Spirit. But he wanted a double portion, commensurate it with his role as Elijah’s successor. The mantle had been cast on him after all. And so he said, give me everything I will need to fulfill my leadership role for these prophets. Give me the share as an heir, as your son, really. And what does he say to him as he sees him going up? He calls him what? “My father.” Doesn’t he? And so I think this is really, “I want the portion of an heir apparent, the portion of a son.” And so he takes it.
And Elijah gives him a response. “You have asked a difficult thing. Yet, if you see me when I’m taken from you, it will be yours. Otherwise, not.” The gift was beyond Elijah’s to grant. It was for God and for God alone. But typical of the prophets, he said, I’ll give you a sign whereby you will know. If you see me when I go, then you will have that request. Otherwise, you won’t. Then in verse 11 and 12 come the chariots of fire. “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. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel.’ And Elisha saw him no more, and then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.”
Brothers and sisters, our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12 says that. “Our God is a consuming fire.” And so it is also that fire consumed the sacrifice and the altar on Mount Carmel. It was fire that had fallen down from heaven, and also fire fell down from heaven on Elijah’s enemies who came to arrest him from King Ahaziah. You remember that? But this time fire comes down to pick up one of God’s choice servants and bring him. He sends the angels to come get him, and that’s fascinating to me. One of the words for angels in the Bible is “seraphine”. The Hebrew means, burning ones. Burning ones. They’re burning with fire. They’re radiant and shining brightly. Psalm 104 verse three and four says, “He makes clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds as messengers and flames of fire his servants.” Those are angels, aren’t they? Flames of fire going out from God. And so, a chariot of fire, it’s really an angelic presence. Psalm 68:17, “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.”
Later on, interestingly, God would rescue Elisha from the Arameans. How would he do it? You remember, he would send chariots of fire to surround them. And remember his servant was so afraid, so afraid, “Oh no, we’re going to go.” He said, “Lord, open his eyes, because there’s more for us than against us here on this hill.” And God opened his eyes and they saw chariots of fire all around. They’re around us all the time. Did you realize that? The angels of the Lord are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. But here they appeared, and God sent angels to get his people. You know, this is a regular theme in the Bible, and I want to connect it to your life at this point. In Luke 16:22, Jesus told the servant of the rich man and Lazarus, “And the time came,” it says, “when the beggar died.” And it says, “The angels carried him up to Abraham’s bosom.” I think that’s exactly why Bunyan has angels escorting Christian and Hopeful as they go up to the gate. The angels are sent to get them. In many of the parables, Matthew 13, the harvest, Jesus said, is at the end of the age and the harvesters, are who? Who are the harvesters? They’re angels, and they collect everybody and they collect the wheat into the barn, but they burn up the chaff with unquenchable fires, the angels that do the collecting. And so Jesus says in Matthew 24:31, “He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heaven to the other.” He’s going to go out through the world and gather his elect, and they’re going to come together. And so it says in first Thessalonians 4:15 through 17, boy, this gets me excited. Okay? “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive and are left at the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with the loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the air to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be always with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”
Do you realize that Elijah’s trip is just a precursor and a type of what every single believer will enjoy at the end of the world? Isn’t that incredible? And only by the grace of God. Can any of us say we deserve that ride? To be gathered up by an angel and taken up to meet the Lord in the air, do we deserve that? Well, certainly not, but simply by grace. Philippians 3:20 and 21 says, our citizenship is where? In heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly body so that they will be like his glorious body. Now, God gave to Elijah privilege that day, but I think it’s important to understand something. Elijah’s body was not fit for heaven. You understand that? Would you, if you were Elijah, want to bypass a resurrection body? Wouldn’t you want a resurrection body? I mean, he was old and worn out. Now he had an amazing body, in that he could go 40 days on a little piece of meat. But even so, I want that resurrection body. And the scripture says very clearly in first Corinthians 15, verse 50, I declare to you brothers that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
So did Elijah die? Well, what is death? A separation from the body? Yes, he died. Of course, he did. But his body didn’t sink back down into the dust. He had a special ride up to heaven. One final comment. How tragic would it have been for Elijah if God had granted his request under the juniper tree? Do you remember that? When he was discouraged and depressed and beaten down in ministry, what did he ask for? He made a request. He asked to die. I want to die right here, right now, under this tree. Aren’t you glad that God holds your life and your days in his hand? No matter how hard it gets, aren’t you glad that he’s the one that decides when you die and how you die? Because look what he would’ve missed. Okay, fine. I’ll take you now, from under the juniper tree in the ordinary way. Oh, what he would’ve missed.
The epilogue is in verse 13 through 18. “Elisha picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan, and then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’” That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? He’s not being presumptuous there. He’s just saying, I need you, God. One of the Puritan divines, when he died, right before he died, these were his final words. “Where now is the God of Elijah?” Right before he crosses the river, those were his dying words. Amazing. “When he struck the water, divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over, the company that prophets from Jericho who are watching said ‘The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.’ And they went out to meet him and bowed down to the ground. ‘Look,’ they said. ‘We, your servants have 50 able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or some valley.'”
What a downer that would’ve been for Elijah. You go up and you go back down to minister to Jezebel again? I want to go to heaven. It’s time to be done. “No, Elisha replied. Do not send them.” Waste of time. We have work to do. But they persisted until he was too ashamed to refuse. And so he said, “send them.” And he sent the 50 men, searched for three days. They could have searched for 300 or 300 years. They never would’ve found him. He’s gone, gone forever. And when they returned to Elisha, he who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?” Now, what is the epilogue here? Basically, God’s work goes on. There’s no servant of the Lord so choice, so indispensable, that God’s work stops because that one is gone now. Elisha picks up the mantle and goes on, and he continues to minister, just as Joshua did for Moses. None of us is irreplaceable, none of us.
“Look forward, brothers and sisters, to your ride. Look forward to it. We’re supposed to encourage one another with these words.”
I think we were talking recently about putting our fist in a bowl of water. And if you pull it out, the hole that’s left is how indispensable we are to the Lord’s work, right? Try it sometime. You’ll see what I mean. You can imagine the hole that would be left. Anyway, God has ways to fill up the difference. But yet, each one of us is utterly unique and God uses us in a mighty way. Look forward, brothers and sisters, to your ride. Look forward to it. We’re supposed to encourage one another with these words. And until then, do the work of the ministry that God has laid before you. God willing, next time I’m going to summarize Elijah’s life, talk about some lessons overall, and talk about Elijah in the New Testament. So God willing, we’ll cover that next time, and that’ll finish our study on Elijah.
Pastor Andy Davis preaches a verse-by-verse expository sermon on 2 Kings 2:1-18. The main subject of the sermon is Elijah’s ascension into heaven and Elisha’s succession of him.
– SERMON TRANSCRIPT –
If you would take your Bibles and turn to second Kings chapter two, we’re going to be talking tonight about one of the most exciting rides you’ll ever find anywhere in scripture, and that is Elijah’s ascent to heaven in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire. That’s extraordinary, isn’t it? And that’s an incredible thing. But I’d like to begin with an account from Pilgrim’s Progress, and this will be familiar to those of you that studied it with us this summer. This is the allegory of the Christian life that Bunyan wrote in the 17th century, and as Christian and his friend Hopeful come very close to the celestial city, they’re about to enter and they noticed between them and the city, a river. And so they’ve come to the edge of the river, and the river symbolizes death. “Now I further saw that betwixt them and the gate was a river, but there was no bridge to go over. The river was very deep and at the sight, therefore, of this river, the pilgrims were much stunned. But the men that went with them said, ‘You must go through or you cannot come at the gate.’ The pilgrims then began to inquire if there were no other way to the gate, to which they answered, ‘Yes, but there have not any, save two, Enoch and Elijah been permitted to tread that path since the foundation of the world, nor shall to the last trumpet shall sound.’ The pilgrims then, especially Christian, began to despond in their minds and look this way and that, but no way could be found by them, by which they might escape the river.”
That’s speaking about death, isn’t it, and the inevitability that all of us have to face death, that we will at some point die. If we are not that mysterious final generation prophesied about in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and also mentioned in 1 Thessalonians four, we will die. We will come to that river and we may look left and we may look right for a way to get across, and we may be assured that there, “have not any except two, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted that way.” Here is the account of Elijah’s translation to heaven without dying. Now it’s a fascinating thing really, because from the very beginning, sin and death have been linked together. You remember in Genesis chapter two, we have the account of the formation of Adam out of the dust of the earth. God gathered together the dust of the earth, and you will recognize that your body is made out of the same elemental materials that can be found in this world. And so, God used the same stuff but just artfully arranged it, just put it together in an amazing way. And so, he artfully arranges Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life.
But then he warns him. He said, “You may eat from any tree in the garden, but from [the tree in the center], the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day you eat of it, you will surely die.” And so the death sentence is over disobedience. Sin is connected to death, right from the very beginning. The wages of sin is death right from the start, long before Paul wrote those words. And you know the story, the tragic story in Genesis three about how Adam and Eve did sin, and how God spoke to them and said that they would sink back into the dust, for dust they are and to dust they would return. And so our bodies sink back into the grave, don’t they? They came up out of the earth and they will go back to the earth. I’m talking about this to show you the extraordinary mercy and grace that was shown to Elijah here. It’s incredible that God would do this to a man, and I think we need to recognize the sovereign mercy and grace of God here. It’s the center of the story here. Elijah didn’t deserve this. He would be the first to tell you he didn’t deserve this, and yet it was granted to him.
Let’s look at second Kings chapter two and read this incredible account. “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here. The Lord has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elijah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. 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.’ Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here Elisha. The Lord has sent me on to Jericho.’ And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ And so they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take away your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I know,’ he replied, ‘but do not speak of it.’ 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. 50 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. Elijah took his cloak and 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. And 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. ‘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.’ 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. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariots and horseman of Israel,’ and Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left and he crossed over. The company of the prophets from Jericho who were watching said, ‘The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.’ And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. ‘Look,’ they said, ‘We your servants have 50 able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.’ ‘No,’ Elisha replied. ‘Do not send them.’ But they persisted until he was too ashamed to refuse. So he said, ‘Send them.’ And they sent 50 men who searched for three days but did not find him. And when they returned to Elisha who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to go?’”
That’s an incredible story, isn’t it? The beginning, in verses one through eight, we see Elijah testing Elisha. In verses one through eight, Elijah and Elisha are walking along and it seems that they have been busy, they have been active. We don’t really know what he’s done since that whole thing happened with Ahaziah in chapter one of second Kings. But we know that Elijah and Elisha were establishing and working with the schools of the prophets. And so, everywhere they go in this particular account, there are these prophets that come out and meet them and talk to them. And so they’ve been establishing, in effect, these seminaries. We talked about this last time. And this connects again very well to the sermon that I preached this morning, namely concerning Christ’s desire to shape the 12, so also God desired to shape a new generation of Yahweh worshipers, of prophets for Yahweh in Israel, which had been so destitute and stripped of them because of Jezebel, lest Baal worship should ultimately triumph in Israel, lest Baal worship should go on unchallenged.
Remember that Jezebel had snuffed out the lives of most of the prophets of the Lord. In first King’s 18, remember we met a man named Obadiah, and while Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken 100 prophets and hidden them in two caves, 50 in each, and then supplied them with food and water. So we see very clearly that Jezebel had a program of genocide directed right at the prophets of the Lord. You remember also in first King’s 19, how Elijah complaining to the Lord says, “I’ve been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, have broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left and they’re trying to kill me also.” So I don’t know if that meant that the 100 prophets hidden in the caves had also been found out and killed, and Elijah really believed he was the only prophet of the Lord left. Now you know that he had reserved 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal, but some hypothesized that they hadn’t been converted yet, and it may well be that Elijah had reason to say what he says here. At any rate, there were no open prophets for the Lord in the northern kingdom of Israel. It was a terrible situation.
And so, Elijah and Elisha very boldly are setting up these schools of the prophets so that there would be a witness, there would be a testimony to the Lord after Elijah was gone. Now you know what happened, how in the cave at Horeb God told Elijah to go anoint Elisha as his successor and that Jehu eventually would be king of Israel and he would deal with the house and the family of Ahab. Well, it’s interesting that one of the prophets, one of these young prophets from the school of the prophets was the very one who went and anointed Jehu. In second King’s chapter nine verse seven, he anointed him and said, “You were to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.” You see, God didn’t forget, and he didn’t forgive, and Jezebel would pay with her life for what she did. But we can see the wisdom of God in establishing these schools of the prophets that there would be a testimony to his holy name after Elijah was gone. God is never left without a witness. Amen? He always has someone to testify for him. And so it is that these schools of the prophets were set up.
“Elijah and Elisha very boldly are setting up these schools of the prophets so that there would be a witness, there would be a testimony to the Lord after Elijah was gone.”
Now, these schools of the prophets or the sons of the prophets seemed to have special knowledge, didn’t they? I mean, is it just me or do you sense that? How do they know what’s going to happen? I’d just be, “It’s just another Tuesday,” right? It wasn’t just another Tuesday. Elijah was going to leave that day and be taken up in a whirlwind. It seems everybody knows it. Everybody in this story just seemed to know what was going to happen. Right? And so these schools of the prophets had specialized knowledge. And if you didn’t, well, you didn’t belong. Right? You were not included. God was not speaking to you in a supernatural way. But as Elijah and Elisha are walking along, there’s just this unspoken understanding that today’s going to be a big day for Elijah. They knew that something was going to happen. Elijah knew it was his last day on earth. Elisha knew it was Elijah’s last day on earth. The schools of the prophets know it’s Elijah’s last day on earth. Everybody knows it. Look at verse three. “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?'” Just checking your prophetic gift, Elijah, but maybe we’re in the know, and you didn’t know. Did you know? “Yes, I know,” Elijah replied. “But do not speak of it,” he says.
Now it’s interesting to trace Elijah’s steps here toward the end. First, the beginning of his final journey starts in the city of Gilgal, and very appropriate. This was a historic place. All of these places were historically significant. Gilgal was the first stopping place for Israel right after they had crossed the Jordan River and entered into the Promised Land. They stopped at Gilgal and they renewed the covenant with the Lord. It was there at Gilgal that they set up those 12 stones that they’d taken out of the riverbed. You remember? What happened was all of Israel came to the river at the time of the flood. It was flood stage. Was that an accident on God’s part? Don’t you believe it. He wanted it to be flood stage. He wanted to do a mighty miracle. He wanted to demonstrate his power and intimidate the nations in Canaan that there were about to be destroyed. Their fear and their intimidation was a big part of Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land. And so they still knew. As you know, Rahab still remembered what God had done in drying up the Red Sea. And now here it’s the same God doing the same mighty things. At flood stage, the river parts as soon as the priest stepped in. You know, they were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and the priest stepped into the river. And at that moment the river stopped and piled up in a heap, and they went across on dry ground. And this is astonishing. You realize you’re talking about several million people? I mean this is a huge, huge undertaking. So you have to wonder how high that water piled up during all the time it took for Israel to cross over, and God commanded that stones be taken, one representing each of the 12 tribes. And they were piled up in a pile at Gilgal. And in future generations, if some would come and say, what do these stones mean, then the miracle could be recounted, God’s mighty hand and his outstretched arm. They’re at Gilgal.
There also at Gilgal. They had renewed the covenant of circumcision. None of that generation had been circumcised as their father Abraham had. And so they renewed this covenant of circumcision. Here also, they celebrated the Passover for the first time in a generation, the first time in the Promised Land. And here they ate the fruit of the land and the manna stopped. So here at Gilgal, this was the beginning, and it’s very, very much tied, I think to the crossing of the Jordan River. Also, he travels on to Bethel. Bethel’s very significant as well because this was the place where Abraham first called on the name of the Lord in the Promised Land. Here’s where he got the promise that that land would be his or belong to his seed, his offspring. And it was here that he set up an altar, his first altar in the Promised Land, and he called on the name of the Lord at Bethel. Here also it was that Jacob had had that incredible dream. You remember how he had fallen asleep? He had put a stone under his head for a pillow. You have to wonder about Jacob and what was happening there. Can you sleep on a stone? Some said it’s about as heart as his head and that’s what it took. But he was there resting and a vision filled his mind, a glorious vision of a staircase, a stairway up to heaven, ladder or something, and angels ascending and descending on it. And he said, “How awesome is this place?” And he set up a pillar and he poured oil on it. That was at Bethel.
Here, Rachel had also died giving birth to Benjamin. So this was a significant place as well. So they’re going from place to place, and then finally Jericho. And you know the story of Jericho, the first conquest of the Promised Land. Now in every case, as they go from place to place, Elijah tries to get rid of Elisha, doesn’t he? “Stay here. The Lord has sent me on.” And in every case, Elisha responds, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you today.” Not today, I’m going to stay with you. It reminds me very much of what Ruth said. “Your God will be my God. Where you go, I will go, and only death will separate us.” Well, death didn’t separate them that day. Something else did, something unheard of. But he said, “I’m committed to go with you.” Now, what was Elijah’s motive? Why was he trying to get rid of Elisha? Well, there’s various opinions. The scholars are always going to come up with different ideas. One is that, this is the least likely and most ridiculous, that Elijah wanted the honor for himself, and he wanted to go up in a chariot of fire all by himself and didn’t want Elisha taking part in any way. Does that sound like the Elijah that you know? Of course not. But this is the kind of thing that people say. Some say on the other side very humbly, he did not want to make him feel badly that he didn’t have that honor. It was a humility thing. He wanted to say, “I just want to be by myself and the Lord’s going to take me and just go on, go about your ministry.” It could be. But I think even better is that Elijah was probably testing Elisha here. Because at one point, after all of the times, he says, “What can I do for you?” He says, “Make a request.” And so I think he’s really actually putting Elijah through his paces.
You remember in first King’s 19, when Elijah first put his mantle around Elisha. Elijah went on from there, it says, and found Elisha son of Shaphat and he was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen. And he himself was driving the 12th pair, and Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. And this cloak is symbolic of his prophetic ministry, and we see that in the story we just read. That cloak represented his prophetic ministry. And he put that cloak onto Elijah. It was a transfer to some degree, but symbolic at that point because Elijah’s still on the scene. And so, Elisha’s all excited, saying, let me go talk to my parents and I’ll be right with you. And he gives him a very interesting answer. Elijah, it says, “Go back. What have I done to you?” It’s a very interesting answer. And then at verse 21, as you remember, first King’s 19, Elijah left him and went back. He took those yolk of oxen, slaughtered them, burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat, gave it to the people and they ate. And he set out to follow Elijah and become his attendant. Well, that’s pretty dramatic. I mean killing 12 yolk of oxen and burning, he burned his bridge. But what about now? Are you ready now, Elisha, to take over? He’s testing him. He’s testing him to see if he will persevere.
Realize what blessings Elisha would’ve missed if he hadn’t persevered. Think about that. If he had said, “Okay, see you later. It’s been nice knowing you. I hope you enjoy your trip to heaven.” Instead, he persevered. And at one point, he gave him an opportunity, asked for a blessing, and we find out what that is in a moment. But he would’ve missed incredible blessings if he had not persevered. Elijah passed, therefore, his test with flying colors. Is our God the kind of God who tests us? Does he test our resolve? Oh, yes, he does. Genesis 22, sometime later, God tested Abraham saying, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a sacrifice.” Our God tests our resolve. He tests our determination. He tests our faith. And here I think Elijah is testing Elisha. And so it says, “’Stay here, Elisha. The Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ ‘As surely as the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.’ And so they went to Jericho.”
Now in verse seven and eight, the 50 prophets observe Elijah’s final miracle. The 50 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 River. 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. Now, and there’s no question that this is conjuring up the image of the first crossing of the Jordan River by Israel at the time of Joshua. There was no doubt about it. And so in effect, they’re leaving the polluted land of Israel, this idolatrous and wicked place, and really metaphorically Elijah is crossing that river into the true Promised Land. Just as the sabbath rest was only a picture of the final sabbath rest we have in Christ, so also the physical Promise Land is really only a picture of the true Promise Land. And so I think it’s not an accident that they cross the Jordan River in very much the same way that Israel had first entered. And so they’re crossing miraculously, Elijah and Elisha. A sense of a reverse crossing and an entering of the true Promised Land. Now, a reenactment of this exact miracle would establish Elisha’s reputation before these prophets when he came back in a few, maybe an hour or sometime later. When he came back and did the exact same miracle, they all knew that the power of Elijah was now resting on Elisha.
And so, in this very same way, God had elevated Joshua in front of all the people. And from that day on, the day of the crossing of the Jordan River, all of Israel revered Joshua as Moses’ successor, right? And that was a difficult thing, to follow Moses. I believe one of the most incredible verses in the Bible is in Joshua chapter one where it says, “Moses, my servant is dead. Now then you, Joshua…” Dot, dot, dot. How would you like to pick up the mantle for Moses and carry it on? And yet it was the crossing of the Jordan River that really established his leadership over Israel and enabled them to follow him. So also it would be for Elisha in a short time. Notice one more thing, the sovereignty of God in all of this. God chooses the portion for each servant, doesn’t he? He chooses what each one gets. What do I mean by that? Well, the company of prophets at Bethel knew that today was the final day for Elijah. They knew that. They were in that way set apart from the populace that surrounded. They had a specialized knowledge and they could interact with Elijah and Elisha in a unique way. We don’t have any record of any comments made to Elijah, but they at least knew that that was his final day. But they stayed there in Bethel. That was the end of their blessing that day. The company of prophets at Jericho were privileged to know that it was Elijah’s final day, and to witness the crossing of the Jordan River, both across and back, and that was their portion. They had an even greater blessing from God in that they witnessed an amazing miracle, Elijah’s final miracle on earth. And then Elisha’s first miracle is an inaugural miracle and they got to witness that. But that was as far as they went and no further.
Elisha, for his part, got to see the chariot of fire. He got to stand there and watch it as it ascended up in a whirlwind. He got to have a final interaction with Elijah. He got to be his right hand man and receive a double portion of his spirit. But he didn’t go up in the chariot, did he? That was for Elijah alone. And Elijah himself would tell you that was only by the grace of God and by his sovereign choice and his will. He would testify that he was a sinner, that he had fallen short of the glory of God, and only by the grace of God was he given the signal privilege. Do you see the sovereignty of God all over this? And we couldn’t come and say, “I demand that you give me what you gave Elijah.” How far would that get you? Would he give you the chariot of fire? Oh, I don’t think so. And then in verse nine and 10, we see Elisha’s request. “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. ‘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.’” This is the point, I believe, of all the testing. Preparation, final preparation for Elisha’s ministry. Elisha’s request is laudable. It is praiseworthy. It is not selfish. He did not ask, I think, for anything that would ultimately bless him. He wasn’t seeking some blessing for himself. But rather, I think his request was similar to that of the young King Solomon, who feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities he was taking on as king, asked God for wisdom, the ability to carry out the office. Is that not what Elisha’s asking for here?
Now, you might say, “What is this double portion thing?” I misunderstood this for most of the time that I read this. I thought it meant, I want twice as much of what you have. But I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. A.W. Pink does. He thinks that God gave to Elisha a double portion, in that he had twice as long a ministry and did twice as many miracles. And I think that’s a reputable position, but I actually want to go a different direction. In Deuteronomy 21:17, it says there, you don’t have to turn there, you’ll look at it later, it talks about sons, rival sons, and their position in the family, and one of them is going to be the inheritor of his father’s possessions. In Deuteronomy 21:17, “He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the first born by giving him [listen] a double share [or a double portion] of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength. The right of the first born belongs to him.” I think that’s what Elisha was requesting. I think there were many sons of the prophets, and he would desire that all of them receive some of Elijah’s spirit, namely the Holy Spirit. But he wanted a double portion, commensurate it with his role as Elijah’s successor. The mantle had been cast on him after all. And so he said, give me everything I will need to fulfill my leadership role for these prophets. Give me the share as an heir, as your son, really. And what does he say to him as he sees him going up? He calls him what? “My father.” Doesn’t he? And so I think this is really, “I want the portion of an heir apparent, the portion of a son.” And so he takes it.
And Elijah gives him a response. “You have asked a difficult thing. Yet, if you see me when I’m taken from you, it will be yours. Otherwise, not.” The gift was beyond Elijah’s to grant. It was for God and for God alone. But typical of the prophets, he said, I’ll give you a sign whereby you will know. If you see me when I go, then you will have that request. Otherwise, you won’t. Then in verse 11 and 12 come the chariots of fire. “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. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel.’ And Elisha saw him no more, and then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.”
Brothers and sisters, our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12 says that. “Our God is a consuming fire.” And so it is also that fire consumed the sacrifice and the altar on Mount Carmel. It was fire that had fallen down from heaven, and also fire fell down from heaven on Elijah’s enemies who came to arrest him from King Ahaziah. You remember that? But this time fire comes down to pick up one of God’s choice servants and bring him. He sends the angels to come get him, and that’s fascinating to me. One of the words for angels in the Bible is “seraphine”. The Hebrew means, burning ones. Burning ones. They’re burning with fire. They’re radiant and shining brightly. Psalm 104 verse three and four says, “He makes clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds as messengers and flames of fire his servants.” Those are angels, aren’t they? Flames of fire going out from God. And so, a chariot of fire, it’s really an angelic presence. Psalm 68:17, “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.”
Later on, interestingly, God would rescue Elisha from the Arameans. How would he do it? You remember, he would send chariots of fire to surround them. And remember his servant was so afraid, so afraid, “Oh no, we’re going to go.” He said, “Lord, open his eyes, because there’s more for us than against us here on this hill.” And God opened his eyes and they saw chariots of fire all around. They’re around us all the time. Did you realize that? The angels of the Lord are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. But here they appeared, and God sent angels to get his people. You know, this is a regular theme in the Bible, and I want to connect it to your life at this point. In Luke 16:22, Jesus told the servant of the rich man and Lazarus, “And the time came,” it says, “when the beggar died.” And it says, “The angels carried him up to Abraham’s bosom.” I think that’s exactly why Bunyan has angels escorting Christian and Hopeful as they go up to the gate. The angels are sent to get them. In many of the parables, Matthew 13, the harvest, Jesus said, is at the end of the age and the harvesters, are who? Who are the harvesters? They’re angels, and they collect everybody and they collect the wheat into the barn, but they burn up the chaff with unquenchable fires, the angels that do the collecting. And so Jesus says in Matthew 24:31, “He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heaven to the other.” He’s going to go out through the world and gather his elect, and they’re going to come together. And so it says in first Thessalonians 4:15 through 17, boy, this gets me excited. Okay? “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive and are left at the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with the loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the air to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be always with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”
Do you realize that Elijah’s trip is just a precursor and a type of what every single believer will enjoy at the end of the world? Isn’t that incredible? And only by the grace of God. Can any of us say we deserve that ride? To be gathered up by an angel and taken up to meet the Lord in the air, do we deserve that? Well, certainly not, but simply by grace. Philippians 3:20 and 21 says, our citizenship is where? In heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly body so that they will be like his glorious body. Now, God gave to Elijah privilege that day, but I think it’s important to understand something. Elijah’s body was not fit for heaven. You understand that? Would you, if you were Elijah, want to bypass a resurrection body? Wouldn’t you want a resurrection body? I mean, he was old and worn out. Now he had an amazing body, in that he could go 40 days on a little piece of meat. But even so, I want that resurrection body. And the scripture says very clearly in first Corinthians 15, verse 50, I declare to you brothers that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
So did Elijah die? Well, what is death? A separation from the body? Yes, he died. Of course, he did. But his body didn’t sink back down into the dust. He had a special ride up to heaven. One final comment. How tragic would it have been for Elijah if God had granted his request under the juniper tree? Do you remember that? When he was discouraged and depressed and beaten down in ministry, what did he ask for? He made a request. He asked to die. I want to die right here, right now, under this tree. Aren’t you glad that God holds your life and your days in his hand? No matter how hard it gets, aren’t you glad that he’s the one that decides when you die and how you die? Because look what he would’ve missed. Okay, fine. I’ll take you now, from under the juniper tree in the ordinary way. Oh, what he would’ve missed.
The epilogue is in verse 13 through 18. “Elisha picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan, and then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’” That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? He’s not being presumptuous there. He’s just saying, I need you, God. One of the Puritan divines, when he died, right before he died, these were his final words. “Where now is the God of Elijah?” Right before he crosses the river, those were his dying words. Amazing. “When he struck the water, divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over, the company that prophets from Jericho who are watching said ‘The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.’ And they went out to meet him and bowed down to the ground. ‘Look,’ they said. ‘We, your servants have 50 able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or some valley.'”
What a downer that would’ve been for Elijah. You go up and you go back down to minister to Jezebel again? I want to go to heaven. It’s time to be done. “No, Elisha replied. Do not send them.” Waste of time. We have work to do. But they persisted until he was too ashamed to refuse. And so he said, “send them.” And he sent the 50 men, searched for three days. They could have searched for 300 or 300 years. They never would’ve found him. He’s gone, gone forever. And when they returned to Elisha, he who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?” Now, what is the epilogue here? Basically, God’s work goes on. There’s no servant of the Lord so choice, so indispensable, that God’s work stops because that one is gone now. Elisha picks up the mantle and goes on, and he continues to minister, just as Joshua did for Moses. None of us is irreplaceable, none of us.
“Look forward, brothers and sisters, to your ride. Look forward to it. We’re supposed to encourage one another with these words.”
I think we were talking recently about putting our fist in a bowl of water. And if you pull it out, the hole that’s left is how indispensable we are to the Lord’s work, right? Try it sometime. You’ll see what I mean. You can imagine the hole that would be left. Anyway, God has ways to fill up the difference. But yet, each one of us is utterly unique and God uses us in a mighty way. Look forward, brothers and sisters, to your ride. Look forward to it. We’re supposed to encourage one another with these words. And until then, do the work of the ministry that God has laid before you. God willing, next time I’m going to summarize Elijah’s life, talk about some lessons overall, and talk about Elijah in the New Testament. So God willing, we’ll cover that next time, and that’ll finish our study on Elijah.
