God Calls Elisha

Answers Bible Curriculum Year 2 Quarter 2 Lesson 12

In this lesson, David Capoccia examines the end of the prophet Elijah’s ministry and the succession of the prophet Elisha. In relation to the Christian life, David Capoccia considers how Elijah and Elisha’s lives should encourage suffering Christians to remain faithful and to remember how God measures success in ministry.

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all right well we’re gonna get started welcome to Sunday school good morning today we transitioned from Elijah to Elisha title today’s class is God calls Elisha now it can be difficult to keep these two prophets straight they have very similar names somewhat similar Ministries but actually we can use their names to help us remember the differences between the men and their Ministries Elijah means Yahweh is God or my God is Yahweh L from the beginning of his name from Elohim is the title for God and yah at the end of Elijah’s name is short for Yahweh so basically L is yah Elohim is Yahweh Yahweh being the special name for God I am so that’s Elijah but Elisha means God Saves or my God is salvation again the L referring to Elohim and the Shah or the shua meaning savior or salvation and these names are emblematic of their Ministries Elijah calls the people back to Yahweh as the true God bail is not God Yahweh is God but Salvation didn’t really come to Israel during his days God began Revival through Elijah but the Salvation Harvest came during the ministry of Elisha whose name is God is salvation under Elisha Baal worship was eradicated in Israel and many people returned to Yahweh so Elijah is the Forerunner who reasserts the true God but Elisha is the next Runner who brings God’s salvation more fully you of course can see the parallel to the New Testament here John the Baptist comes in the spirit and power of whom Elijah and he acted just like Elijah did even dressed like Elijah but as a forerunner he was directing the people back to Yahweh on behalf of one who would bring Salvation and that’s Jesus the Messiah Elisha and Jesus actually have similar names an original Hebrew we have elishua God Saves and Yeshua which means salvation or Yahweh saves so we can see a parallel between the Old and New Testaments there hopefully that helps you keep the prophets straight Elijah comes first he’s directing the people Elisha comes second and that’s where we see more of the Salvation taking place but we’re talking more about Elisha today before we do let me just review specifically what we talked about last week last week we saw how God used Elijah to confront idolatry in Israel the main new God in Israel during Elijah’s time was Baal as a deity what was bail supposed to rule yeah Roy right it’s possible he was a Sun God but it seems more likely that he was the sky God the storm God similar to Zeus he had power over storms rain and was associated with fertility and what three ways then did God show this so-called Sky God to be completely powerless what was one way go ahead Joe yeah very good so the first thing is that as soon as they turn to the sky God to provide them with their rain there’s no rain for three and a half years because Elijah the god of or the prophet of Yahweh prays that there would be no rain so that first of all there’s no rain what’s another way that he shows God shows Baal to be impotent what happens on Mount Carmel yeah Rob uh yes there’s a there’s a competition there’s a contest between Bale and Yahweh over whose sacrifice is going to be accepted what are they actually looking for from God fire from heaven and again this should be bail strong point he’s the god of the sky he should be able to send fire or lightning from the sky to uh emulate the sacrifice but he’s not able but Yahweh is able and he does so emphatically if you remember not just burns the sacrifice but burns the whole large Altar and basically makes a crater and then what’s the third way that we see that Baal is not really God doesn’t really have power over the sky right he’s not able to overcome the drought and as soon as the people turn away from Baal they kill His prophets what happens the rain the rain comes so if they were really God he’s failed and all his his main ways he wasn’t able to keep the rain going when the people worshiped him he’s not able to send lightning or fire when the people call upon him and as soon as the people kill His prophets that’s when the rain comes so God couldn’t have said it more clearly Baal cannot do what he promises to do for you he has no power he doesn’t even exist I exist I have power love me and obey me and I will provide for you what you need this is what Yahweh was communicating we saw that this is not just true of Baal this one God this is true for every Idol whether that Idol is material or immaterial no Idol no Spirit no saint no so-called God no lust of our hearts can ever truly help us whatever it is we serve with the hope that it will save secure and satisfy us if it’s not God Yahweh it cannot and it will not like the prophets of Baal we can exert ourselves greatly for these false gods these lusts but they cannot help us they cannot do what they promise they are powerless there’s no one there and what they seem to give us sometimes is an illusion or what they what they seem to give us at times is actually an illusion it doesn’t last in a moment it can be taken away so serving any Idol is useless or to use the biblical language in other sections it is stupid let us not be taken in by bewitching idols and let us instead praise God for how he has turned us away from these vain Idols to the Living God to the God who actually is questions or comments about last week’s lesson right they have no power to help or save they do have the in one sentence they do the power to Captivate and deceive exactly that’s why we have to flee from Idols but they have no power to help yeah that’s a good clarification Bill other questions or comments so we see the false gods shown to be impotent we see the two true Gods would be powerful and that’s exactly Elijah’s Ministry God is Yahweh or Yahweh is God but now we turn to Elisha the lesson in the curriculum today calls for us to look at two different moments in Elijah’s Ministry first his uh um his his calling or his taking over for Elijah and then a specific healing but since we have a free day in our curriculum next week and there’s so much to talk about in just that first episode I’m actually splitting the lesson into two parts so uh we’re gonna deal with the second part next week today we’re just going to focus on um the the departure of Elijah and the stepping up of Elisha in the ministry so here’s our outline for today’s class we’ll first look at the context of Elijah’s departure get up to speed with the chapters that are intervening from where we were last time and where we are today then we’ll look at the account of Elijah’s departure and then we’ll finish by considering the application of that account for our lives today let’s pray father I pray that you would help me to be able to explain this word well Lord I pray that you would instruct us this word was meant for us as it was meant for Israel would help us to understand it correctly help us to apply it Lord as you have meant for us to so that we might be changed so that we’d be encouraged so that we’d be emboldened to follow after you and to to gain the reward in Jesus name amen please open your Bibles to Second Kings when the book of Second Kings now remember First Kings and second Kings are originally written as one book they’ve been split in our Bibles but second Kings chapter two won’t read the passage right away though because I want to give you the context first let’s talk about their passages context so we were talking about the contest between Bale and Yahweh at Carmel last time after Carmel perhaps expecting immediate widespread Revival but not seeing it Elijah flees from Jezebel who’s threatened to kill him and he despairs he tells God I’m The Only God fever left they seek to kill me I’m really no better than my father so please just take my life he’s very depressed God in response though miraculously feeds and provides drink for Elijah and he brings Elijah to Mount Horeb also called Mount Sinai and he meets with him there he has a number or there’s a little bit of a conversation there but ultimate’s Elijah to accomplish three anointings I want you to anoint three people God says anoint jehu king of Israel anoint has a l king of Syria and then anoint Elisha as a prophet in your place now why these three anointings why is this his commission why is that important well first Kings 19 17 tells us it shall come about the one who escapes from The Sword of Hazel jehoshal put to death and the one who escapes from The Sword of jehu Elisha shall put to death what’s he talking about here escaping from The Sword well this is the in the context the Baal worship Baal worshipers going to bring about the end of baalism in Israel they’re going to put to death the false teachers and they’re going to put to death the worshipers of Baal and they’re going to cause the people to turn away from Baal ultimately back to Yahweh so he’s commissioned to anoint these three people we do see Elijah immediately anoint Elisha by throwing his mantle on him putting his mantle about him now what’s a mantle it could be like a cape or a coat it’s some sort of large outer garment and when the word survives in our language today to mean like a coat or an Overcoat now this mantle was probably made out of sheep or camel skin remember Elijah was known for his hairiness probably referring to the hairiness of his clothes rather than and maybe that was part of it too he wore that leather belt and he wore probably animal skins so maybe this mantle was a sheep or camel skin mantle he puts it on Elisha in response to this mantle casting Elisha leaves his farm and he follows and serves Elijah now we should note that the Bible never mentions Elijah anointing jehu or Hazel he was commissioned to do that but we don’t see him do that in the Bible in fact it’s Elisha who later tells haziel that hazia will become king of Syria and it’s another Prophet under Elisha’s Direction it’s one of his disciples who later anoints jehu with oil so even though Elijah was commissioned it’s not actually he who does it it’s some other people but Elijah does anoint Elisha and Elisha follows and serves his master for about 20 years during this time confrontations and prophecies and Elisha is Keen to be trained by and to serve as master during these 20 years Ahab dies he succeeded by follow along with me as I read and it came about when the Lord was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to Heaven that Elijah went with Elijah from gilgal Elijah said to Elisha stay here please for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel but Elisha said as the Lord lives and as you yourself live I will not leave you so they went down to Bethel then the sons of the prophets who are at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him do you know that the Lord will take away your master from you from over you today and he said yes I know be still Elijah said to him Elijah please stay here for the Lord has sent me to Jericho but he said as the Lord lives and as you yourself live I will not leave you so they came to Jericho the sons of the prophets who at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today and he answered yes I know be still then Elijah said to him please stay here for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan and he said as the Lord lives and as you yourself live I will not leave you so the two of them went on Now 50 men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters and they were divided here and there so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground when they had crossed over Elijah said to Elisha ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you and Elijah said please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me he said you’ve asked a hard thing nevertheless if you see me when I’m taken from you it shall be so for you but if not it shall not be so as they were going along and talking behold there appeared a chariot of fire and Horses of fire which separated the two of them and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven Elisha saw and cried out my father my father the Chariots of Israel and its Horsemen and he saw Elijah no more then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces he also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said where is the Lord the god of Elijah and when he also had struck the waters they were divided here and there and Elisha crossed over now when the sons of the prophets who write Jericho opposite him saw him they said the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha and they came to meet him and bow themselves to the ground before him okay an amazing account it’s amazing it’s incredible that this actually happened that’s been recorded for us now there are some puzzling things in this account let’s start our analysis of this passage with just basic observations what literary device do we see featured back in verse one we’re told that Elijah is going to be taken up into heaven when you tell something that’s going to happen before it happens what’s that called or we could call that prophecy but literally what’s that called shadowing yeah I mean it’s kind of blatant foreshadowing but just basically saying that something’s going to happen and so the reader or the audience is expecting it who else knows that God is going to take Elijah away the sons of the prophets know they keep telling Elijah I mean Elisha I know I’m going to make that error several times today Elisha knows and probably Elijah does too now these likely do not know the mode of Elijah’s transference into heaven they don’t know how it’s going to happen but they know it’s going to happen now notice the phrase the sons of the prophets we see that phrase a number of times in the Old Testament history books it doesn’t understand that it doesn’t mean literal Sons it just means the Disciples of the prophets the followers of the prophets and they sometimes are prophets themselves now verse 1 says that Elijah is to go up in a whirlwind what does the Whirlwind yeah right that’s actually very good because the word can be translated hurricane we’re talking about a storm here definitely a windstorm but probably more than that we’re talking dark clouds we’re talking probably lightning this is a serious storm remember a whirlwind appears in another Old Testament book that we’ve looked at already God God is associated with that Whirlwind one was what was that job right job is uh saying he wants to meet with God and towards as the Book of Job goes along they start talking about a storm probably because the storm was approaching and then when the storm is there God speaks out of the storm it says he speaks from the Whirlwind this is a storm so this is the mode this is the mode of a lie just transference into heaven or at least part of it now what does Elijah keep trying to get Elisha to do yeah leave stay behind God has sent me to a certain place why don’t you stay behind here what’s Elijah’s response each time I’m gonna follow you no way I’m leaving you as the Lord lives he’s taking an oath as the Lord lives I’m not going to leave you by the way the cities that Elijah is traveling to Elijah and Elisha are not random as the pair travel to these different cities to what do they keep getting closer you can see it on the map the Jordan River which is where they’re ultimately going to end up right they’re moving towards the Jordan when they um arrive at the Jordan what Miracle does Elijah perform he strikes the Jordan River with his mantle and it parts and it Parts in such a way that they walk over on dry ground this should remind you of certain other Miracles namely which Joshua and the the people of Israel crossing the Jordan on dry ground and also earlier Moses and The Parting of the Red Sea or the Sea of reeds again they were the waters are parted and they crossed over on dry ground now Elijah offers to Grant Elisha a request before being taken for what does Elisha ask double portion of your spirit I want a double portion of your spirit please let a double portion of your spirit be on me now we need to be very careful about this phrase double portion because it sounds like that Elijah is asking for twice as much of Elijah’s Spirit as Elisha has but the phrase double portion is used other times in the Bible and so looking at that at those instances might help us understand this phrase the most helpful passage is in Deuteronomy so keep your fingers in Second Kings but turn to Deuteronomy chapter 21 for a moment this is Page 206 if you’re using the Pew Bibles actually I think 207 Deuteronomy chapter 21 verses 15 to 17.

starting at verse 15 let’s read if a man has two wives the one loved and the other unloved and both the loved and the unloved have borne him Sons if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved then it shall be in the day he Wills what he has to his sons he cannot make the son of the love the firstborn before the son of the unloved who is the firstborn but he shall acknowledge the firstborn the son of the unloved by giving him a double portion of all that he has for he is the beginning of his strength to him belongs the rights of the firstborn so we’re talking here in this passage about inheritance law if you were a Hebrew with multiple wives some argue whether this is you had a wife she died he took a second wife or God’s plan someone has multiple wives what do you do in that situation when it comes to inheritance if the first one is from the wife you don’t love as much you can’t replace that first one with the son of the wife you do love or the one you love more he still retains the right of the firstborn and what is the right of the firstborn according to these verses okay double portion of all that the father has now can this portion be double of all that the father owns no why not exactly it’s impossible it’s physically impossible he can’t give you what he doesn’t have he can only give you what he does have he can’t give you double than what he has so what can or what must double portion mean in this instance uh Craig exactly the firstborn gets twice of what any of the other children receive now some of you may know there’s a very practical reason that the firstborn gets double the amount of wealth and possessions that the other children receive what is the reason it’s not simply just lucky you get the nice you get the nice portion because well I like you it’s partly yes it has to do with the idea of taking over because as the firstborn as the oldest son he is succeeding his father as the leader of the family and if you’re the leader then you have to take care of the whole family especially those who are not able to take care of themselves remember in this Society it was not normal for any female to inherit anything The Inheritance passed the males only so who’s going to provide for the females the leader of the family if the father has died and the widowed mother Remains the firstborn has to take care of her or his sisters who are yet unmarried he must take care of them and provide the um and provide for their marriages he needs to fulfill certain tribal and Clan obligations he has a reason that he’s given extra wealth because he has extra duties he has to do something with that wealth so yes it is a place of honor and a place of blessing but it’s also a place of increased responsibility and difficulty so let’s turn back to Second Kings now a family inheritance for a family inheritance a double portion is twice what the others would have received and it is the right of the firstborn the successor to the father blessing but also obligation Elijah asked for a double portion of Elijah’s Spirit notice Elijah’s response you have asked for a hard thing Elijah says Elisha will only receive this double portion if Elijah does what if you see me depart you know that you will receive what you have asked you have received what you have asked but you have to see me you have to see me depart from you as they go on and talk he doesn’t immediately depart they continue walking and talking what separates the two men that’s right a chariot of fire drawn by fiery horses it then says a whirlwind carried Elijah up to heaven how does Elijah respond to Elijah’s departure Elijah respond does a couple things yeah he cries out my father my father you can see some emotion there what else he tears his clothes that is an expression of grief and he identifies the Chariot this fiery Chariot as being what this is the Chariot of Israel and it’s Horsemen the mantle of Elijah while Elijah is taken up by this Chariot and by the Whirlwind the mantle the Overcoat the outer garment of Elijah Falls as Elijah is being taken away Elisha takes the mantle back to the Jordan River and he asks where’s the god of Elijah and like Elijah he strikes the Jordan River with the mantle and what happens the exact same thing happens the water separate and is able to pass over on dry ground what do the sons of the prophets recognize when they see Elisha Spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha now notice they say Spirit they don’t say mantle hey the mantle of Elijah’s on them no they say the spirit of Elijah is on him and what do they do to Elijah Elisha they bow to him about him okay we’ve made these basic observations let’s now take them and try and answer some interpretive questions first why does Elijah keep trying to leave Elisha behind seems kind of an odd thing to do what are some possible explanations Roy do you have something ah it could be a test a test of his commitment or perhaps we could say that he’s trying to make the departure easier saying goodbye is always hard sometimes people are trying to avoid the pain of it I want to spare you Elisha so why don’t you just stay here while I go Ascend over in the Jordan he may be trying to get rid of Elijah Elisha or as Roy was saying maybe he’s not trying to get rid of Elijah Elisha it’s a test it’s a test of his perseverance it’s a test of his commitment Elijah is thinking when I ask you to stay behind especially when I know that you know that I’m leaving what will you do you care enough about me and the ministry to stick with me until the end this is a test when Elijah asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit for what is Elisha really asking yeah he’s he’s asking for the responsibility of taking Elijah’s place I want to be your successor I want to succeed you as the leader of the family of prophet so to speak or as the leader of the family of Israel in a spiritual sense I want to succeed you as God’s Prophet inheriting both your special empowerment but also the difficult responsibilities that come with being God’s prophet after all as we’ve seen Elijah’s Ministry is not an easy one he’s a prophet constantly on the Run he’s fleeing from death threats from the King Searchers looking for him he has to confront sin he has to rebuke evil rulers he has to destroy false prophets he has to deal with the continually compromising Israelites is this really what you want to inherit Elisha but Elisha is saying by asking for this double portion yes I do want to be your successor I want to be faithful to the Lord as you were faithful Elijah I want to declare God’s message as you did come what may let me be empowered as you were to minister to this people Elijah’s response is that Elisha has asked for a hard thing why is this a hard thing what it’s not yeah I think that we can at least point to two different things but one is as we’ve just said it’s a difficult job it’s a be God’s Prophet it’s a hard job not only because you have to deal with all the trials and the dangers but you’re more accountable to God you’re standing against God’s prophet but it also is as you pointed out George it’s not really up to Elijah God raises up his own prophets you can’t just say oh I’ll be a prophet of God you can be willing but it’s ultimately God who chooses so this is a hard thing for Elisha or Elijah to fulfill but Elijah promises that if Elijah sees Elijah depart then Elisha will have what he asks why this condition again that seems a little bit odd what are some possible explanations you have to see me depart if you really are going to receive what you ask yeah Dwayne right so going back to the last thing we were just saying if God’s the one who ultimately chooses the prophet then if God allows you to see this miraculous thing then that’s a sign that God is giving you what you ask there may be an element too again of the idea of perseverance you have to keep your eyes on me you got to stay with me you have to actually see me depart if you really want to have this ministry remember recall too that Elijah is going up in a whirlwind so this not may not have been the easiest thing in the world to keep his uh his eyes on Elijah here we’re talking about a storm normally in storms you you hide you go for cover and this is a a terrific storm Like a Hurricane it’s going to take some perseverance it’s going to take some courage to keep your eyes on Elijah in that instance not to mention there’s a fiery Chariot involved so there could be more the idea of this perseverance this test but also this idea of it’s really God who decides and if God lets you see me depart then you can be sure that God is granting you the position of profit after me now why does God choose a chariot of fire for Elijah why a chariot what is the Chariot associated with well it is a mode of transportation and a fast one of that so uh Elijah is being transported speedily up to heaven so a chariot is appropriate in that sense but why else it is a war machine right It’s associated with strength with power so when God is doing something powerful it’s appropriate that he would use a chariot we actually see fiery chariots not too long afterwards in the ministry of Elisha there are enemies of Israel who have encamped against Elisha in a certain City and it looks like they’re about to fall but then God grants a vision to one of the Servants of Elisha and he says let him see what I see and all around the city are fiery chariots and fiery Horsemen this is a testimony to the power of God a symbolic one God’s an actually need chariots it’s like oh if I don’t know materials I can’t do anything no God can just speak and things happen but it’s a symbol it’s a symbol of God’s power to accomplish whatever he needs to accomplish especially on behalf of Israel because remember these are identified as the Chariots of Israel now you say well God has chariots but Israel is not allowed to have chariots why can God have chariots well I think it’s not that difficult they are to trust in God’s chariots rather than their own right these are the real Chariots of Israel the fiery chariots they’re the ones that are going to protect you don’t try and obtain chariots for yourselves as if that’s going to protect you no that’s a false security there’s another association with chariots though I’m not just associated with power what else are they associated with who normally or Judy they are associated with war yeah and uh maybe we could say that there’s something with war here uh as in a spiritual sense basically Elijah has been at war with the the idolatrous government in the northern tribes and he’s been on he’s been in a war on behalf of souls so I think that’s useful to point out who normally rides in chariots what I’m sorry I can’t hear you royalty yes Kings ride in chariots commanders ride in chariots there were some also um Regular Warriors who wrote in chariots but it was a position of prestige to ride in a chariot is to be an honored individual um and this is true even into the classical age it goes a long way through history a position in a chariot his position of Honor so there’s an element of honoring Elijah by taking him up in a chariot you are invited into the Chariot of God you were picked up by The Chariot of God that is a that is a sign of exaltation are being transported by a chariot when Elisha okay so let me just sum that up by taking Elijah up in a chariot God shows his power he uses an appropriate vehicle for Speed and he gives Elijah honor when Elisha another interpreted question now when Elisha uses Elijah’s Mantle to strike the water the water divides just as it did the first time was there then special power in Elijah’s Mantle or was the power somewhere else the power is not on the mantle even though he’s using the same mantle and it does the same thing the power’s not in the mantle there are a number of items that are used to accomplish Miracles throughout the Old Testament if the power is not in the item the powers non-air and staff the power is not in um modes of Staff whenever he’s using it the power is in God and it’s been channeled through these prophets God has chosen to lay his power lay his authority to do these miracles on His prophets and so when they use various items those things have a miraculous ability the power is not really in the item again it’s notable that when the prophets see Elisha they don’t say oh the mantle of Elijah is on Elisha they say the spirit the spirit of Elijah is on Elisha he has the the oh so if the mantle then is not really the source of power why mention the mantle at all it’s a symbol right what is it a symbol of he’s the successor and therefore he has what as a successor he has the the spirit of the Lord uh what are you going to say Roy right right right so he he’s taking on this new role in its power and in its Authority the mantle is a symbol of that by the way as you probably already guessed this this seems to be the origin where we get of taking on the mantle take on the mantle of responsibility or of authority so it’s not really the power of the mantle in fact I don’t think the mantle is mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament after this point but it was a symbol of this transfer of authority and let’s see okay yeah so the same mantle that divided the Jordan under Elijah divides the Jordan under Elisha because they have the same power in authority you have the Jordan why does all this take place at the Jordan River there was a definite determination to bring them to this spot but why is there any reason why something should take something like this should take place at the Jordan well as we’ve already mentioned the Jordan is not just some random River what already took place here the people of Israel entered in the Promised Land by way of a miracle of crossing over on dry ground and that was also part of a change in Israel’s government really before the crossing of the Jordan yeah Dwayne exactly the Jordan was very much associated with a succession Moses Authority was passed on to Joshua in fact remember the reason for the miracle in the first place was to show that God was with Joshua when people saw the river being divided they said oh the Lord’s with Joshua just like he was with Moses and they responded in the same way that the sons of the prophets respond to Elisha here they recognize the power and authority and they show deference so it’s not random that this is happening at the Jordan the Jordan is a place of transition not just because it’s a river but because there already was a transition in leadership at this site so it is appropriate that these things are happening at the Jordan River so as we’ve already alluded to does Elisha receive what he requests indeedy does his office as or is given the succession the office has profit office of profit and it is validated by the miracle that takes place at the Jordan and by the words and the behavior of the sons of the prophets they recognize the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha he is indeed the prophetic successor yes bill that’s a really interesting point I had not thought about that certainly um right right um because the Jordan is associated with succession Moses to Joshua Elijah to Elisha can we say that for the same reason Jesus is baptized into Jordan and that in a sense it’s a succession from John the Baptist to Jesus himself if so I have to think about that a little bit more that certainly makes sense at first glance certainly we know this isn’t the only place that succession takes place historically I mean the other people succeeding in other areas but we certainly see that a number of times it is a place of um Ministry beginning or Ministry transferring what are we going to say Dwayne okay that’s good another one other trusted people say the same thing that’s usually a good sign so as Maine was mentioning other commentaries have noted that the connection between these different successions um Moses and Joshua Elijah and Elisha and John the Baptist and Jesus all taking place at the Jordan River so Elisha does indeed um succeed Elijah and Elijah would Elijah would go on to do many miracles many of the same kinds of Miracles as Elijah but also more miracles or at least more are recorded for Elijah than Elijah Elisha also has a share of Trials he indeed takes on the mantle the the same role as Elijah various Kings try to kill Elisha Elisha and vindicates Elisha’s trust he delivers Elisha from the hands of these Kings the parallel between Elijah and Elisha is so strong that when Elijah I’m sorry when Elisha is sick with the illness with which he is about to die so the end of his ministry the king of Israel visits Elisha and he says to him my father my father the Chariots of Israel and its Horsemen that’s the exact same thing that Elisha said when Elijah was going up to heaven the king of Israel says that to Elisha well what’s the point well I think it’s that he’s he’s um stating that Elisha was indeed just like his master he fulfilled his role just like his master and he was being translated to heaven in a way similar to his master he’s not going up in a fiery Chariot but through his death he says I know that you’re being transferred you’re being translated now in a way by the Chariots of Israel so Elisha like Elijah was an extremely faithful and Powerful prophet though Elisha got to enjoy some measure of Revival under his ministry you got to see a little bit more of God’s merciful salvation extend throughout the northern tribes Elijah didn’t see that as much now in comparing the two Prophets some have suggested Elijah was actually a failure as a prophet and they can point to a number of kind of startling things in Elijah’s Ministry as we’ve noted during his ministry Elijah insist that he’s the only prophet of Yahweh or the only God fever left even though he’s shown multiple times that that’s not the case they keep saying I’m the only one left they want to kill me when God leads Elijah to Horeb Mount Sinai and he asked Elijah what are you doing here Elijah Elijah gives this very depressed answer I have been very zealous for the Lord the god of hosts for the sons of Israel have forsaken your Covenant torn down your altars and killed your prophets with a sword and I alone am left and they seek my life to take it away God then does some powerful things on Sinai powerful and mysterious there’s a blasting wind that splits the mountain rocks there’s an earthquake there’s a fire and then there’s a gentle blowing which symbolizes God’s presence but whatever message God was communicating to Elijah Elijah doesn’t seem to get it because when God asks Elijah the same question what are you doing here Elijah Elijah gives the exact same answer I’ve been very zealous for the Lord everybody’s turned away from you I’m the only one left and it’s after that that God commissions Elijah to do those three anointings but Elijah does only one who didn’t do the other two did you just give up on that Elijah perhaps then we’ve been too generous with looking at Elijah’s interactions with Elisha maybe Elijah’s been cranky the whole time maybe he didn’t really care whether Elijah kept following him or not maybe he was so grumpy that he tried to get a get rid of Elisha on purpose because he didn’t want him to succeed him he didn’t want him to succeed as the prophet or have the empowerment of God in this view then Elijah was just a good Prophet turned bad that God basically had to give up on because Elijah was too unwilling too disobedient or too demoralized to continue in Ministry now I admit Elijah does show weakness at times there are times she’s depressed there’s times where he’s discouraged and there are some puzzling aspects to his ministry But ultimately I believe this assessment of Elijah is wrong Elijah was not a failure while he doubted at times and got depressed at times he was ultimately a faithful prophet what are some things we can point to to vindicate Elijah and his ministry what are some signs that he was not a disobedient faithless Prophet yeah Dwayne scripture yeah that’s a very useful reference we’ll be looking at it a little bit later but that section in James when talking about prayer and encouraging Christians to pray it says consider Elijah this righteous man and his prayers were effective he’s identified as righteous what else can we point to yeah George say that again that’s right we certainly saw that God was with him when he was confronting Baal worship he was acting faithfully and powerfully there what were you gonna say Danny frankly Jesus as we’ve noted um or the New Testament talks about Elijah or John the Baptist being in the spirit and power of Elijah if Elijah was a faithless prophet that’s hardly somebody that you’d want to come in the spirit and power of certainly a great man Jesus says he was the greatest of all the prophets and he says he came just like Elijah did so that’s a Vindication of Elijah Dwayne you have something else right yeah let’s consider this whole thing this whole transfer into heaven via Chariot of fire that’s the sign of something right that’s a sign of Honor that’s a that’s quite a blessing to not experience death and go straight into God’s presence that hardly seems appropriate to someone who is faithless in Ministry um Judy were you gonna say something that’s right on the amount of transfiguration there are two people that appear with Jesus as Jesus is appearing in splendor we have Moses and who’s the other one not Isaiah not Ezekiel not Daniel not even Elisha it’s Elijah he’s representing all the latter prophets that again is not appropriate if Elijah was a failure in Ministry if he basically gave up and God had to give up on him that doesn’t make sense Elijah has an honored place at the end of his life um in the time afterwards and as Dwayne mentioned there are some in the future or there’s a there’s references to Elijah coming again when there will be prophets in the uh in the end times during the time the tribulation I think that’s what you’re talking about Dwayne correct me if I’m wrong but it talks about Elijah coming again again it doesn’t make sense if Elijah was a faithless prophet no I would say he was quite a faithful prophet and he was one of the greatest of the prophets but what about this failure to anoint why didn’t he anoint the three people and he only anointed one how do we explain that well there is one explanation one is that he did anoint them and we just don’t hear about it maybe we just assumed that the narrator says you’ve been commissioned to do these things he did it guys I don’t have to tell you about it well that’s one possible explanation but there’s another explanation and I think this is more likely Elijah fulfilled this commission through his successor Elijah’s commissioned to anoint these three men was fulfilled by the later Ministry of Elisha because Elijah in a way is just an extension of Elijah’s Ministry not only did Elijah call Elisha but Elijah also taught and trained Elisha Elijah’s Spirit was said to be on Elisha therefore I think it’s appropriate for us to see successor Elisha Elijah passed on the unfinished work to the one whom Elijah by God’s spirit trained up specifically for that task or for those tasks and isn’t this true for us also today it’s a day when we train up someone to follow after the Lord we may lose contact with that person or we might even die but our investment in that person continues to have its impact how many people have been inspired to go into the mission field because of the Diaries the writings and the biographies of dead believers like Abel as the right of Hebrews says though these men and women are dead their faith still speaks and it has an effect on the coming Generations through their successors still impacting the world as others have pointed out I think this is partly why Believers don’t receive their full reward until Christ’s return we need the BMC judgment to fully assess what we did that deserves a reward not just while we were alive but even after we died how our Legacy continued to impact other Generations you can’t fully assess that until time has run its course this gives us more reason than to take our Christian Life seriously and to believe in you that our obedience to the Lord is not in vain it’s part of our leaving a important and Powerful Legacy for Christ so because of this idea of impact beyond the grave I don’t believe Elijah was unfaithful in his calling Elijah did finish his work through his trained successor Elisha so I don’t think it was a failure at all so let’s sum up what we’ve seen in this passage I’ll go back to the previous slide Elijah as part of a final test or training for Elisha attempts to leave Elisha in various places but Elisha perseveres he says I’m not going to leave you I’m fully committed when asked point blank what Elisha wants Elisha gives a good answer I want to be your successor to the work of God’s prophet by God’s help I will suffer for God as you have and do his work in order that the people of Israel might be saved this is a hard thing for Elisha to ask as it means great difficulties for Elisha and it means that only God can truly grant that request but Elisha perseveres through that final task and is allowed to see the momentous translation of Elijah to Heaven via a chariot of fire a vehicle symbolic of God’s power and of Elijah’s honor Elisha does receive his request to the succession Elisha succeeds Elijah as Prophet as validated by The Miracle at the Jordan River a place long associated with succession and God’s power God’s power and Elijah’s Same Spirit of passion and empowerment rested on Elisha the mantle was only a symbol of that succession Elijah was no failure he was a man just like us it was weak at times but ultimately faithful he was a worthy Prophet to succeed and imitate and Elijah’s Legacy or rather God’s Legacy through Elijah continued to speak and work through Elisha and others after Elijah was taken to heaven questions or comments about what we’ve looked at yes Jim okay good question when I talk about the Chariots of Fire and horses being symbolic of God’s power does that mean that when they see these chariots that they’re not actually seeing something real that these aren’t real chariots or that they don’t have a real role um it’s just a symbol of God’s power I would say that we know that God has certain means of doing things even though those means are not actually the sources of power so God sends out his angels right the Angels they are the ministers they’re they’re angels that are said to have swords and they’re described as actually using these swords to kill the angel of the Lord who brings a plague to Israel after David or an axis census it says that he has his sewer drawn and he’s he’s about to cut more but he’s just paused for a moment so you could say is it that sword that’s powerful that sword that that angel has well the power indeed is with an Angel and the means is that sword but really it’s the power of God so what I guess I’m trying to say is these chariots really do things these angels really do things they’re not merely symbols they’re not um merely Visions but it’s not like we should say oh because this Angel has a chariot he’s more powerful than this Angel who only has a sword the the power is not in the vehicle itself it’s not in the um it’s not in the servant himself it’s ultimately in God and he uses a chariot not because he needs chariots but because the Israelites would have recognized that as a powerful vehicle so I guess to sum up again what I’m trying to say is it’s a real thing but it has a symbolic art the reason it exists is to communicate something through its symbolism I guess that’s what I would say yeah boy hurricane and it’s a good comment the the storm that should be associated with Bale or Bale claims to have some power over we see again happening here in The Chariot of fire that has to do with Something Heavenly that actually ascends into heaven that might be again showing the dot the complete uh supremacy of God over Baal yeah there definitely could be a connection to that here running a little bit short on time so if you have other questions please see me afterwards but I do want to talk briefly about some application what difference should this passage make to our lives today what does God’s word mean for the real world I have three application questions though we could probably pick out more based on the passage first are all Christians a kind of prophetic successor today or are all Christians prophetic successors of a kind or are certain Christians successors we’ll just I’ll answer this myself since we’re short on time despite the claims of some no one receives direct Revelation from God today as Elijah and Elijah did we don’t have that kind of prophetic succession and it’s true that there is some distinction within God’s people God has uniquely gifted and called some to serve as teachers in the church they have greater Authority but also greater responsibility and they will endure stricter judgment as James says but it’s also true that all Christians are prophetic successors of a kind the perfect revelation of God has come through God’s son the culmination of everything the Old Testament said Jesus commissioned Apostles to declare this message of Salvation and those Apostles charge their disciples to pass on the message to the Next Generation and those disciples charge their disciples and their disciples charge their disciples each generation receiving and passing on what was once and for all delivered to them by Christ if you’re a Christian you have become part of that succession you have received the word of Salvation and you are obligated to be faithful to it you are obligated to declare it and you are obligated to pass it on to the next generation this means that like Elijah and Elisha you have duties which you cannot ignore if you do you will miss out on your reward your heavenly father will discipline you or you may found to not even belong to God and you will suffer the Judgment as do the rest as part of this succession you will encounter difficulty in opposition as these prophets also did you’ll be persecuted by evil rulers you will need to confront sin you will experience the pain of an apathetic and hard-hearted generation but with this inheritance also comes blessing not just duty but blessing in this life you’ll be blessed with the Lord’s provision you will take care of you and he will deliver you through every evil attack until he takes you home you will be blessed in this life to know that you do belong to God when you experience what the prophets experienced you know that your partner is with them and not with the false prophets or the people of the world you’ll be blessed in this life to know God himself to Revel in who he is what he has done and what he will do on behalf of his people and you’ll be blessed when your life has ended because you’ll be translated into eternity Elisha you will receive your reward you will gain honor you will gain eternal life you will have Christ’s word of commendation you will sit with Christ on Christ’s Throne you will experience his presence forever so indeed all of us in some way are just like Elijah and Elijah we have received a commission that comes with responsibilities difficulties and blessings I’ll just mention these two other questions how does our condition compare to that of the prophets the prophets seem superhuman almost alien to us can never do what they did can’t be like them or maybe there are certain Christians today they they can do what God calls them to do but I just can’t no these props are just like us they the power was not in them it was in God and that same power is in Us by God’s spirit not Revival not conversions not confessions professions of faith it is faithfulness to God because Elijah did not have a very successful Ministry from a human perspective and yet he was honored above many if not all the other prophets of the Old Testament it was about faithfulness and he was faithful and so that’s an encouragement to us we just go out and sow the seed we water the seed but it has to be God who manages the crop he can allow it to be a famine a small yield or bumper crop he gives Revival at certain times and he withholds Revival at other times the success is not dependent on the man it’s dependent on God’s mercy it’s dependent on God’s good purpose and what will glorify him please let’s close in prayer next week or I’ll shall say this next week we’ll say one more thing about Elisha we’ll talk about Naaman the Syrian and how Elisha heals him let’s pray father thank you for this word it is an encouraging word it is a sobering word God I pray that we would that you would enable us to be faithful to the commission that has been handed down to us that we would make disciples that we would confront sin that we would declare your goodness to this apathetic and evil generation and I pray father that if you will at lord of the Harvest please Grant repentance Grant Revival use us to expand your kingdom but Lord whatever you choose to do cause us to be faithful in Jesus name amen