2 Kings - Chapter 2

Elijah is confirmed as the successor to Elijah in 2 Kings Chapter 2. Elijah is taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, similar to the rapture in the Old Testament. Enoch was also taken by God in Genesis. The story highlights the amazing power of God and his willingness to translate his message to us. Elijah's translation is completed, and Elisha becomes his successor. Elisha performs miracles, including parting the Jordan River and healing the water in Jericho. He also deals with disrespectful youths. Elisha is off to a good start as he carries on Elijah's mission. I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at bab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are covering 2 Kings Chapter 2, which Roy L. Honeycutt, Jr. said in his commentary, Elisha confirmed as successor to Elijah and the confirmation of his translation. In this chapter there is no record of Elijah's death, but he gets taken up into the whirlwind to heaven. So it's sort of like the rapture in the Old Testament. There is one other man so far in the Old Testament where something similar happened and that was in Genesis Chapter 5 verse 24, which says Enoch walked with God and then he was no more because God took him away. We don't know how he was taken, but he's gone from here and with the Lord. When I looked up the word translation, the definition said an act, process, or instance of translating as a, a rendering from one language to another, b, a change to a different substance, form, or appearance, conversion. Ladies, let's pause for a moment and just stop and think how amazing our Lord is. He is in a heavenly and spiritual world far beyond us. He created this amazing universe and placed it in order and then he is willing to translate to us who he is so that we can understand him. This is what John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, meant when he started his gospel. In the beginning was the word, translation, and the word was with God and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made. Without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood it. Jesus was the amazing heavenly language translated into our human language so that we can know that there is a God in heaven that loves us. Those who believe in him are being translated, an act of conversion, to where our present substance changes to a different form or appearance. And in today's story Elijah's translation was made complete. 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 Elisha said, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel. Gilgal was reported to be a city associated with the school of prophets as was Bethel and Jericho. So in verses 1-6 Elijah and Elisha know it's time and Elijah seems to go to Bethel and Jericho as if he's saying goodbye to his friends. Both at Bethel and at Jericho the company of prophets told Elisha, the Lord is going to take your master from you today. And each time Elisha said, yes I know but don't speak of it. Elijah told Elisha he should stay there with the prophets and each time Elisha said he would not leave him. The Lord then sent Elijah across the Jordan River and Elisha refused to leave his side. Paul our house pointed out the trip from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to Jordan retraces the first movements Israel made in the promised land. Joshua chapters 1-8 and the parting of the Jordan may also remind readers of the crossing of the Red Sea. Starting in verse 7 50 prophets stood and watched Elijah and Elisha cross the Jordan River. Elijah took his cloak rolled it up and struck the water with it and the water divided and they walked over on dry ground. After crossing Elijah asked Elisha tell me what can I do for you before I am taken from you. Elisha asked for an inheritance of a double portion of his spirit. Now keep in mind that the first born son received a double portion of the inheritance. But if you remember from 1 Kings chapter 19 verses 19-21 when Elijah called Elisha, Elisha gave up his earthly inheritance and gave everything to follow him. Here he is asking for a spiritual sons inheritance. Elijah said that was a difficult thing but if Elisha sees him go up when he is taken from him then it will be his. This request was difficult because it was out of the hands of Elijah but it rested in the hands of the Lord and what he would do. In verses 11 and 12 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 then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. As Honeycutt pointed out the text does not say that Elijah was carried into heaven on the chariot, popular interpretations to the contrary. He was carried up by a whirlwind into heaven, a way of saying that God came for him. Elisha ripped his clothes which was an act of mourning his spiritual fathers leaving. Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and he went back to the Jordan River struck the water with it and then verse 14 says where now is the Lord the God of Elijah? When Elisha struck the river the water divided and he crossed over on dry ground. Paul our house said when Elisha strikes the water with the cloak he discovers that while Elijah is gone the Lord is not for the water parts again. The 50 prophets in Jericho who had watched the whole thing said the spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha. They bowed down to him and then they asked if they could go look for Elijah just in case the whirlwind set him down some place. At first Elisha said no but because they insisted he said okay. They never found him and Elisha said didn't I tell you not to go? Once Elisha was with the 50 prophets of Jericho they said to him look our Lord this town is well situated as you can see but the water is bad and the land is unproductive. Now just a little bit of history on Jericho this was the first town the Israelites conquered in the promised land with the leadership of Joshua this was a walled city and because of their faith they were able to take the land with the help of Rahab the prostitute who hid the two spies of Israel. The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews said in his hall of fame found in chapter 11 verses 30 and 31 by faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab because she welcomed the spies was not killed with those who were disobedient. Just a side note this Rahab who was not a Jew and did not have a godly lifestyle once she had faith in the Lord married a man named Salmon and they fathered Boaz who married a Moabite woman of faith Ruth and they had Obed who had Jesse who had King David from whom came King Jesus. Back in the story of Joshua once Jericho fell Joshua made an oath cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city Jericho at the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates Joshua chapter 6 verse 26. It seems that the ruins of Jericho revealed the miracle of their taking the first city in the promised land well in first Kings chapter 16 verse 34 we learned that during King Ahab's time Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho and it did cost him two of his son's lives. When we studied that passage one commentator mentioned that since Baal worship was prevalent in Ahab's time and Baal worship included human sacrifice that it may be possible that Hiel sacrificed his own children in the building of the city or they could have died at the hand of the Lord but either way the curse came true so the city was rebuilt but here in second Kings it is still not healthy at the prophets request Elisha asked for a new bowl with salt in it he then went out to the spring of Jericho and threw the salt into the spring he said this is what the Lord says I have healed this water never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive then the writer adds in verse 22 and the water has remained wholesome to this day according to the word Elisha had spoken for those who are familiar with the Old Testament Moses cleansed the water at Marah in Exodus chapter 15 verse 22 by throwing a stick into the water in a sense there is a feeling of starting over with the spirit of the Lord working in Elisha now this last section of chapter 2 in our society today seems very harsh but in their day when parents could take their children to the elders and declare their kids were stubborn rebellious and disobedient and then the town could stone them for it and when worshipers of Baal would sacrifice their own children to the gods this brings understanding to the harshness Elisha left Jericho and went to Bethel as he was walking along the road a very large group of young boys came out and jeered him their actual age we do not know now remember the area of Bethel is where the silver calf was placed by the first king of Israel who led Israel to sin they kept jeering Elisha and said go on up you bald head not only were these kids not respecting their elders but they were also purposefully harassing a man of God finally Elisha turned around looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord two bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the youth the last verse of chapter 2 verse 25 says and he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria Samaria is the capital of the northern tribes of Israel Elisha's mentor and father in the Lord is now gone and he asked where now is the Lord the God of Elijah well the Lord showed up in a big way just in this first chapter the Lord through Elisha parted the Jordan River which Elisha and Joshua had done in the power of the Lord previously he made deadly water fresh which Moses had done at the waters of Mara and brought an end to a mob of children who disrespected the Lord he had asked for a double portion of the spirit of the Lord and he's off to a good start as we continue to look at Elisha we will see similarities between Elijah Moses and then Jesus in the New Testament let me say again this God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament this God of Elijah was the God of Elisha of Isaiah Jeremiah and Daniel he's the God of Zechariah Elizabeth and John the Baptist and the God of Mary Joseph and Jesus yet as the Apostle John wrote he also was Jesus God spoke to humanity with his word and Jesus came to be the face of God that people could see the hands of God that people could feel and he spoke words that people could hear with their ears ladies there are days that I just long to give Jesus a hug this God in the flesh Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins and he arose three days later in victory one of Jesus's disciples Thomas missed seeing Jesus at his first appearance with the disciples and he said unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side I will not believe when Jesus appeared one week later Jesus said put your finger here see my hands reach out your hand and put it into my side stop doubting and believe Thomas cried out my Lord and my God then Jesus said to him because you have seen me you have believed blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed John 20 verses 24 through 29 ladies let's stop doubting and believe and when we do we are blessed thanks so much for listening and may the Lord bless you even more until next time