2 KINGS
Introduction and the Passing of the Mantle
2 Kings 1:1-2:25
INTRODUCTION
It is most unfortunate that our curriculum separates 2 Kings from 1 Kings. Beginning a series with 2 Kings is like entering a movie theater to watch the 2-hour movie with only 20 minutes left in it. The story told in 2 Kings begins at least in 1 Samuel, if not before. It develops the story of God taking the descendants of Abraham (through Jacob) and turning them into a powerful nation. It also expands God's promise to Abraham that through his seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. That seed (the Christ) will descend from David. He will ascend David's throne, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
First and 2 Kings though deal with more than just the establishment of this Davidic promise. It also traces the story of the people through whom the seed, the Christ should come. It is a tragic tale. It is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Early on, by the time of Solomon, idolatry has been introduced into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Whereas idolatry works its way quickly through the northern kingdom of Israel, it takes longer for idolatry to impact fully the southern kingdom of Judah. It is only a matter of time though before the southern kingdom succumbs completely to idolatry. Once the turn has been made, unfortunately nothing was going to turn her back--unless something drastic occurs. This is precisely what occurs, something drastic--the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah by the Babylonians. It is only after this cataclysm that the southern tribes turn irrevocably from idolatry. Other sins will plague her, however, but not idolatry.
TYING UP LOOSE ENDS (2 Kings 1:1-18)
Before Elijah departs from the scene and hands over the reins to Elisha, he has some unfinished business to attend to. Earlier he had prophesied that because of Ahab's sin his house would be completely wiped out. Although this prophecy would be fulfilled later, Elijah fulfills it partially with Ahab's son, Ahaziah. After falling through the lattice in the roof (which divided one story from another), Ahaziah sends to Ekron to ascertain from the god Baal-zebub ("Lord of the flies") if he will live or die. Both the Lord and Elijah are furious that the Lord's Anointed would seek counsel from a pagan god. After a series of maneuvers between Elijah and Ahaziah's emmisaries, Elijah confronts Ahaziah informing him that because of his sin, he will surely die.
ELIJAH'S ASCENT TO HEAVEN (2 Kings 2:1-18)
It is uncanny how much this passage relates to the present situation at First Baptist Corsicana. Just this past Sunday our pastor for the past 25 years announced his retirement. In a sense the torch for leading this church is being passed on to a younger shepherd. If you study this chapter closely, you will discover some principles which relate to our present situation. Some of the same qualities which characterized Elisha should be true of the person God sends our way to lead First Baptist.
Elijah with Elisha in tow descends to Bethel from Gilgal, located approximately 10 miles north of Bethel. From there they proceed to Jericho to cross the Jordan River. While on their way Elijah turns to Elisha 3x and asks him to leave him. Elijah requests this either because he wants to die in peace or because he is humble and feels that what he is about to experience might "exalt" Elijah too much in Elisha's eyes.
Elisha's response though is what is important. Three times Elijah requests Elisha to leave him, and 3x he adamantly refuses. He desires that Elijah impart to him a double portion of his spirit. The concept of double portion of his spirit probably alludes to the ancient practice of giving a double portion of the inheritance to a man's first-born son. For example, Esau, Isaac's older son, was to receive double the amount of inheritance that Jacob the younger son was to receive. It was only because of Rebecca's trickery that the size of the portions was reversed.
In this particular instance Elisha has been designated as Elijah's heir apparent. This is all the more noteworthy when you realize that there were numerous other prophets from Elijah's schools of prophets; yet it was Elisha who was designated to succeed Elijah as the primary prophet in Israel. As the heir Elisha is wanting a double portion of Elijah's spirit; that is, he desires to be mighty in the Spirit of the Lord as Elijah had been.
It was critical for Elisha to receive a double portion of Elijah's spirit because in many ways Elisha is carrying on both the ministry and message of Elijah's ministry. The message is to be the same: "Israel must repent and return to the Lord or else suffer destruction." Elisha's ministry in many ways completes Elijah's ministry. Elisha is to carry out Elijah's prophecy about the destruction of Ahab's household by anointing both Jehu who will slay all the household of Ahab and by anointing Hazael as king of Syria who will wreak havoc upon the northern kingdom, Ahab's former kingdom.
Did Elisha receive a double portion of the Spirit? Was he mighty in the Spirit as Elijah had been? The answer is a resounding "Yes." His ministry in many ways resembled that of Elijah's: the anointing of Jehu and Hazael and the message he delivered to Israel. What is even more interesting is that whereas Elijah performed miracles more spectacular than those performed by Elisha, Elisha actually performed more miracles than Elijah did during his ministry.
It is no giant leap to see how this applies to our present situation at First Baptist as we begin the search for a new pastor. First, what will be the attitude of the one who comes towards those who have come before him? Was he receptive to the mentors God placed in his life? I've seen at seminary examples of students who went there just to get the degree so that they could get a good-sized church. Did they learn anything there? No. In their eyes all the professors were liberal. When asked what it means to be liberal, they mean, "Anything that does not agree with my way of thinking!" Were they receptive to the wisdom of those older than them? It's not that they had to obey their wise counselors at every turn. We must remember that the pastor is responsible not only to the church but also to the Lord for the decisions he renders and the messages he preaches. Yet there should be an over-all attitude of healthy respect towards those who have gone before him.
Next, what about his message? I've seen some pastors act like they were the first to preach the message they delivered. The style of preaching may change AND must change to meet the needs of each new generation; HOWEVER, the message does not AND MUST NOT change. The message? Because of Jesus' death on the cross, the Father has exalted Him to the status of Lord over the universe; we have been commissioned to bring a lost world beneath that lordship by means of evangelism (baptizing them in the name of the Father," etc.) and by means of discipleship ("teaching them to observe all that I commanded you"). Although there are various ways to present that message, the message does not change.
Finally, as Elisha received a double portion of Elijah's spirit (the Spirit of God), how much more so must our pastor be filled with God's Spirit? He has the obligation to speak Christ's message to us each and every week in the manner He would have him deliver it. He has the obligation to lead us in the direction Christ Himself would have him lead it. His ministry should not be about him; it should be about Christ. If he is faithful to this, Christ will fill him with His Spirit.
How do I know if the minister is filled with Christ's Spirit? Ask yourself the following question: "Do I come away from this minister impressed with Christ or impressed with the minister?" Now you can come away impressed with both; however, if you come away impressed only with the minister, that minister is not following the Spirit. The Spirit always leads us to Christ. Any other destination or goal shows that that particular minister did not receive a double portion of God's Spirit.
In both Bethel and Jericho some "sons of the prophets" (members of the schools of prophets Elijah had established during his ministry) inform Elisha that Elijah is about to depart from this world. Although the schools of the prophets have been informed by the Spirit, apparently they did not understand completely what the Spirit meant when He said that Elijah would depart from the world. They probably thought of "depart from the world" as a type of euphemism for death. Their subsquent actions show they thought that Elijah was going to die and that his body would lie exposed to the elements to rot.
It is interesting that Elijah and Elisha were not the only 2 who knew about Elijah's "departure." I believe that it is a valid biblical principle that whenever God is going to do something, He normally lets more than one person know what He is about to do or wants to be done. The minister needs to be extremely careful when he goes out on a limb. He may be out there by himself all alone without even the Lord sitting beside him. I've seen ministers who refused to be ordained: "God called me, and therefore, I don't need man's approval." The fact though is that ordination is not about man's approval. It is about acknowledging the principle that God speaks to more people than just to me. If He has called me to the ministry, it is quite likely that He is going to let more than just me know it.
I can think of only 2x in my ministry when I've had to go it alone. I felt like God got hold of me and told me either to do what He wanted me to do or else to let another minister take my place and do what needed to be done. Ninety-nine % of the time though I discover that there is great benefit in seeking and accepting counsel from wise counselors because God speaks more than just to one or 2 people.
Elijah and Elisha continue their journey by crossing the Jordan River and going into Moab. People who are observant will notice that they are retracing backwards the same journey Joshua and particularly Moses had led the children of Israel approximately 600 years earlier. This is important first because it tends to affirm the belief that God was in what was happening. A repetition of certain events or a re-working of certain major events demonstrates God at work. Two of the worst days in my life were the day my dad passed away and the day my neice committed suicide. God though took and reworked those days. Seven years to the day my dad died, Nathan became a Christian, while 11 years to the day my neice committed suicide, Molly became a Christian. It confirmed my belief that God was at work in the salvation of my children. It also testified once more to the biblical truth that God is the re-creator of all things. He takes the broken and hurting and recreates them.
This retracing of Moses' journey is also important because it helps elevate Elijah to the same level as Moses who was considered THE man of the OT. The NT itself picks up this link between the 2 because both Moses AND Elijah appear at Jesus' transfiguration. Also, John in Rev. 11 links them together. According to John these 2 or 2 men like them will appear before the return of Christ to point people once more to Jesus. God had not dealt with Israel only during the time of Moses. He was continually working in their midst.
Right before Elijah and Elisha reach their destination, Elisha asks once more for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Elijah informs Elisha that it is beyond his power to grant this request. The only way that Elisha will know if his request has been granted is if Elisha actually sees Elijah departing. At this point the 2 are caught up in a tempest. A chariot of fire with horses of fire sweeps down and picks up Elijah to take him to heaven. Elisha cries out: "My father, my father; the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" Elisha discovers that Elijah's mantle has fallen to the ground. He picks it up and starts the journey home.
The significance of this event is probably seen first in the fact that this is a God-kind of event. It affirms Elijah as being THE great prophet in OT times. Elisha who has witnessed this event is going to carry on Elijah's tradition. Moreover, the chariot and horses convey the idea of divine security for Elijah and an unspoken promise to Elisha that he too will be secure in his ministry. For years Ahab and Jezebel had hounded Elijah even to the degree that at one point Elijah fled for his life. This event demonstrated that Elijah was secure. The same will hold true for Elisha. His primary concern should not be for his security; his primary concern should be to convey boldly and accurately God's message to Israel. His security is a given.
When Elisha returns without Elijah, the schools of prophets head for the desert to search high and low for Elijah. They are sure he is dead, and they wish to retrieve his body for burial. Elisha though instructs them not to go. He knows what they are thinking, and he knows that their searching will be futile. After a 3-day search, they return, now convinced that Elisha had been right.
CONFIRMATION OF ELISHA (2:19-25)
Elijah's condition has been met: Elisha has truly received a double portion of Elijah's spirit because he saw Elijah translated up into heaven. But will anybody else believe it? Sure Elijah had selected Elisha to be his successor, but had God endorsed this choice? Three incidents in particular confirmed this.
First, as Elisha was returning to Jericho, he touched the Jordan River with Elijah's mantle and divided the waters to provide a safe passage, thereby duplicating Elijah's last miracle. Second, he cleansed the waters of Jericho, while third, in the name of the Lord he cursed the 50 youths who had mocked him, calling him "Baldy." (First, notice that the word "youth" covers people from the ages of 8 - 30. Most likely they were young men who should have known better. Second, they were not simply cursing Elisha. They were residents of Bethel, one of the 2 major places of idol worship in Israel, the other being Dan. They most likely were cursing him because he was the representative of the worship of Yahweh in Israel. They were not simply cursing Elisha, they were cursing the Lord. Because God honors Elisha's curse, bears eat 42 of the youths. They deserved what they got.) In all 3 cases God is sending a message to Israel. Although the great prophet Elijah is gone, Elisha has become His representative and Israel would do well to heed to his words. God is still going to work in Israel.
Moreover, God is still going to work in First Baptist, if we let Him. He has not brought us through 156 years to dump us at this point, unless WE desert Him. He will work through the pastor Christ sends to lead us. If the man God sends is truly filled with His Spirit, then God's power will be at work. We might not see young hoodlums eaten by bears nor the waters of Jericho divided; however, we will see the power Paul speaks about--the power of the Spirit to change lives (1 Cor. 4:19-21). If lives are truly transformed into the image of Christ through his ministry, then he has truly received a double portion of Christ's Spirit.