Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
As we begin a new month together, how appropriate that we do so watching the passing of the mantle of spiritual leadership from Elijah to Elisha. Yesterday we watched Elisha boldly, radically, leave his farm life to follow Elijah, becoming Elijah’s apprentice, knowing that someday, when the revered old prophet Elijah would finally die, the role as spokesman of God to Israel would fall to Elisha.
I can’t tell you exactly how long it was that Elisha walked alongside Elijah as his apprentice, nor do we have any Biblical description of exactly what the mentoring process was that Elijah used to prepare young Elisha for the role of being God’s spokesman to kings.
But this I know… all around our world this month of June older men and women are challenging younger men and women to prepare for living lives of meaning and purpose in an increasingly morally corrupt and inverted values world. It’s happening in commencement addresses and weddings and retirement ceremonies. It’s also happening at the bedsides of dying people with their children and grandchildren gathered around them.
In view of all this, I invite you to join me as we walk today with both Elijah and Elisha on the day of their historic mantle passing. The record of this event is only found in 2 Kings 2 and it begins: “When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.”
That statement raises an important question for us to consider. Psalm 139 of course celebrates that God is the creator of EVERY person. “You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb…” (Ps. 139:13) But did you know that Psalm also makes this statement: “Your eyes saw my unformed body, all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Ps. 139:16)
That statement makes it clear GOD, your Creator and mine, knows exactly how many days each of us will live, even before we are born! And if God knows that, then He knows the day, time and manner in which we will breathe our final breath. Now, do you agree with that truth?
That is what 2 Kings 2:1 tells us about Elijah. God knew the day and even how Elijah’s earthly life was going to end and evidently God had somehow made both Elijah and Elisha aware, and therefore Elisha was determined to stay within arms reach of Elijah all this day!
Let me ask an important question of all of us: Have you written a letter to your family, telling them how much you love them and giving them total assurance that you have trusted Jesus Christ to be your Savior and you are confident the moment you breathe your last breath here on earth that you will instantly be in heaven with Jesus? If not, may I urge you to do so TODAY?
The record continues: “Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here, the LORD has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel together.” (2 Kings 2:1,2) I doubt young Elisha ever refused to do as Elijah instructed him, but on this day Elisha insisted on being very close to Elijah, confident something monumental was about to happen.
Let’s not rush past the significance of where Elijah and Elisha were walking FROM… Gilgal. That was the place Joshua and the Israelites camped their first night after crossing the Jordan river from the desert, remember? (Joshua 4:18-24)
It was also the place they piled up 12 big rocks from the very place where the priests had stood in the Jordan river while God stopped the flow of the river long enough for more than 2 million Israelites and all their animals to cross over into the Land of Promise.
That was about the year 1405bc, 550 years before Elijah and Elisha were walking down the road on this historic day! I wonder if both men spent some time at that rock pile, for Joshua had challenged the people to make sure this pile of bedrock would tell the story of the Jordan river crossing to every generation that followed as a testimony to God’s power and love for His people.
Oh but the people of Israel had now, for about 100 years, since the death of King Solomon, been a idol worshiping, God resistant people! Elijah and Elisha both knew that no matter how hard and prideful the hearts of Israel’s leaders, like King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and so many others, their job was to keep declaring God’s truth, keep calling the people back to God, even if it meant their rebuke, imprisonment or persecution.
Look around your country and mine today. Who are the Elijah’s and Elisha’s willing to pay any price to speak God’s truth and hope!?
As Elijah and Elisha approached Bethel, I’m sure they spoke of the great contrast of this city. First, of course, it was the place Jacob met with God twice, 20 years apart, and both times God reconfirmed His Covenant of land and people with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Jacob’s descendants. (Gen. 28:10-19) It was at Bethel God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. (Gen. 35:1-9) Oh it had been a revered place for many centuries! But it was also the place Jeroboam had erected an altar, built a gold calf, and pronounced it the God of Israel and abolished Israelites traveling to Jerusalem to worship, instead insisting they worship the gold calf at Bethel! (1 Kings 12:28-30) Oh what a place of spiritual contrast and conflict!
But evidently Elijah had a young prophets school at Bethel which he visited from time to time for training them. The record says “The company of prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked him, ‘Do you know the LORD is going to take your master from you today?’ Elisha replied, “Yes, I know, but do not speak of it.” (2 Kings 2:3)
Now friends, as we begin June, let’s pause right here with Elijah and Elisha and these prophets from Bethel. Do you understand God knows the day, even the hour and the circumstances in which you will breathe your last breath on this earth? What do you suppose God has yet He wants to do IN you and THROUGH you for His glory, before that final day, and how are you cooperating with God or are you resisting God in that? And when that day comes, when that moment of your ‘departure’ comes, where will your spirit & soul go? Are you sure? WHAT will determine if your Spirit & Soul goes to be with God or goes to be away from God?
Amazingly God has given you and I the privilege and power to decide where we spend eternity! That’s right! You can’t choose for me and I can’t choose for you but we each can choose for ourselves! If we choose to do nothing, to simply live our life giving no response to Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection, then we will spend eternity as we are spending our lives…separated from God.
If we chose, however, to trust that the death of Jesus has paid our guilt price for sin with God and God is willing to accept our repentance from our sin and God will then apply the death payment of Jesus to our sin debt, thus declaring us forgiven and righteous and drawing us into relationship with Him, then at our death, we will spend eternity in relationship with God! That’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Do you understand that my friends and have you made your choice? If not, would you write to me and I’d love to further explain it to you? But it’s a choice… your choice, for your eternity.
And one last question... are you living today in such peace with God and with others that if TODAY is the day on God’s calendar for you.., the day God has decided will be your last day on earth, are you ready to end your earthly journey and begin your eternal journey as Elijah was?
On Monday, if you’ll join me again, we’ll see exactly how that happened for Elijah and how it affected Elisha! I hope this weekend you’ll spend some time worshiping and thanking Jesus, that He has made it possible for you to be certain of your eternity with HIM! Here’s a wonderful, powerful song that celebrates that life giving truth!
Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 2:1-3.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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