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The Lord
1Not long before the Lord took Elijah up into heaven in a strong wind, Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “The Lord wants me to go to Bethel, but you must stay here.”
Elisha replied, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I will stay with you no matter what!” And he went with Elijah to Bethel.
3A group of prophets who lived there asked Elisha, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take away your master?”
“Yes, I do,” Elisha answered. “But don't remind me of it.”
4Elijah then said, “Elisha, now the Lord wants me to go to Jericho, but you must stay here.”
Elisha replied, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life, that I will stay with you no matter what!” And he went with Elijah to Jericho.
5A group of prophets who lived there asked Elisha, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take away your master?”
“Yes, I do,” Elisha answered. “But don't remind me of it.”
6Elijah then said to Elisha, “Now the Lord wants me to go to the Jordan River, but you must stay here.”
Elisha replied, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I will never leave you!” So the two of them walked on together.
7Fifty prophets followed Elijah and Elisha from Jericho, then stood at a distance and watched as the two men walked toward the river. 8When they got there, Elijah took off his coat, then he rolled it up and struck the water with it. At once a path opened up through the river, and the two of them walked across on dry ground.
9 After they had reached the other side, Elijah said, “Elisha, the Lord will soon take me away. What can I do for you before that happens?”
Elisha answered, “Please give me twice as much of your power as you give the other prophets, so I can be the one who takes your place as their leader.”
10“It won't be easy,” Elijah answered. “It can happen only if you see me as I am being taken away.”
11Elijah and Elisha were walking along and talking, when suddenly there appeared between them a flaming chariot pulled by fiery horses. At once, a strong wind took Elijah up into heaven. 12 Elisha saw this and shouted, “Israel's cavalry and chariots have taken my master away!” After Elijah had gone, Elisha tore his clothes in sorrow.
13Elijah's coat had fallen off, so Elisha picked it up and walked back to the Jordan River. 14He struck the water with the coat and wondered, “Will the Lord perform miracles for me as he did for Elijah?” As soon as Elisha did this, a dry path opened up through the water, and he walked across.
15When the prophets from Jericho saw what happened, they said to each other, “Elisha now has Elijah's power.”
They walked over to him, bowed down, 16and said, “There are 50 strong men here with us. Please let them go look for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the Lord carried him off to some mountain or valley.”
“No,” Elisha replied, “they won't find him.”
17They kept begging until he was embarrassed to say no. He finally agreed, and the prophets sent the men out. They looked three days for Elijah but never found him. 18They returned to Jericho, and Elisha said, “I told you that you wouldn't find him.”
Reflect
Sometimes we need to take a step back, and think about how we read as well as what we read. This is one of those times. Today’s chapter is full of allusions and symbolic actions.
Elijah, knowing that he is about to be taken to heaven, first visits the other prophets in Israel, and Elisha doggedly insists on going with him. The point of this is probably to emphasize Elisha’s strong commitment to Elijah.
He asks for a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit—not twice as much prophetic power, but the two-thirds inheritance of the firstborn (the other sons would split up the remaining third). Elisha asks for what the oldest son would ask for at his father’s deathbed. He then carries on Elijah’s ministry, like a son used to carry on his father’s work.
The succession of Elisha to Elijah is like that of Joshua to Moses, and we are reminded of it by the stories of them crossing the Jordan on dry land.
Elijah’s cloak is symbolic. As the “mantle” was handed over to Elisha, so he demonstrates that he can replicate Elijah’s miracles. Remember the cloak when we first met Elisha in 1 Kings 19?
The climax of the chapter comes when we read of how Elijah was miraculously taken up into heaven, just as Moses had been. He reappears with Moses at the time of Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:2).
All of this rich, complex story is there to point us to Jesus, who fulfilled the themes of the Old Testament story, performed miracles and defeated death once and for all.
Respond
Lord Jesus Christ, I worship you! You rose from the dead, and care for us. Please help me understand these stories from the Old Testament, and how they are all part of the one big Story. Amen.
Annabel Robinson
Annabel was born in Kew, near London, England. She committed her life to Jesus Christ at a Scripture Union camp when she was 16, and immediately found joy and peace. At Oxford she was active in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, where she met her husband, Reid. They emigrated to Canada in 1965, where she taught Classics at the University of Regina until 2007. She has two children, Heather in Oslo and Alasdair in Calgary.