Next week on Sunday morning we are going to cover as in depth as I can the transition between Elijah and Elisha. So, we cannot get too far into our reading of Kings and Chronicles without covering that in our devotional time. I had intended to cover the bulk of both Prophet’s ministries this morning, but God had better plans, so I stayed out of the way!

Last we saw Elijah, he was calling Elisha to be his disciple and successor. We caught mention of a letter he wrote to king Jehoram after he turned his heart from God and killed his brothers, but we haven’t seen anything in 2 Chronicles about him or Elisha. Here’s a quick list of miracles and prophecies of Elijah’s ministry, and today we will see the last three in our reading.

1) Causing the rain the cease for 3 1/2 years (1Ki 17:1) 2) Being fed by the ravens (1Ki 17:4) 3) Miracle of the barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1Ki 17:14) 4) Resurrection of the widow's son (1Ki 17:22) 5) Calling of fire from heaven on the altar (1Ki 18:38) 6) Causing it to rain (1Ki 18:45) 7) Prophecy that Ahab's sons would all be destroyed (1Ki 21:22) 8) Prophecy that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs (1Ki 21:23) 9) Prophecy that Ahaziah would die of his illness (2Ki 1:4) 10) Calling fire from heaven upon the first 50 soldiers (2Ki 1:10) 11) Calling fire from heaven upon the second 50 soldiers (2Ki 1:12) 12) Parting of the Jordan (2Ki 2:8) 13) Prophecy that Elisha should have a double portion of his spirit (2Ki 2:10) 14) Being caught up to heaven in a whirlwind (2Ki 2:11)

They are numbered, because that becomes important next Sunday. Now let’s look back in 2nd Kings chapter two!

2 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.”

But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!” So they went down together to Bethel.

3 The group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”

“Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”

4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the lord has told me to go to Jericho.”

But Elisha replied again, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together to Jericho.

5 Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”

“Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”

6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.”

But again Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together.

Every time I read this story, I think I accidentally started a verse over when the prophets come out to talk to Elisha the second time! You can tell his sorrow in preparation to lose his mentor when he just says, “Be quiet about it!”

7 Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. 8 Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!

So far in the story, we have seen three different groups of prophets show up. Do you remember when Elijah was telling God that he was the only one left?! Because Elijah left Mount Sinai and called Elisha and began that ministry together, there were men of God raised up throughout the land! Don’t let Satan make you think there is no hope! When we get moving in the mission God has for us, He will raise up mighty people of God to see His work complete!

Also, another interesting thing to note is that Elijah rolled up his cloak and smacked the water and it parted! Moses used a staff and Elijah used a cloak. It doesn’t matter what the tool is, when God is in it, miracles happen! God is not bound by our natural law. He is supernatural and the boys walked across on dry ground!

9 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.”

And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”

10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”

I am always intrigued by Elisha’s request, and honestly the more mature I get in the Lord the more I love Elijah’s response. If you are walking in a right relationship with the Lord, it is okay to be bold in your requests to the Lord! Elisha asked for twice the production as Elijah!

The older I get the more I love Elijah’s response. Sometimes we get to a place where we do not like to see others succeed. I used to tell my players that I became the best version of myself as a player and a team captain when I started pulling for my teammates to do better than me. Not only did I become a better leader in the culture of the team, the team vastly improved. Elijah didn’t raise an eyebrow when Elisha asked for twice the spirit. He just said, “hey brother, if that’s what God wants for you then He will let you see me be taken! We need more people like Elijah at this moment. Root for your friends and family to succeed. We need more Pastors rooting for other churches to succeed! Let us be what the world needs! There are too many people rooting against each other already!

11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.

13 Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. 14 He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.

15 When the group of prophets from Jericho saw from a distance what happened, they exclaimed, “Elijah’s spirit rests upon Elisha!” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 “Sir,” they said, “just say the word and fifty of our strongest men will search the wilderness for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has left him on some mountain or in some valley.”

“No,” Elisha said, “don’t send them.” 17 But they kept urging him until they shamed him into agreeing, and he finally said, “All right, send them.” So fifty men searched for three days but did not find Elijah.18 Elisha was still at Jericho when they returned. “Didn’t I tell you not to go?” he asked.

I can’t imagine what the scene would have been like in real life. Elisha sees Elijah’s supernatural exit and by that was promised to have a double portion of God’s Spirit in his life and ministry. Then you see immediately, to get back to the other side of the Jordan, Elisha rolls up that cloak and smacks that water. He does say “where is the Lord,” and God showed up!

The narrative that followed was interesting, but it kind of shows Elisha’s first leadership opportunity that he fumbles a little bit. He should have stood firm and told those fellas that Elijah was gone, but he left them to their own devices. Then he hit them with the “I told you so.” Elisha heads full force into his ministry to round the chapter out.

19 One day the leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. “We have a problem, my lord,” they told him. “This town is located in pleasant surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.”

20 Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl with salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility.” 22 And the water has remained pure ever since, just as Elisha said.

23 Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” 24 Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.25 From there Elisha went to Mount Carmel and finally returned to Samaria.

We see God work to purify the water for the town of Jericho. If you’ll remember, Heil had rebuilt the wall at the expense of two of his sons because the curse that Joshua had laid upon it when he won that battle. I feel like this is a moment in time where God says, “Okay Jericho, here’s your life back.” Now they have pure water and can have a thriving ecosystem!

Then we see one of the wildest scenes in the stories of the Prophets. Elisha is being harassed by a large group of boys, and he curses them and they are killed by bears! It’s easy as a pastor to see the application here. Don’t make fun of God’s leaders… I am being facetious, but what is the application? Well, don’t make fun of God’s anointed prophet. I really don't have much to pull out from that work of Elisha. Maybe don't make fun of anyone!

In this story we see a seamless transition of ministry. That is something we pastors and leaders should learn a lot from. We should always stay on the mission God has for us, learning the whole time, and teaching those who are to succeed us so that we can assure their success. Honesty, that is Discipleship 101. Here’s today's take-home:

It doesn’t matter what the tool is, when God is in it! Let’s be a utensil for God to use!

If you are where you need with the Lord, be bold and seek His favor so you can expand His kingdom!

Root for those around you to succeed.

Get serious about the calling on your life, and go to work for the Lord!