2 Kings 2:1-14--Elijah Taken to Heaven

2 Kings 2:1-14
English Standard Version

Elijah Taken to Heaven
2 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.

​Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

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The passage today doesn't hide what is about to happen, someone wrote it after the fact and told readers what was about to happen at the very beginning of the chapter--the LORD is about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind.  I'm sure that would get everyone's attention who was reading it or hearing it for the first time!  We have known for a while now that the LORD had a plan of succession for Elijah to pass on his mantle of leadership (we'll see from this passage where we get that phrase) to Elisha.  Elijah knows that these events are going to take place, and he knows it will be hard for Elisha to see him leave, so he tries to tell Elisha that what he needs to do next, he must do alone and that where he is going, Elisha cannot follow him.  I think Elisha understands exactly what Elijah is saying (maybe simply thinking that the LORD has told Elijah that Elijah needs to go somewhere to die like the LORD did with Moses), and Elisha refuses to let his friend and mentor be alone in these final moments.

We see Elijah trying to prepare Elisha for what is coming by asking if he knows that today is the day that Elisha's master, that is Elijah himself, will be taken away from Elisha?  Elisha replies that he does in fact know, and encourages Elijah to keep quiet about it (as not everyone in Israel needs to know about it).  So Elijah leads Elisha on this journey from Gilgal (close to where he would be taken up to heaven) to Bethel, then on to Jericho, and then finally across the Jordan River.  Through all this, Elisha refused to leave Elijah.  Though fifty other prophets watched from a distance, Elisha was the only one that would walk the path with Elijah so that he would not spend his final moments on earth alone.

To get across the River, Elijah struck the water with his cloak and the waters of the Jordan River parted for them so that they could cross on dry ground, just like the Israelites had crossed over the Red Sea when coming out of Egypt and the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan River on dry ground when going into the Promised Land.

After they had crossed over and it was just Elijah and Elisha, Elijah tells Elisha to make any final requests that he has before Elijah is taken away from him.  Elisha has only one request because he knows the task ahead of him is so great--a double-portion of the Spirit that was within Elijah so that he could be even more emboldened and empowered to do the hard work that the LORD was calling him to do.  We can take this literally in some sense that Elisha would do exactly twice as many miracles as Elijah did, but I don't think that was Elisha's intent in the task.  Elisha had seen how hard it was for the two of them to do the work when working together and now with Elijah gone it would be like he would need to be doing the work of two people and would need all the strength and equipping and empowerment that had belonged to both of them because the work wasn't going to get any easier now that Elijah was going away (in many ways it would be getting harder).

The LORD hears Elisha's request and will grant it to give him a double-blessing in the way that we see a firstborn son receive a double-portion to that of the other heirs.  As Elijah is taken away in the whirlwind, he will drop his cloak (or mantle) so that Elisha can pick it up and wear it as well as a sign to Elisha and everyone else that the same Spirit and empowerment that rested on Elijah now rests on Elisha along with the empowerment that Elisha already had when he was anointed by Elijah.

Is this something all of us should be looking for and asking for?  Is this passage instructive in the doctrine of a double-blessing of the Spirit that we need to be asking for?  I really don't think that's the purpose here so much as to show us that the LORD is faithful to equip and prepare and empower those he has called for the work that He has prepared for them to do, but He does so in such a way where it is clear that He is the one doing so through His Spirit so that He gets all the glory.  If we need more empowerment and the ability to work signs and wonders to accompany the message that He has given us, then He will do that.  If we need boldness to go before governors and kings and take the gospel to the whole known world like He called the Apostle Paul to do, then He will do that, and if we need empowerment to be the one to come alongside others in the ministry to help them even though we do so from the shadows and don't do anything to get ourselves highly recognized like John Mark did when he helped pen Peter's story in the gospel of Mark, and he accompanied Paul, Barnabas and Peter on several missionary journeys (probably making him one of the most important "support staff" in taking the gospel to the nations), then He will empower us to do that.  Whatever we need, He can give to us, and whatever we ask for (in accordance with His will), He can provide that and even more--remember the oil that kept pouring out of the jar for the widow that took care of Elijah--it didn't run out until every vessel she had collected was full, but if she had collected even more vessels to fill, then there would have been even more oil available because God has an unlimited amount of resources that can be tapped into, but we should tap into them in order to work with Him in accomplishing His stated goal and purpose of redemption, taking the gospel to the whole world, changing those He has redeemed into the image of Christ through discipleship, and preparing those whom He has saved (and those who are not saved) for His imminent return.

Back to today's passage.  Elijah was taken up in chariot of fire and as we already mentioned, his cloak or mantle was left behind for Elisha to pick up.  Before putting on Elijah's cloak, Elisha tore his own clothes as a sign of grief and mourning, for he was very sad about his friend and coworker being taken away from him, even though he knew that he was with the LORD and in a place far better than if he had remained on earth.  Elisha was now "stuck" on the Gilead side of the Jordan River needing to get back across to the Canaan side to do the work that the LORD had called him too.  He rolled up Elijah's cloak and struck the water just like Elijah did and called on the LORD to be with him just as He had been with Elijah and the LORD parted the waters for Elisha just like He had done for Elijah as a sign to Him that He had heard him and granted his request.  Then Elisha crossed over and prepared to do the (hard) work that the LORD had called him to, and to now do it without the help and support of his mentor Elijah.  There would not really be time for him to grieve either--this time that Elijah and Elisha had alone was pretty much the extent of the memorial service.  When Moses was taken away from Israel around the same geographical location, the nation stood still and mourned for a month, but the nation will not stop and mourn for the loss of Elijah (though they should have).  In fact, the wicked people of Israel are likely celebrating his departure thinking they are finally rid of him and his restraining influence and hoping that it has no become easier for them to sin (not so, because the LORD has prepared the three men--the new King of Israel, the King of Syria and Elisha that Prophet) to work together in the work He has put before them to call His people back to repentance and to put away their idols and turn back to the LORD.