2 Kings 2:6-10

B. ELIJAH'S FINAL WORDS WITH ELISHA 2:6-10

TRANSLATION

(6) And Elijah said to him, Stay here, I pray you, for the LORD has sent me to Jordan. And he said, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And the two of them went on. (7) And fifty men from the sons of the prophets went and stood where they could watch afar off; and the two of them stood beside the Jordan. (8) And Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and smote the waters, and they were parted, so that the two of them passed over on dry land. (9) And it came to pass when they had passed over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, That I may have, I pray you, two portions of your spirit. (10) And he said, You have made a difficult request. If you see me taken from you, it shall be to you thus; but if not, it shall not be.

COMMENTS

At Jericho, Elijah made his third and final attempt to separate himself from his faithful attendant. The Lord had directed the grand old prophet to go to Jordan. Perhaps Elisha should remain at Jericho where there was food and fellowship and shelter. But Elisha was staunch in his insistence that he would spend those last hours with his master regardless of where the Lord might lead (2 Kings 2:6).

As the two men of God left Jericho, they were followed by fifty of the prophetic students. Out of respect for Elijah's desire for solitude at this moment, these students hung back and finally stopped altogether on a little hill where they had a commanding view of the Jordan valley. From this vantage point they would observe what took place. They watched with eager curiosity as the two prophetsthe master and his faithful attendantreached the bank of Jordan (2 Kings 2:7). There Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up so that it resembled a rod and with it smote the waters. Instantly the waters parted so that the two men walked across on dry land (2 Kings 2:8). The miracle is similar to one performed by Moses and for Joshua. It was intended that Israel should regard Elijah and Elisha as a second Moses and Joshua and should therefore yield them a ready obedience. In this time when true religion was in danger of being snuffed out, God granted to these two men an abundance of miraculous signs so as to substantiate His cause.

With his time on earth drawing very short, Elijah felt an earnest impulse to leave his faithful follower some parting gift as a sign of his appreciation and love. Whatever Elisha desired, if it were within the power, the older prophet would grant. Elisha's request for a double portion (lit., double mouthful) of Elijah's spirit has been interpreted various ways. It surely seems out of character for him, and contrary to the facts of his ministry, to think that Elisha was asking for twice as much spiritual and prophetical power as possessed by Elijah. It seems better to view the request as being for twice as much spirit as would be received by any other of the sons of the prophets. The double portion was the right of the eldest son who also had authority over members of the family once the father was gone. Asking for the double portion is equivalent to asking that he be regarded as Elijah's successor.

It was a hard thing which Elisha asked of his master because it was not directly within the power to grant such a request. Had Elisha asked for a prophetic blessing, or for the mantle of his master, or some other possession, the request would have been easy. But only God could designate a man as spiritual leader of the nation. Elijah could do no more than leave this in the hands of God. If God should grant to Elisha the privilege of actually witnessing the translation of a man to heaven, this would be the sign that his request had been granted by the Lord (2 Kings 2:10). From this it would appear that the chariot and horses were not visible to the physical eye (cf. 2 Kings 6:17) except through special revelation.