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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, May 19, 2025
Today's Passage : Today'sPassage:Israel after Solomon (11): Elijah Taken to Heaven BibleVerse:2 Kings 2:1-14 "Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha went down to Bethel. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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.” 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. 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. And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 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 sid" Message:
This odd scene is one of the most famous moments in the Old Testament, although the number of people who have read it in context (as we have!) are unfortunately few. Elijah is taken to heaven while still alive, in a whirlwind. (Notice, the Bible never says he was taken by horses and chariots of fire, although he is usually depicted as sitting in a chariot.) This is an oddity that gives fits to scholars and crackpots alike, for Christ said, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” (John 3:13)
Elijah walks all the way to the Jordan and crosses over to the east bank for his ascension. To cross it, he parts the waters. It is impossible to read this and not think of Moses. But there is a lot more of Moses in this than simply parting waters, for Moses died on the east bank, almost on the spot to which Elijah travelled.
Elijah Elisha
Then we must look at Elijah’s route. He and Elisha first walk to Bethel, one of the two primary sites of Jeroboam’s golden calves. (Remember Jeroboam? He was the evil first king of the Northern Kingdom.) It is a place tainted by being a center of idol-worship. It is unholy ground, not fit for Elijah’s ascension. So there is good reason for them to keep moving when they reach Bethel. But why mention Jericho?
It seems as if Elijah is moving backwards in time to Moses by retracing the steps of the Hebrew nation - from the current idol worship, to a place associated with Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and then back to last place Israel stood before it entered Canaan. 2 Kings does not say this, but Elijah’s odd path supports an interpretation of Elijah returning to Moses and the pre-corrupt Israel.
The “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit refers to Deuteronomy 21:15-17, which requires that the eldest son receive twice as much of an estate as the other sons. Elijah’s gift of spirit is his symbolic estate; Elisha is not asking for twice as much as Elijah has gotten. Rather, the situation is analogized to the property distribution of a dying father, with the living prophets receiving the spirit of Elijah as an inheritance; Elisha asks to be treated as the eldest son.
Elisha is not meant to sound greedy; rather, he is right to think of himself as Elijah’s son, and he wants God’s spirit of prophecy because he desires to serve God greatly. Remember, in the Northern Kingdom at this time, God’s prophets could expect to be murdered. Ahab may be dead, but Jezebel is alive, and Ahab’s successors show no interest in reverting to piety. So Elisha’s request is selfless, for it will mark him for death in God’s service.
Elisha then picks up Elijah’s cloak and parts the Jordan. He asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, but he seems to have been vested with spiritual powers equal to Elijah’s own. If we look at “prophets of signs,” i.e. prophets who demonstrate God’s existence and power by performing miracles, Elisha must be put in a category with Moses and Elijah, although most Christians have hardly heard of him.
Meditation : Prayer : May God the Father bless us; may Christ take care of us; the Holy Ghost enlighten us all the days of our life. The Lord be our defender and keeper of body and soul, both now and for ever, to the ages of ages. Amen. |
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