Introduction
Today’s passage tells us the true story of how Elijah the prophet was taken up to heaven.
The first time we heard of Elijah was back in chapter 17 of 1 Kings, when he burst on the scene without any introduction to announce in the name of the Lord that there would be no rain in the next few years except at his word. And after making that announcement, the Lord told him to hide at the Kerith Ravine. And the Lord took care of him there, because the Lord sent birds to provide him with bread and meat for food. Then the Lord commanded him to go to Zaraphath in Sidon and stay there with a widow. And the Lord took care of him there, because the Lord ensured that the widow’s jar of flour did not run out and her jug of oil did not run dry so that she was always able to make bread for herself and her son and for Elijah. And when the widow’s son died, Elijah was able to bring him back to life. And so, it became clear to the widow that Elijah was indeed the Lord’s prophet.
That was in chapter 17 of 1 Kings. In chapter 18 we had the story of the contest on Mount Carmel between the prophets of Baal and Elijah. The prophets of Baal were to call on Baal to send fire on their altar; and Elijah was to call on the Lord to send fire on his altar. Whoever sent fire was the true God. And, of course, nothing happened when the prophets of Baal prayed to Baal, because Baal is nothing and can do nothing. But when Elijah prayed to the Lord, the Lord sent fire which burnt up the offering on the altar as well as the altar itself and the ground around it, all of which has been soaked with water. And so it became clear that the Lord is the true God and Baal is nothing.
That was in chapter 18 of 1 Kings. In chapter 19, Elijah travelled from Jezreel in the north all the way to Mount Sinai in the south, where the Lord had established his covenant with the Israelites in the days of Moses. And Elijah went there to be a kind of prosecuting attorney and to charge the people of Israel with rejecting the Lord’s covenant, because instead of worshipping the Lord, they were worshipping Baal. And the Lord responded to his accusation by making clear that while he would punish some of them for their rebellion, he would not abandon them completely and that he would keep 7,000 Israelites for himself. He would punish some, but not all of them. He would punish some of them, but he would also save some of them from their sin and rebellion.
And after that, Elijah met Elisha and threw his cloak around him to signify that from that time on Elisha would be one of the Lord’s prophets too.
That was in chapter 19 of 1 Kings. Elijah is not mentioned at all in chapter 20 of 1 Kings, but he appears again in chapter 21 and in the story of Naboth’s vineyard, when the Lord sent Elijah to confront King Ahab about his sin. He’s not mentioned in chapter 22, but he appeared again in chapter 1 of 2 Kings, where he warned King Ahaziah that he would surely die.
And now we come to chapter 2 of 2 Kings which tells us about the end of Elijah’s life here on earth. And the fact that he did not die, but was taken up alive to heaven, tells us that there is another life beyond this life. There’s this life and there’s the life to come.
And though the Lord took his prophet away, he wasn’t going to leave his people on their own, because this chapter also tells us about Elisha, who performed the same miracle as Elijah performed, when he struck the Jordan River with Elijah’s cloak; and the water parted, so that he would cross over on dry land. And so, it became clear that God had chosen Elisha to replace Elijah and that the Lord would now speak to his people through Elisha.
The chapter can be divided up geographically, because in the first half, Elijah travels to Bethel and then to Jericho and then to the Jordan. And then, in the second half, Elisha travels to the same places, but in reverse. So, he travels from the Jordan to Jericho and then to Bethel.
Verses 1 to 6
Let’s turn to verses 1 to 6 which tell us about Elijah’s journey to the Jordan.
Some of us don’t like spoilers. If someone is telling us about a book or movie, we say, ‘No spoilers please!’ In other words: ‘Don’t spoil it for me by telling me too much about the plot. Let me find out about it on my own.’ But our narrator isn’t too worried about spoilers, because he tells us in verse 1 what’s coming up in the rest of the chapter. He tells us that the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. And that means we all know what’s going to happen in this chapter before any of it happens.
The story begins in Gilgal. And Elijah turns to Elisha and tells him to stay there, because the Lord has sent him to Bethel. We don’t know why Elijah did not want Elisha to accompany him. Nor do we know why Elisha refused to do what Elijah said. All we know is that Elisha insisted that he will not leave Elijah. He wants to go with him. And at this point in the story, we don’t know whether Elijah and Elisha know what’s about to happen to Elijah.
When they reach Bethel, a company of prophets comes out to meet them. That reminds us that Elijah and Elisha aren’t the only prophets at that time; and from time to time we’ve read about other prophets. But here’s a whole company or group of them. And it turns out that they know what’s about to happen to Elijah. Presumably the Lord revealed it to them.
They asked Elisha if he knew what’s about to happen. And it turns out that Elisha does know. The Lord must have revealed it to him as well. But it’s clear from verse 3 that Elisha doesn’t want to talk about it. Although Elijah was not going to die, it would still be like a bereavement for Elisha, because he would never see Elijah again in this life. And so, perhaps he didn’t want to speak about Elijah’s departure, because it was like a bereavement for him and it was too painful to talk about.
And in verse 4 Elijah spoke to Elisha again and told him to stay there in Bethel, because he now has to go to Jericho. And once again, Elisha insists that he will not leave Elijah; and so, he’s going too. And when they reach Jericho, it turns out there’s another company of prophets. And they come out and say the same thing to Elisha: ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?’ And once again, Elisha replied that he does know, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.
And in verse 6 Elijah tells Elisha to stay in Jericho, because he now has to go to the Jordan. You’d think that Elijah would have got the message by now. You’d think that he would realise that Elisha is not leaving him. But still he tells Elisha to stay; and Elisha once again tells him that he’s not going to leave him. And so, the two of them walked on towards the River Jordan.
Verses 7 to 12
And in verse 7 we’re told that the two of them are not on their own, because 50 of the prophets are with them, although they’re standing at a distance. But they were there and they could see what happened when Elijah and Elisha reached the Jordan River. According to verse 8, Elijah took off his cloak and he rolled it up before using it to strike the water. And the water divided to the right and to the left, creating a dry path for them through the middle. And Elijah and Elisha crossed over on dry land to the other side.
It recalls what happened in the days of Joshua, doesn’t it? At that time, the Israelites came to the Jordan River; and the Lord opened up a path for them through the water, so that they would walk across on dry land and into the Promised Land of Canaan. And now the Lord performed the same miracle by the hand of Elijah.
And when they crossed over, Elijah asked Elisha what he can do for him before he’s taken away. So, is there one last thing I can do for you before I go? And Elisha’s reply is in the second half of verse 9: ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit’. Now, when I used to read that, I assumed that Elisha was saying he wanted to possess twice the amount of the Holy Spirit as Elijah possessed. He was saying: ‘Elijah, you were filled with the Spirit. But I want to be filled with even more of the Spirit.’ In other words: ‘I want to be greater than you.’ But he’s not asking for that. In biblical times, the eldest son would receive a double portion of the inheritance. So, if there were two brothers, the elder would receive 2/3 of the inheritance and the younger son would receive 1/3. The elder received twice what his brother got. And so, when Elisha refers to a double portion, he’s really saying that he wants to be Elijah’s heir and to take Elijah’s place as the Lord’s prophet. And so, he wants to receive all the gifts of the Spirit which he needs in order to serve as the Lord’s prophet as Elijah had done.
And, Elijah replied that Elisha has asked a difficult thing. It’s a difficult thing for Elijah, because it’s not up to him to decide who should succeed him as prophet. That’s for the Lord to decide, who sends his Spirit on whomever he wants. But he gives Elisha a sign: if Elisha is allowed to see Elijah when he’s taken away, then Elisha will know that God has chosen him to replace Elijah.
And as they walked along, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated them one from the other. The chariot has to separate them, because one was going to be taken, while the other was going to be left behind. And though I remember a children’s Bible with a picture of Elijah riding up to heaven on a chariot, verse 11 makes clear that Elijah went up in a whirlwind. The chariot separated the two men; and a whirlwind picked Elijah up and carried him upwards to heaven.
But what a sight it must have been! And Elisha saw it and cried out, ‘My father! My father!’ Elijah was not his father, but he regarded him, and he loved him, as a father. And then he called him ‘The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ No doubt the sight of the fiery horses and chariot put this image in his mind, but by describing Elijah as Israel’s chariots and horses, he saying that Elijah was Israel’s defence. Just as a king might use chariots and horses to defend the people from their enemies, so Elijah was Israel’s defence against unbelief and sin, because he was the one who declared the word of the Lord.
And the narrator tells us that Elisha saw Elijah no more. And to show his grief and sorrow, he took hold of his clothes and tore them apart.
And so, the Lord’s great prophet has gone: the one who — like a chariot and horses — defended Israel from unbelief and sin by declaring the word of the Lord. God’s great prophet had gone. And yet the good news is that the Lord was not going to leave Israel without someone to defend them, because Elisha would now be Israel’s defence.
Verses 12 to 18
And so, we read that he picked up Elijah’s cloak which had fallen from him. And he retraced their steps and came to the River Jordan. And, just as Elijah had done, he struck the water with the cloak and asked, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ And the Lord was there, with Elisha, because when he struck the water, the water divided once again to the right and to the left so that he was able to cross over on dry land. And the other prophets were there to see it and it was clear to them that the spirit of Elijah was now resting on Elisha.
According to verse 16, they offered to go and look for Elijah, because it seemed to them that the Lord may only have picked Elijah up and set him down somewhere else. Though Elisha told them not to bother, they insisted. But, of course, they could not find Elijah, because Elijah was now in heaven with the Lord.
Eternal life
And taking Elijah up to heaven when he was still alive makes clear to us that there’s more than the world around us and there’s more than what we can see. There’s this world which we can see; and there’s the sky above and space beyond it with all its stars and planets and the sun. We can see all of those things, either with the naked eye or with telescopes. But then there’s also the invisible heaven, where God dwells with his angels. And not only are the angels there, but there’s also Enoch, whom we read about in Genesis 5, who did not die, because God took him away when he was still alive. And there’s also Elijah, who did not die, because God took him away when he was still alive. God took them away so that they were transported straight to heaven and into the presence of the Lord.
And by taking Enoch and Elijah away, when they were still alive, God was making clear that there’s more than this world, which we can see. Since they did not die, their remains are not buried somewhere. You can’t go and dig them up. You can’t go and dig them up, because they’re not there. And they’re not there, because God took them into the invisible heaven, where he dwells with his angels.
And so, what happened to Elijah speaks to us of the hope of eternal life in the presence of God. And the hope of eternal life in the presence of God is not only for one or two special people like Enoch and Elijah. It’s for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, because the Lord Jesus promised that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but shall have eternal live. And so, after our life in this world is over, all who believed in Christ will live with God in the invisible heaven where God dwells with his angels and with Enoch and with Elijah. And there, in the invisible heaven, God’s believing people await the resurrection of their bodies, so that they will live in body and soul with the Lord in the new heavens and earth.
We’re able to have eternal life in the presence of God because of Christ our Saviour who gave up his life to pay for our sins. The wages of sin is death. That’s what we all deserve for all that we have done wrong. But the Lord Jesus paid for what we have done wrong when he died on the cross in our place. And since he has paid for our sins with his life, then all who believe in him will be set free from death to live with God forever.
We will still die. But for those who believe, death is no longer the penalty for our sins, but it’s the doorway into God’s presence. God carried Elijah into heaven in a whirlwind; and he carries his believing people into heaven through the grave.
Verses 19 to 25
But let’s move on to the final part of today’s chapter. Elisha retraced Elijah’s steps, travelling from the Jordan to Jericho to Bethel. We’re told in verse 18 that Elisha was staying in Jericho. And in verse 19, the people of the city said to him that the town is well-situated, but there’s a problem. The water is bad. The NIV translates their next word as ‘the land is unproductive’. The Hebrew word translated ‘unproductive’ can mean barren or even bereaved. Some of the commentators think that it wasn’t so much the land that was barren, but the women living on the land were barren. Something about the bad water was causing them to suffer miscarriages.
In any case, Elisha put salt into a new bowl; and then he threw the salt into the water spring. And he announced that the Lord had healed the water so that it would never again cause death or barrenness. And our narrator confirms for us that the water remained wholesome right up to the time of writing. It wasn’t the salt which cured the water, but it was the Lord who did it. The salt was only a sign to signify what he was doing.
Elisha moved on from there to Bethel. Bethel featured in 1 Kings 13 as the place where the wicked King Jeroboam had set up his man-made religion. And as Elisha was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and they jeered at him. Some translations say these were boys, but ‘youths’ is a better translation, because they were older than boys. They jeered at Elisha, calling him ‘baldhead’. Whereas Elijah was a hairy man, it seems that Elisha was the opposite. However, as well as insulting his appearance, they said to him, ‘Go on up.’ In other words, ‘Clear off. Keep going. We don’t want you here!’ Instead of welcoming the Lord’s prophet, they told him to leave.
And he responded by calling down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And the Lord caused two bears to come out of the woods and they mauled 42 of the youths. That may seem a bit random, but it’s not, because in Leviticus 26 God warned his people that he would send curses on them if they disobeyed him in the Promised Land. If they obeyed, he would bless them with good things. But if they disobeyed, watch out! And in verse 22 of Leviticus 26 God said that if the people remained hostile to him and refused to listen to him, then he would send wild animals against his people and they will rob them of their children. That’s what we read in Leviticus. And by telling Elisha to leave, these youths made clear that they were hostile to the Lord and unwilling to listen to him. And so, God did what he said he would do, and he sent wild animals against them.
Conclusion
What’s the point of these two stories? They confirm that Elisha was indeed Elijah’s successor. God worked powerfully through Elijah; and now he will work powerfully through Elisha. But more importantly, as the Lord’s servant, Elijah brought blessings and curses. To those who received him, and believed God’s word, as the people in Jericho did, he brought blessings: good things. But to those who rejected him, and would not listen, as the people in Bethel did, he brought curses.
And he therefore foreshadows the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Great Prophet, who came into the world to declare the word of God. And he still proclaims the word of God through preachers who are sent out into all the world in his name. And how we respond to Christ and his message will determine whether we experience God’s curse or God’s blessing. Those who do not listen to Christ and to his message of salvation and eternal life will suffer the wrath and curse of God in this life and in the next as he lets them fall deeper and deeper into sin and into all the misery their sin brings. But those who listen to Christ and to his message of salvation and eternal life will receive the blessing of God in this life and in the next, including the forgiveness of their sins; and peace with God; and his fatherly care; and the presence of his Spirit to help them; and the fellowship of God’s people to encourage them; and the hope of the resurrection; and eternal life in his presence.
Christ has paid for our sins with his life. He was raised from the dead on the third day. He ascended to heaven. And as our Great Prophet he proclaims peace and eternal life to all who believe in his name.
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