Dave looked at the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha on Sunday evening, as he sought (as always) to encourage and commission us in his first sermon of the New Year.
Our first introduction to Elijah is in 1 Kings 17. We know little of his background, other than the meaning of his name (Yahweh is my God) and his home town (Tishbe in Gilead). Elisha is introduced to us in 1 Kings 19, the son of Shaphat, and he was called to his training as a prophet and successor to Elijah straight from his father’s home, probably at quite a young age.
The chapter that Dave preached from (2 Kings 2) shows us the end of Elijah’s earthly ministry and how Elisha coped with that. Elisha was already acknowledged as the chosen successor of Elijah, but this chapter looks at how he demonstrates that he was spiritually equipped to pick up the mantle.
Elijah goes on a tour of the company of the prophets: Elisha goes with him (even as Ruth decided to stick with Naomi, no matter what.) Elisha knows that faithfulness and tenacity are needed to receive the mantle of leadership and service.
Elijah and Elisha continue on their strange walking tour until they come to the River Jordan. Elijah rolls up his mantle (cloak), slaps the water, and it parts for them. This reminds us of another succession, when Joshua succeeded Moses. Elijah asks Elisha bluntly what he still wants from him and without hesitation, Elisha answers with a request that is both humble and bold: “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” Elisha recognises that he cannot do all that is required of him on his own – he needs the gift of God’s Spirit and power.
Elijah can’t guarantee that: it’s not his to give. But he knows that Elisha needs insight into the spiritual world. More than anything, we need eyes to see the unseen, eyes that can see the invisible, eyes enlightened from above (Eph 1:18). It’s only when we ‘see’ the reality of God’s Kingdom, God’s power, God’s victory in Jesus Christ and that new heaven and new earth coming our way that we are equipped for God’s work here in the world.
Elijah and Elisha continue to work and talk, until that awesome moment when the whirlwind blows and the chariot of fire separates Elijah from Elisha. Elisha’s first reaction is abject grief. But as the tempest subsides and the fiery chariot disappears, Elisha sees the mantle of Elijah and with courage he faces the final test: does he have the faith and power to part the waters like his spiritual father?
God’s work continues from generation to generation. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. The mantle is now on our shoulders: we have work to do. We need the same strength, courage, faithfulness, love, spiritual insight and power with which our forefathers dedicated themselves to their task. But we also need to be willing to pass on that mantle to the next generation, to train, to nurture and to develop those people within our church who will be the spiritual leaders of the future.
Just as Elisha called out, “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?”, we too need to remind ourselves that we need the God of Elijah for all we do. Without God, anything we do will not last. We need more than our programmes and plans; we need the Spirit of God with us. But we can be encouraged, because, by God’s grace, we can answer the question. Where is the God of Elijah? He is here – among His people.