Bethel Christian Fellowship
September 28, 2014
Elijah, Prophet of Fire (13): His Translation to Glory
“Highway to Heaven”
2 Kings 2:1-14
If there is nothing certain in this life except death and taxes, then by missing death, Elijah’s experienceis a remarkable exception to the rule. As far as the Bible is concerned, only two people have ever experienced a departure from this earth without dying. Enoch was the first (Genesis 5:21-24). Elijah was the second. The last to have this kind of experience will be those believers who are living at the time of Christ’s return. We do not know the date or the hour that this will take place, but we do know those who are alive at that time will rise to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The remarkable part of Elijah’sexperience is that he knew – and he knew when – he was going to leave this earth without first dying. From the context of this story, it is clear that the Lord revealed this information to him ahead of time (vv. 9-10). It’s also obvious that the Lord made this known to the “sons of the prophets” (vv. 3a, 5a), as well as to Elisha (vv. 3b, 5b). Everybody seemed to know about it, yet nobody wanted to talk about it (vv. 3b, 5b). Perhaps discussing what was about to happen would only intensify Elisha’s grief and sorrow, but the reason is never made clear.
The story of Elijah’s translation is one of the better-known stories in all of Scripture. The broader context of the chapter reveals that the writer is describing how Elisha succeeded Elijah (vv. 1-18) and how Elisha’s prophetic ministry was authenticated by miracles (vv. 19-25). That transition takes place as Elijah is supernaturally removed from the earth and Elisha is supernaturally empowered to carry on Elijah’s ministry. For that reason, this is an extremely important chapter in the book of Kings.
But it is also important on a more personal level – a level that is oftentimes overlooked. Everyone in this story, including Elijah,knewthis was his last day on earth. Elijah, therefore, provides us with a very fitting example of how we should be living if we knew it was our last day on earth. For that reason, our study will focus on the events that lead up to, and include his miraculous translation to glory (vv. 1-14).
In these opening fourteen verses, our writer is organizing his story around three episodes that take place on this momentous day: (1) Elijah and Elisha will travel from Gilgal to the Jordan River (vv. 1-6); (2) Elijah will be gloriously translated to heaven (vv. 7-12); (3) Elijah’s prophetic ministry will be transferred to Elisha (vv. 13-14).
The travel itinerary (vv. 1-6). The opening words of these verses announce that this dramatic event was about to occur: “The Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind . . .”(v. 1a). But this part of the story is then organized around a journey. Beginning at Gilgal (v. 1b), Elijah and Elisha travel south to Bethel (vv. 3-4), then southeast to Jericho (v. 5), and thenfurther east to the Jordan River (v. 6). The map at the end of our notes will orient us to the route they are taking. However, this is more than a “travelogue;” it is an important part of the story for at least three reasons.
First, at each stop Elijah requested that Elisha remain behind (vv. 2, 4, 6). It is not clear why he chose to do so on the very day that the prophetic succession is to take place. He may well have been testing Elisha’s loyalty and determination to stay with him to the very end. But Elisha’s response was the same each time: “As surely as the Lord lives and you live, I will not leave you” (vv. 2, 4, 6). His commitment to Elijah was unfailing, as it was from the very beginning of his call to serve (1 Kings 19:19-21).
Second, all three cities appear in 2 Kings as locationsof prophetic communities; Gilgal (4:38), Bethel (v. 3) and Jericho (v. 4). These would have been the younger prophets-in-training, organized as members of prophetic schools. Most likely, they were founded by the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 19:20-24), and have now been organized around the ministries of Elijah and Elisha (1Kings 20:35 and here in 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 7, 15). One of the reasons, therefore, for this roundabout journey to the Jordan would have been Elijah’s ongoing desire to mentor these young “seminarians.” The significance of this has not gone unnoticed by the commentators:
Even though Elijah knew this was to be his last day on earth, his life was so
ordered that he was humbly going about his normal duties when the Lord
decided to take him. Moreover, his last concern was that the Lord’s
work would continue after his passing; so he wanted to assure himself of the
progress of his ‘seminary students.’ (“2 Kings,” in The Expositors Bible Commentary)
Third, the reason we see Elijah moving quickly toward the Jordan was due to the fact that the Lord had directed him to go there (v. 6). As always, he faithfully obeys this directive, knowing that this may very well be the place where the Lord would take him home to heaven. We get the sense from this passage that he can hardly wait!
The translation of Elijah (vv. 7-12)
When these two great men of God stopped at the Jordan, the scene suddenly changed. While fifty prophets looked on (v. 7), Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water. As with Joshua in the days of old, the water divided and the two of them crossed over on dry ground (v. 8). The reason for Elisha’s persistence now becomes evident.
Elisha knew that he had been called to be Elijah’s successor (1 Kings 19:19-21), but he also knew he needed the spiritual power to take on such a role. So he requests that Elijah bequeath him with a “double portion” of his spirit (v. 9). This is the language of inheritance. It is what the first-born son would have expected from the father, namely, to inherit twice as much as any other son (Deut. 21:15-17). There were many “sons of the prophets” throughout the land of Israel, and fifty of them were waiting on the other side of the Jordan. So under the terms of inheritance law, Elisha is seeking the oldest son’s portion of the Spirit’s power in order to fulfill his role as Elijah’s heir.
But God’s Spirit is God’s Spirit. Not even Elijah could guarantee the request . . . “You have asked a hard thing . . .” (v. 10a). But he could give a sign that God had granted it: “ . . . if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise not” (v. 10b). Elisha won’t have long to wait. In the normal course of their walking and talking, Elijah was gloriously and supernaturally taken to heaven (v. 11).
This remarkable scene is filled with rich Biblical symbolism. In Psalm 68, the chariots of God are said to be “tens of thousands and thousands of thousands” (v. 17). They represent the powerful army of God that will later be revealed to Elisha’s servant, when “he looked up and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the Lord is also portrayed as the divine warrior who rides upon the storm clouds His chariots (Deut. 33:26; Ps. 18:9; 68:4, 32-33; 104:3; Isaiah 19:1). This appears to be the imagery here, with the “whirlwind” representing the divine chariot, andthe Lord as the heavenly archer unleashing his fiery lightening bolts (Cf. Ps. 18:13-14; 77:17; 144:6; Habakkuk 3:11). This rich imagery reminds us once again that it is Yahweh, not the so-called storm god Baal, who rules over His people. As Moses had reminded them years earlier, Yahweh alone “rides on the heavens to help you, and on the clouds in His majesty” (Deut. 33:26).
Elisha’s response was spontaneous (v. 12); he gave a beautiful tribute to Elijah, honoring him as his spiritual mentor (“my father”) and as the guarantee of Israel’s divine protection (“the chariots and horsemen of Israel”). He then tore his clothing in the customary gesture of sorrow and grief (Cf. Gen. 37:34; 2 Sam. 13:31; Isa. 32:11), not only for himself, but for his nation. Something unusually precious and invaluable had departed with Elijah.
The transfer of the prophetic ministry (vv. 13-14) When Elisha picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah (v. 13), the “mantle” had passed – quite literally – from Elijah to Elisha. The same cloak that was used earlier to symbolize his prophetic call (1 Kings 19:19-21) will now become his permanent possession. It will be the symbol – throughout his lengthy ministry – of his prophetic office and of his divine empowerment. With this cloak in hand, he then returned to the banks of the Jordan River and duplicated the miracle of Elijah. The waters parted again, and he returned to the land of Israel on dry ground (v. 14). The fifty men from the company of the prophets had been watching from a distance, and they recognized what all of Israel will soon discover; the Spirit of Elijah was now resting on Elisha. A new era was about to begin.
If there is anything we can learn from Elijah on his final day on earth it is this: he knew this world was not his home. His focus, therefore, was on entering his heavenly home, and as such, his example encourages us to lift our eyes from the cares and concerns of today and to turn our attention to the glory and hope of heaven. We today, unlike Elijah, are so rooted and entrenched in the temporal things of this world that we rarely think about the eternal realities of heaven, let alone stay focused on them. But Elijah had an entirely different frame of mind; when the Lord was ready to take him, he was ready to go.
One of the great old hymns of the faith was written by the wife of a minister in the Free Church of Scotland. Her name was Ann Ross Cousin, and she loved reading the letters of Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661). Over time she pieced together many of his delightful lines written within these letters, and wove them into a beautiful poem. After it was published (1857), it soon became a household hymn, known all over Scotland and here in America. Its title is its first line, “The Sands of Time Are Sinking” and it offers a wonderful reminder that our eternal home is Emmanuel’s Land, where our continual focus will be upon Him, in all His glory. The first and final stanzas found within most hymnals today say it all:
The sands of time are sinking, the dawn of heaven breaks,
The summer morn I’ve sighed for, the fair sweet morn awakes;
Dark, dark hath been the midnight, but dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth – in Emmanuel’s Land.
The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace.
Not at the crown He gifteth, but on His pierced hands;
The Lamb is all the glory – of Emmanuel’s Land.