A DOUBLE PORTION: FOLLOWING THE LORD WHERE HE LEADS

“And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.” (2 Kings 2:1).

 

Elijah had come to the end of his earthly ministry.  God desired that His servant and faithful prophet should not die a natural death, but be miraculously translated from this life to the next like Enoch had been centuries before.  Before his departure, Elijah asked the younger prophet, Elisha, what he could do for him before he was to be taken away.  There was no hesitation in Elisha’s answer.  He said that what he wanted more than anything was to have a double portion of Elijah’s spirit rest upon him. 

 

It was indeed a hard thing that Elisha was asking, but it was the one request that was most pleasing to His heavenly Father.  Instead of asking for wealth or prominence, Elisha wanted only that which would enable him to fulfill God’s will and to serve God’s people more effectively.  Much like King Solomon before him, who asked God for an understanding heart so that he could judge God’s people faithfully and discern between good and evil (See 1 Kings 3:5), Elisha just wanted more of God in his life. 

 

To some, asking God for such a thing might sound presumptuous or prideful, but this could not be further from the truth.  God wants to fill His children with more grace and anointing to fulfill His will, but we are often either too timid or too unbelieving to ask and to receive it from Him. 

 

When the burden of leading the children of Israel grew heavy upon Moses, the Lord told him to gather seventy of the elders of Israel and bring them before the tabernacle in the wilderness.  God then said, “…I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.” (Numbers 11:17).  There were two of the men though who remained in the camp and did not go to the tabernacle as instructed.  Upon these two the Spirit of God also fell, and they began to prophecy in the camp.  Joshua was concerned about this breech of protocol and asked Moses to forbid them.  Moses was not concerned at all and said, “Would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”

 

That our asking is far below God’s willingness to give is evident by Jesus’ own words.  He said, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.” (John 15:7, 8).  The Lord said also, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened…If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:9, 10, 13).

 

Scripture tells us that we are to have the same mindset that our Lord Himself had: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…”  Scripture then defines just what that mindset should look like: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phillipians 2:5-8).  We, too, should aspire to be like our Lord and not think that it is robbing Him of His glory.  St. John wrote, “As many as received Him [Jesus], to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” (John 1:12).  Rather than get big-headed about it, our response must be like Jesus’ was: to humble ourselves, make ourselves of no reputation, and become obedient unto death.  

 

Before God could fulfill Elisha’s request for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah, the Bible records a series of events that took place before Elijah’s exit.  I believe that these events were used to test Elisha’s faith and resolve, but they also speak to some aspects of our relationship with our Teacher and Master, Jesus Christ. 

 

“And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel.  And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.  So they went down to Bethel.  And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head today?  And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.” (2 Kings 2:2, 3).

 

It appears that all of the prophets knew that Elijah’s time was imminent, and they wanted Elisha to be aware of it and to discuss it with him.  Elisha was focused on one thing: to follow his teacher and keep his eyes on him.  He had no time for idle talk that would not change a thing but distract him from following his master.  Even Elijah himself could not persuade his student to stay behind while he went to Bethel.  Elisha didn’t want to miss one thing that his master said or did.  This shows the growth that had occurred in Elisha’s spiritual life from the time that God had called him. 

 

When Elijah first found Elisha and cast his mantle on him (a sign of spiritual authority and anointing), it was a sign of God’s call on the young man to be a prophet of the Lord.  Rather than follow immediately, Elisha begged the older prophet to let him first go and kiss his parents goodbye.  Elisha’s response to this was, “Go back again: for what have I done to thee?” which seemed to say, “Do what you need to do, it isn’t me who calls you, but God!”  To follow the Lord wherever He leads us is a lesson that we must all learn step by step.  It is up to each of us to be true to God’s call on our life. Elisha had clearly been learning since the Lord first called him to follow.  Unlike the disciples of Jesus who fell asleep rather than remaining vigilant and praying just before their Lord was taken from them, we will learn much just by watching and praying.  Idle talk about the Lord is a poor substitute for walking with the Lord.  One of the things that characterizes the Bride of Christ as described in Revelation is that they “...follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” (Revelation 14:4).  This lesson we, too, must learn.

 

In Luke’s Gospel we read about Mary and her sister Martha.  We’re told that Martha was burdened with a sense of responsibility to see that everyone’s personal needs were met – food prepared, plates and glasses full, dishes gathered and washed, etc.  Mary, on the other hand, was sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet soaking in every word that her Master spoke.  Martha became miffed that Mary was not helping her and approached Jesus saying, “Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”  Jesus’ words went straight to the heart of the matter.  He said, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful [anxious] and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42).  Mary understood that man doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  Martha allowed too many things in her life to cause her anxiety and take precedence over that one “needful thing.”  The times that we sit quietly at Jesus’ feet and listen to His still, small voice speaking to us and teaching us can never be taken from us.  Those lessons are written on the tables of our hearts and grafted into our very spirits.  As we empty ourselves of the unnecessary cares of this life, of self and self-will, then the Lord is able to fill us up with more of Himself.

 

After going to Bethel, Elijah announced to Elisha that the Lord was sending him to Jericho and that his student, Elisha, should stay behind.  Again, Elisha declared his determination to follow him.  There were prophets at Jericho who also warned the young prophet of his master’s departure, but, like before, Elisha kept his focus on his master and teacher.

 

Finally, Elijah told Elisha that the Lord was sending him to Jordan and, once again, asked his student to tarry behind.  Like before, Elisha protested and followed anyway.  This time there were fifty men who are described as the sons of the prophets who also went with the two prophets.  When these fifty prophets reached the Jordan River, they stood back a ways to watch what would happen.

 

In the Bible, places and their names are often meaningful to the events that happened there.  Paying attention to them may unlock a different facet of truth that is hidden in the narrative.  

 

This story begins in Gilgal.  Gilgal at this time was home to a community of prophets and should not be confused with the Gilgal that was close to where the Israelites first crossed over Jordan into the Promised Land.  The most significant event that happened at Gilgal involved King Saul.  He had been tasked with going to war against the Amalikites and their king Agag by Samuel the Prophet.  God was wanting to bring judgment against Amalek because they had ambushed Israel when they came out of Egypt.  God told Saul, through Samuel, to “…utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not.” Instead, Saul saved all the best of the spoils and only destroyed that which was “vile and refuse.”  It was at Gilgal that Samuel caught up with Saul and told him that because of his rebellion and disobedience to God, the Lord had rejected him from being king.  God then sent Samuel to anoint David to be king over Israel instead of Saul because David was “a man after God’s own heart.”

 

In a spiritual sense, this story is a type of the struggle between our old, carnal nature (Saul) and our new nature in Christ (David).  The old nature is rebellious, self-willed, and independent.  It is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be.  God spoke clearly about how He felt about the rebellion that occurred at Gilgal when He spoke through His Prophet Hosea: “Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them.  Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house.  I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels.” (Hosea 9:15 ESV).  God commands that we destroy all the works of the enemy of our souls and not allow room for any to survive.  We may be tempted to just deal with the things that are “vile and refuse” in our lives, but keep the things that we deem salvageable and less evil.  God’s command couldn’t be clearer, however.  Jesus said, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25).  Gilgal, then, represents the place of self-will where we all begin our journey with God.  It is the place that we must depart from in order to go to the places where God is leading us. 

 

Next the prophets were sent to Bethel.  Bethel is first referred to in the Bible as being near where Abraham first pitched his tent after God called him to leave his country and sojourn in Canaan.  He built an altar there to God, and God spoke His Promises to him there.  Later, Bethel is mentioned as the location where Jacob dreamed of a ladder leading to heaven, which he named Bethel, or "House of God," also referring to it as the “Gates of Heaven.”  Here God told Jacob that He would be with him and keep him in all places that he went.  The Lord also confirmed to him the Promises that He had made to Abraham and to Isaac.  Jesus referred to Himself as this ladder to heaven, the access point between God and man, heaven and earth.  Bethel also refers to the place where we learn that through Jesus we have access by faith to the Father and to all the blessings and Promises of the Book.  “By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2).  “For through Him we...have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Ephesians 2:18).  “In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.” (Ephesians 3:12). 

 

Jericho was the prophet’s next stop.  Jericho is famous in Biblical history as the first town attacked by the Israelites under Joshua after they crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 6).  We are all familiar with the battle of Jericho when the Lord made the “…walls come tumblin’ down.”  The way in which God chose to accomplish this miracle is the prime lesson, however.  For seven days the warriors of Israel were to simply walk around the city with the Ark of God’s covenant going before them.  They weren’t to shoot an arrow, throw a spear, or attack the city in any way during this time – they were just to walk by faith.  On the seventh day, they were to walk around the city seven times and then shout the victory and blow on their trumpets.  When they did this, the walls of that great city fell flat.  The lesson here at Jericho is that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.  It is here that we learn to walk by faith, and not by sight.

 

Finally, God brought Elijah and Elisha to Jordan.  When the Israelites before them came to the borders of Canaan, God allowed them to cross Jordan on dry ground, much like when Moses led them over the Red Sea.  Like our Christian baptism, both of these events represent death to self giving way to resurrection life in Christ Jesus.  It represents the cross and the empty tomb.  It is the path upon which God ultimately wants each of us to walk.  As Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

 

Think of the progression from Gilgal to Jordan.  From a place of rebellion and self will (Gilgal), to a place of receiving the blessings and the Promises of God.  This is the very House of God and the Gates of Heaven (Bethel), to a walk of faith and a confident trust in God’s victory over all our enemies however mighty they may be (Jericho).  Finally, to a place where our death to self gives way to the life of Jesus being manifest in our mortal bodies (Jordan). 

 

“And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two [he and Elisha] went over on dry ground.” (2 Kings 2:8).

 

This act of dividing the waters of Jordan in order to cross to the other side is reminiscent of both Moses’ Red Sea crossing and Joshua’s earlier crossing of the Jordan River.  These events remind us that the power of God’s grace is two-fold.  On the one hand, it is the power to deliver us from the bondage of this world and its lusts and pride to a place where we can serve God unhindered (from Egypt to the wilderness).  We cannot deliver ourselves, we need God’s strength to release us from Satan’s evil grip.  Being born again by the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God as our Passover sacrifice, we can now turn our backs on this world’s ways and join the exodus.  This is our departure, our coming out, in order that we may serve God in the “wilderness” without the bondage, distractions, and temptations of Egypt.  On the other hand, we find that we also need God’s grace and strength in order to go in and possess the Promised Land that God says is ours.  This is a land flowing with milk and honey (symbolic of all spiritual blessings), but also a land of giants, walled cities, and formidable foes (symbolic of our spiritual warfare).  We cannot overcome them on our own.  We need God’s grace!  This is our entrance, our arrival, our going in to possess the Promises of God.  In both these cases, we see the common thread of death producing resurrection life.  We must step into the flood, which symbolizes a sure death, to see God work a miracle and bring us up alive on the other side!

 

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.  And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.  And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” (2 Kings 2:9, 10).

 

Yes, this was indeed a hard thing, but not for God.  The only stipulation was that Elisha might see it when the older prophet was taken up to heaven.    

 

“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.” (2 Kings 2:11, 12).

 

What an awesome sight for Elisha to behold!  In reading this account, I can’t help but think of Jesus our Lord when He was taken up into heaven in the sight of His disciples.  After that event they tarried in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost arrived.  Then they were each “indued with power from on high” as God poured out His Spirit on all who were assembled in the upper room.  This was in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy which says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit…And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:28-32). 

 

Talk about a double portion!  God has promised it to all who will follow Him and keep their eyes on Him.  We can embrace the lessons of Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and Jordan, and apply those lessons to our own walk.  The power and anointing that God has given every child of His through the indwelling of His Spirit is many times greater than the spirit of Moses, Elijah, or Elisha combined!  We need only to receive it and learn to follow in the Master’s footsteps! 

 

“He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.  Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.  Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.” (2 Kings 2:13 – 15 NKJV).  Clearly, Elisha had received the thing that he requested: a double portion of the spirit of Elijah.  But, Beloved, we have received the Spirit of Jesus Christ, which is the Spirit of the Living God!  Glory to God forever!