Today's Reading:

2 Kings 1
2 Kings 2
2 Kings 3
2 Kings 4

Elijah was passing the torch to Elisha as the next prophet in Israel (north). By allowing Elisha to witness Elijah’s ascension into heaven, God had granted his wish of a double portion of the Spirit that Elijah had. This is a look forward to Jesus’s ascension and his disciples receiving the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49).

After Elijah was taken up, Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak and struck the Jordan River, which parted the water, just like it had done for Elijah. Everyone who watched then knew that the same Spirit and power that had been on Elijah was now rested on Elisha.

From Elijah to Elisha — one prophet’s ministry ends, and another begins with a double portion of the Spirit. Miracles followed: waters parted, the poisoned stew healed, and the dead boy was raised. If God offered you a “double portion” of His Spirit and power for the next season of your life, what would you ask Him to do through you?

We finished reading 1 Kings and are starting 2 Kings. Remember these books were written as one continuous scroll which was very long. It was divided later to keep the scroll smaller and make reading easier. 1 Kings ended with the reign of King Ahaziah of Israel.

Ahaziah, King of Israel #8 (N)- King Ahab had died per the prophecy in battle against Moab and the Ammonites (Transjordan area). Ahaziah, Ahab’s son, fell through his roof in Samaria, the capital of Israel. He sends messengers to see Baal Zebub, the Philistine God, whose name translates to “Lord of the flies.” A prophet confronted Ahaziah’s messengers on the way to Ekron, asking why go there, is God not in Israel? King Ahaziah should have been seeking God for healing, not the pagan gods about if his situation was life threatening. The prophet said to relay the message that Ahaziah would die.

King Ahaziah’s messengers came back sooner than expected and told him of the messenger who said he would die. Ahaziah realized, from the description of a camel coat and belt, that it had to be Elijah. Ahaziah sent his captain and 50 men to see the man of God. They understood Elijah’s role as a prophet. He proved his role when he called fire down from heaven, killing them. A second captain with 50 men was sent, and again Elijah sent fire from heaven to destroy them. The third captain that was sent with men by Ahaziah, he understood the fate that was before him. He humbly begged for Elijah to “not kill the messenger”

The angel of the Lord (Christophany?) told Elijah not to be afraid and to go down the mountain to talk to Ahaziah. Elijah told the king the truth again, that there was no God here, therefore you will die. And he did die. Joram was another of Ahab’s sons and was next in line for the throne since Ahaziah had no heirs.

Elijah was sent on a mission to reveal Elisha’s heart and commitment to God. They traveled town to town to test Elisha’s loyalty, following the three main sites of Israel’s history from Gilgal to Bethel and then to Jericho. Gilgal was the first camp in the Promised Land. Bethel was the religious site of Abraham and Jacob. Jericho was the first city that the Israelites conquered. Elijah hit the Jordan River with his cloak, parting the water in a show of God’s power. (This was now the third time water was parted in scripture). He asked Elisha what he wanted from him before his departure from life. Elisha had asked for a double portion of the Spirit. This was not Elijah’s to give; only God can give the power. His asking for a double portion was in reference to the inheritance laws. When Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind of chariots and fire, we were to understand that he did not die. Like Enoch from Genesis 5:24, Elijah was taken to heaven without his earthly life ending.

Elisha, now the prophet, healed Jericho’s water supply by adding salt. The bad water was causing deaths and barrenness. God had put the curse on whoever rebuilt Jericho (Joshua 6:26). This was fulfilled when Hiel, under the reign of King Ahab, laid the foundation, and both his oldest and youngest sons died. Healing the water was an everyday need for God’s people. When the group of boys mocked Elisha, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Two bears came and mauled all 42 of them. This reinforced the seriousness of respecting God’s prophets.

Joram King of Israel #9 (N)- from the Northern Kingdom of Israel was Ahab and Jezebel’s son. He was evil, but not as bad as his parents. He made an alliance with King Jehoshaphat of Judah (south). They joined forces with Edom’s king (really an appointed governor) to fight Moab, who stopped paying tribute to Israel. Jehoshaphat the southern king had already been in trouble by the prophet for his alliance with the northern kings of Ahab and Ahaziah. Now he agreed to help Joram. On the way to battle, the three kings and their armies ran out of water. Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet to inquire of. Elisha, irritated, rebuked Joram but agreed to help only because Jehoshaphat was with them. Divine water came that looked like blood, which made the enemies think the three kings had turned on one another, killing them. As a result, Israel was able to surprise the enemy and win the battle. The Moabite king sacrificed his son, in the ancient near east times, they thought these extreme acts could invoke their god’s anger against enemies. God’s wrath was on Israel as they should not have continued idolatry or allied with the enemy nations. Since God was not pleased, there was no victory.

Chapter 4 was on the widow’s olive oil. She listened and was obedient by collecting all of the empty jars from her neighbors. She went inside and shut the door, as this was a private display for her own family. This was another example of Elisha providing for the poor. He gave her the opportunity to sell her oil to pay her debts.

Elisha was called the “holy man of God” in the Old Testament whereas “holy” means “set apart.” A wealthy family had made him his own room in their house. Her husband was old and had no son, so their family name could not go on. Elisha promised them a son the following year. When the boy had died, she laid him on Elisha’s guest bed and did not tell her husband. She went straight to Elisha. Elisha sent his servant ahead to cure the boy, but it did not work. Elisha went into the boy’s room alone and laid on him stretched out in prayer. Just like Elijah had done years ago with the widow’s son died (she had made him bread with the last of her oil) in 1 Kings 17:17-24. Elisha had an immediate resurrection of the boy when he laid on boy’s body in prayer, and he warmed up and came back to life. These showed that God has power over death through prophets. Notice that before the woman even ran to her resurrected child, she praised God. She knew the miracle only came from Him and His grace. Note that the Shunammite woman and her husband built an upper room for Elisha so he could stay there whenever he passed through on his travels. While her husband was still alive when their son was born and later died, by the time she returned after the seven-year famine to appeal to the king for her land (2 Kings 8), she was a widow. She went to the king alone, without her husband. This shows her strength and faith.

Elisha was teaching the other prophets when someone added wild gourds to the pot of stew during a famine. The gourds turned out to be toxic and bitter, poisoning the men. The flour Elisha added to the stew was not the cure; it was their reliance on God. Right after this incident, Elisha performed another miracle when he fed 100 men with a ridiculously small 20 loaves of bread. Elisha was teaching that God provides and can heal even when nature fails. Faith and obedience to God were the lessons from Elisha’s many miracles. They point forward to Jesus, who would feed thousands with even less food.

Today's Discussion question:

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