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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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2 Kings 2:23
“From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road some youths came out of town and jeered at him. ‘Go on up, you bald-head!’ they said. ‘Go on up, you bald-head!’”
We’ve moved on again.
Ahab has died. He was the one of whom God said, “(He) did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him” (1 Kings 16:33). (See also verse 31.) “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like those Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel” (1 Kings 21:25-26).
But in the midst of all that evil, God had His man. His name was Elijah, and he was a pain in Ahab’s side, as well as being the nation’s conscience.
However - time marched on. Ahab had died and Elijah began to prepare to leave. As always, God remained faithful and raised up another ‘man of God’. Nevertheless, that man, Elisha, would be tested - both before and after Elijah left - even though he was called.
Elijah went up to him whilst he was still very hard at work, ploughing with 24 oxen (12 pairs - can you imagine it?) and threw his cloak over his shoulders. Elisha said, “let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will come with you.” “Go back”, Elijah replied, “What have I done to you?” Elisha went back, killed his own two oxen, and cooked them for the people to enjoy, using the plough as the firewood. This man was serious. He had burnt his bridges. There was literally no turning back. He had burnt his tools for work and his investment and eaten his livelihood - that is commitment. And it goes on to say, “Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.” Which really meant his servant or slave (see 1 Kings19:19-21).
2 Kings 2 reveals another series of tests for Elisha. He knew by now that Elijah’s work was drawing to a close, as Elijah got restless. First, they went from Gilgal to Bethel, then from Bethel to Jericho, and then from Jericho to Jordan. Each time the locals rubbed it in to Elisha that Elijah was leaving and Elijah tried to get Elisha to stay behind. Once they had crossed the Jordan, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted him to do for him. “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit” (2 Kings 2:9). “O.K.,” Elijah agreed, “But you must see me go.”
The horses and chariots of fire arrived and separated Elijah away and he disappeared in a whirlwind. All that was left was his cloak. Elisha tore off his own clothes and put on Elijah’s cloak. He returned to the River Jordan and tested the waters by striking them with Elijah’s old cloak. “‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left and he crossed over” (2:14).
Yes, the same power was there and so he crossed over on dry land once more. He went on to Jericho, where he was told that the water was bad. So Elisha threw a handful of salt into it, which ‘healed’ it. Later when he went to Bethel, he was jeered at by some undisciplined youths. ‘Baldy’, they shouted. Elisha uttered a curse and two bears appeared out of nowhere and mauled 42 of them.
Notice again that being anointed doesn’t necessarily (or usually) bring worldly success, acceptance or a challenge-free life. That was why Elisha was discouraged and tested at the beginning - to see ‘what he was made of’.
Leadership in any form is hard work and often lonely, and Christian leadership is even harder because it requires a servant heart and definite anointing, for without both disaster follows. There is nothing worse than an arrogant Christian leader with selfish ambition. Take time to see the requirements given by Paul in 1 Timothy 3.
We are called to ‘follow Jesus’ - the servant King.
Interestingly enough, Scripture records that Elisha did perform twice as many miracles as Elijah. Elijah stood for judgement while Elisha stood for grace and mercy.
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