Reading:
2 Kings 2:1-15.
"And
it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into
heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from
Gilgal. 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 to day?” And he
said, “Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.” And
Elijah said unto him, “Elisha, tarry here, I pray
thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho.” And
he said, “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul
liveth, I will not leave thee.” So they came to
Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at
Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, “Knowest
thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy
head to day?” And he answered, “Yea, I
know it; hold ye your peace.” And Elijah said
unto him, “Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord
hath sent me to Jordan.” And he said, “As
the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave
thee.” And they two went on. And fifty men
of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar
off: and they two stood by 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 went over on dry ground.
"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.” 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.
"He
took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and
went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took
the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the
waters, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?”
and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted
hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when
the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho
saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah doth rest
on Elisha.” And they came to meet him, and
bowed themselves to the ground before him.”
From
Bethel the road leads to Jericho
We
expect Jericho to come before Bethel. But once we
have recognized the meaning of Jericho, we will see that
the Holy Spirit led Elijah and Elisha in the right order,
that we can get to Jericho only after having been in
Bethel.
What
is the meaning of Jericho? With the conquering of
Jericho, Israel had conquered the whole country so to
say, because Jericho was on the threshold of the Promised
Land, and the battle for Jericho was, in a representative
way, a battle for the whole country. Because of the
seven nations that inhabited Canaan, Israel had to march
around Jericho seven times. When therefore, on the
seventh day, after having marched around Jericho seven
times, Jericho fell, everything that stood as an enemy
against Israel fell. As they had taken Jericho, they
were to take everything else.
Canaan
is a picture of the heavenly places. The fulness of
the country points to our fulness in Christ. We have
been “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). But the enemy
stands in our way. He wants to hinder us from taking
possession of our riches. God had assured Israel: “I
have given you the land” (Deut. 8:10;
9:23). It therefore belonged to them. It
belonged to them on the basis of the Word that God had
spoken. And yet it is no contradiction that they had
to fight in order to take possession of it, because their
battle was, rightly seen, not a human battle. The walls
of Jericho fell without fighting. In faith Israel
had fought for Jericho. The fall of the wall was a
victory of faith.
This
should be our position towards the hostile powers of
wickedness that want to prevent us from taking possession
of our heavenly blessing. If Jericho is a picture
of the powers of darkness that we meet in the heavenlies,
which stand between us and our blessings in the
heavenlies, then we see how needful it is that Bethel
comes before Jericho, because the fight against the
powers of evil in the heavenly regions cannot be the
battle of individuals. Individuals will not overcome
the powers of darkness. To overcome them requires
the fellowship of the saints. Through the ages some
have thought themselves strong enough to stand up against
the powers of darkness alone, and they have suffered
badly. This is the reason that the devil finds it so
important to isolate us. If he succeeds in this,
then he has a chance to overcome us. Therefore he brings
so many divisions among the saints.
From
Bethel the road leads to Jericho. The church, placed
in the heavenlies is charged with the battle, a battle
not against flesh and blood, but against the forces of
wickedness in the heavenly regions. This is a battle
that is fought now. At present the saints are
called to attain to the fulness of Christ, to stand,
filled with Him, in His victory.
Let
us stand together! Let us be one in spirit! Let
us be one for the purpose of the battle with which we
have been charged, because as long as divisions exist, as
long as the flesh can assert itself, it will be difficult
to keep the ground.
It
is normally assumed that Elijah went to heaven in a
chariot of fire. This does not correspond with the
facts. In the first verse of the second chapter of 2
Kings we are expressly told that the Lord was going to
take him to heaven in a whirlwind. And that is exactly
how he went.
But
what do we do with the chariots and riders? They
have a special and very important meaning. Do we not
still see them standing with Elisha in chapter
six? Here he is in danger, but knows that chariots
and riders surround him. How frightened his servant is in
the light of the seriousness of the situation! But
when his eyes are opened, he sees the mountain full of
chariots and horses.
“And
when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and
gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was
round about the city. And his servant said unto him,
“Alas, my master! how shall we do?” And he
answered, “Fear not: for they that are with us are
more than they that are with them.” And Elisha
prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes,
that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain,
was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha” (2 Kings 6:15-17).
In
chapter thirteen we find Elisha on his deathbed. The
king who approaches him, however, senses a power
surrounding the one dying. Therefore he exclaims:
“My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and
the horsemen thereof!” (verse 14). They still
surround him, because they are God’s gift to His
servant. They represent the power in which Elisha
dared to stand up against the powers of
darkness. Chariots and horsemen mean
victory. As the powers of darkness were targeted
against God’s servant, God had surrounded him with
chariots and horsemen which caused the defeat of the
powers of darkness.
We
know that Elisha represents the assembly in the power of
His resurrection. He is connected to his master whom
he saw ascending to heaven, from whom he received a
double portion to do greater works than him. The
same with the church. The Lord has said: “Greater
works than these shall he (you) do; because I go unto the
Father” (John 14:12). With the coming
of the Holy Spirit the chariots of Israel and its
horsemen have, metaphorically speaking,
returned. That means that the victory has come to
us. We stand in victory over the enemy. Even if
we are still in the battle, we know that the victory has
already been won. Therefore we do not fight to win;
we fight in victory, because we stand in victory.
Our fight is nothing else but a holding fast in trust to
Him Who has said: “I have given you the land,”
and whose Word confirms to us that He has blessed us
with all blessings in the heavenlies.
We
hear no sound of battle at Jericho. We see no use of
fleshly powers. Jericho is encircled, persistently, full
of faith, and then in the motion the trumpets announce
the victory. Is not all our trying hard a sign that
we still doubt that the victory has been given to us,
that we think we still have to obtain it? It is all a
matter of faith, a matter of trust, our holding fast to
His Word. John says: “This is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1
John 5:4).
Let
us consider something important. At the end of the
road lies the Jordan. That is both the end of Elijah’s
life and the beginning of the public ministry of
Elisha. Because of this the Jordan receives a
special meaning for both of them. Before Elijah can
ascend, he has to cross the Jordan. The Jordan must first
be overcome. Elijah took his mantle and folded
it. Figuratively speaking he gathers together all
power and with this gathering of his powers he divides
the Jordan. Figuratively he overcomes death. Elijah
breaks through that which divides the heavenly from the
earthly. He breaks the enormous obstacle that can
only be broken in the power of the life of God:
death. Elijah has to break the power of death before
he can enter heavenly fulness. The crossing of the
Jordan was, figuratively speaking, the victory over
death. All this points to our Lord Jesus
Christ. All this takes us to the Letter to the
Ephesians: “He has made us alive together with
Him, and raised us up together and seated us together in
the heavenlies” (Eph. 2:5,6). And further: “...that
ye may know what is the exceeding greatness of His power
to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the
strength of His might which He wrought in Christ,
when He raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at
His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all
rule, and authority, and power, and dominion”
(Eph. 1:19-21).
This
is our position now. Because Christ holds the
victory over death in His hands. In Him death has
been overcome. “I was dead, and behold, I am
alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of
Hades” (Rev. 1:18). This means: “I
have all power over death.” This is
what must become clear to us through Elijah. His
last work here on earth was, figuratively speaking, the
overcoming of the power of death. Through the parting of
the water he tore up death, so to speak. He went
through death as through dry land. After the victory over
the power of death, however, he ascended in a whirlwind
to glory.
Let
us turn to Elisha, and we will see that he is to come
into the same position: the position of a
death-overcoming life on this earth. Elisha now
possesses the mantle of Elijah, in whom we have the
symbol that the power of death has been broken. This
must become real to him through faith. Elisha is
intended to be a witness and a testimony of the power of
the resurrection.
Let
us not overlook that “the exceeding greatness of
His power” is only prepared for those “who
believe” and given to them only (Eph.
1:19).
Elisha’s
heart was set on receiving a double portion of the spirit
of his master. When Elijah heard the request, he
hesitated. And his answer is: “Thou hast
asked a hard thing.” Oh, faith always asks
for the impossible. The true nature of faith
consists in always being on the lookout for something
that is impossible on natural grounds. From the
start Elisha acts on the basis of faith. Everywhere
the sons of the prophets had tried to shake his
faith. But his heart was steadfast. He knew
what he wanted. He did not let go until Elijah said:
“If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it
shall be so unto thee.” He followed
him. He followed his master until the end. And
when he saw him ascend, he cried out: “My father,
my father...”; in other words: “Here I am,
and I expect to receive what you have promised me.”
Do
we see what faith is about? Faith looks into the surpassing
greatness of His power that is available to us “who
believe”.
In
this connection let us point to something that is not
less important. The Lord wants the power of His
Spirit in His people to be seen. If this is to
happen, then Gilgal must first have done its
work. If not, the danger exists that yet again our
self becomes visible and that personal interests come in.
When Elijah asked: “Ask what I shall do for thee.” Elisha
did not ask for a double portion of his power, but
a double portion of his spirit. What are we
striving for? For strength and power? Or are we
focussed on the Spirit of Jesus Christ not in the first
place as the Spirit of power, but simply as the Spirit
Himself? Elisha esteemed his master extraordinarily
highly. It was his spirit he longed to
possess. He wanted to be like him. For this
reason God has also sent His Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit is there, not only to reveal His power, but that
Christ is seen in us in His power.
Now
the way back starts for Elisha. He stands at the
Jordan. With the mantle that fell on him, he strikes
the Jordan, as Elijah had done: “Where is the God of
Elijah, even He?”— He puts the God of Elijah
into the centre of the first situation of death he meets,
because even though he has the victory over the powers of
death in his hand, death in itself has not yet ceased
from existing. But now he profits from the
fellowship in spirit with his ascended master.
Let
us be reminded that victory over death was the last thing
in Elijah’s life. But with Elisha, however, it
is the first. And this now becomes the basis for all his
further work. The whole history of Elisha is built
on the fact that death has been conquered. It is
marked with the mystery of the victory over all
death. This is also the reason why the church can do
greater works than her Lord, because she too stands in
His victory over all power of death.
It
is interesting to see that Elisha went back the whole way
that he had come on with Elijah. From the Jordan he
goes to Jericho and finds there a state of
death. Nothing ripens to perfection. Everything
wilts before fruition. Elisha, however, lets the
testimony of victory over death be effective. The salt in
a new jar is a symbol of the power of the resurrection in
a new vessel. The new vessel is the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ as she was manifested on the day of
Pentecost. The church is the new vessel, the new
jar, and the life in her is the victory over all power of
death. Our advancement to heavenly fulness is
nothing else but an increase in the power that has
overcome death.
From
Jericho the road leads on to Bethel. Malicious lads
mock the ascension of Elijah. They laugh at the
possibility of rapture—bears tear them up. This
is a warning. It is dangerous to oppose the power of
Jesus Christ. We put our life in danger when we
stand in the way of the life of Jesus Christ. Bethel
is connected to the heavenly, and nobody may dare to
touch that which is the Lord’s. Ananias and
Sapphira were to experience this. Heavenly authority
rests on the church of Jesus Christ. When she has
taken up her heavenly position, so that the power of the
Resurrected becomes effective, then woe to him who dares
challenge the authority of God in her.
How
terrible it is to reject a heavenly vision, an inner
seeing, because something earthly seems more desirable to
us. Mighty forces operate on this earth: “Your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about
seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter
5:8). The only salvation for us is our connection to
our Lord in heaven.
The
mockers were judged by the same powers that were
operative within them. Figuratively speaking, they
are those elements that have not come under the power of
the Cross. Whoever gives himself over to them perishes
through them.
From
Bethel to Gilgal—there is a famine in
Gilgal. The sons of the prophets go out to gather
herbs. But they do not possess any
discernment. When they draw from the pot to eat,
they realize that there is death in the pot—Elisha
throws meal into the pot. Death has been
withstood. They may eat. The meal is a picture of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Bread that came
from heaven. Christ is our food. In Gilgal it
becomes apparent whether Christ is our food, whether we
can distinguish between the things of the flesh and those
of the Spirit, because Gilgal stands for our crucifixion
with Him being effective, so that it may henceforth be
said: Christ is our life!