Elisha began with commitment and would not be dissuaded.ġ. It is from here that Elisha began his ministry.Ģ. The miracle validates Elisha as a prophet of the true God.ĭ. Is this mocking of the prophet reflective of the disrespect of the Lord as God in this place? (cf. We should not be surprised to find disrespect for the prophet of God at this place.ģ. Recall that this is the place where Jeroboam had set up one of his idols.Ģ. At Bethel he cursed the lads who mocked him.ġ. In Jericho he purified the waters of the spring.Ĭ. Elisha re-enters the land as the Israelites had under Joshua.ī. The 50 prophets witness the crossing and confirm, “The spirit of Elijah now rests on Elisha.” III. It was the crossing of the Jordan on dry ground that God used to confirm the transition from Moses to Joshua (Josh. Elisha asked for what an eldest son would expect-a double portion.Ģ. Elisha’s having witnessed this and his parting of the waters at Jordan as he crosses back over confirms the transfer of prophetic leadership to Elisha.ġ. That God has been the source of Elijah’s authoritative ministry is confirmed by the crossing of the Jordan and then again by his being taken up into heaven in the fiery chariot.ī. Elijah was taken up into heaven and Elisha was given a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:9-15).Ī. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets witnessed the occurrence (2 Kings 2:7-8). Now Elijah and Elisha crossed on dry ground. When the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant set foot in the Jordan the waters were cut off and stood in a heap. The Jordan was the place where God had validated Joshua’s leadership.Ī. This is where they marched around the walls and blew trumpets and God gave them the city.Ĥ. This was the place they learned they must trust the Lord in order to conquer the land.ī. Jericho was the first city conquered by Joshua as they entered the land (Josh. This was also the place where Jeroboam had set up an idol.ģ. Thus he said, “This is none other than the house of God.”Ĭ. It was the place where Jacob had seen his ladder reaching up to heaven (Gen. Some suggest that there may have been as many as 4 places in Israel named “Gilgal.”Ī. From here on they would be “separated to God.”ĭ. The word “Gilgal” means to “roll away.” This is the place where the Lord said, “I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”Ĭ. This was the place where they were circumcised and observed the first Passover in the promised land (Josh. Gilgal was the place where the stones from the Jordan were set up after Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the promised land (Josh. In addition, each of these places is a place of historical significance tracing back to the days of Joshua and before.ġ. Indeed the evidence indicates that there were many and that the word of God was readily available to the people.Ĭ. We need not think that only those prophets mentioned by name in Scripture were the only prophets in Israel. That there were many prophets in the land is evidenced in the fact that when Jezebel had destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah had taken 100 prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave (1 Kings 18:4).ĥ. Nevertheless, the text does not make clear the relationship of Elijah and Elisha to these “sons of the prophets” except that they are all prophets.Ĥ. It may be that they consider him also their master.ģ. At Bethel and Jericho the sons of the prophets describe Elijah as Elisha’s “master.”Ģ. Elijah would appear to be leader of these groups and visiting each to transfer his leadership to Elisha.ġ. It would seem apparent that these sons of the prophets would carry on the work of communicating God’s message to the people in their various localities.ī. The Hebrew term occurs eleven times, all during the period of Elijah and Elisha and only in the books of 1 and 2 Kings.Ĥ. This is not a reference to being a physical descendent of a prophet, but to being a member of a prophetic order or a group of prophets.ģ. At Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho there were “sons of the prophets” (4:38 2:3, 5).Ģ. Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal, to Bethel, to Jericho and to the Jordan.ġ. But before we do that let’s give consideration to what the text actually says.ĭiscussion: I. While we may be puzzled by these questions there are a number of very practical things to be observed from this text. What is the motive for the journey to Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and the Jordan? It is not made explicit in the text.ģ. Why does Elijah, in the course of the journey repeatedly try to leave Elisha behind? We are not told.ī. The account leaves us asking some questions.Ī. Second Kings 2 describes the transition of prophetic leadership from Elijah to Elisha.Ģ. N/A Series: Studies in Second Kings Introduction:ġ. The Transfer of Prophetic Leadership to Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-3)
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