2 Kings 2:5

_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._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

1-8 The Lord had let Elijah know that his time was at hand. He therefore went to the different schools of the prophets to give them his last exhortations and blessing. The removal of Elijah was a type and figure of the ascension of Christ, and the opening of the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Elisha had long followed Elijah, and he would not leave him now when he hoped for the parting blessing. Let not those who follow Christ come short by tiring at last. The waters of Jordan, of old, yielded to the ark; now, to the prophet's mantle, as a token of God's presence. When God will take up his faithful ones to heaven, death is the Jordan which they must pass through, and they find a way through it. The death of Christ has divided those waters, that the ransomed of the Lord may pass over. O death, where is thy sting, thy hurt, thy terror!...

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 2:1 THE REMOVAL OF ELIJAH FROM EARTH, AND SOME EARLY MIRACLES OF ELISHA. The great prophet of Israel was to have a departure from earth as marvelous as his life had been. Ewald's words, though not intended in an historical, but only in a literary sense, embody very forcibly what the humble believer may accept as the actual _rationale_ of the occurrence related in 2 Kings 2:1 : "An earthly career which had no equal in the purity of its devotion to the service of Jehovah, and was at the same time consummated by such powerful efforts to promote the

AND THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS THAT WERE AT JERICHO,.... For though this place was lately rebuilt under a curse to the builder, yet was blessed with a school of the prophets: whose disciples came to Elisha, and said unto him; as in 2 Kings 2:3 and to whom he made the same reply....

2. ELIJAH'S TRANSLATION CHAPTER 2:1-11 _ 1. From Gilgal to Jordan (2 Kings 2:1)_ 2. The divided Jordan (2 Kings 2:7) 3. Elisha's request (2 Kings 2:9) 4. Elijah goes up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11) The time for Elijah's departure had now come, and the LORD, whom he had served so faithfully, “would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind.” As Lord He graciously orders the time and the manner of the departure of His servants (John 21:18). His coming translation was known to him, to Elisha and to the sons of

2 KINGS 1:1 TO 2 KINGS 2:25. LAST DAYS AND ASCENSION OF ELIJAH: ELISHA ESTABLISHED AS HIS SUCCESSOR. Here we have perhaps a third Elijah narrative, in which the prophet is represented as playing a part scarcely worthy of the Elijah of 1 Kings 17-19 or 21, who in the first section represents Yahweh against the Tyrian Baal, whereas in the latter he stands for righteousness opposed to legalised violence. Here the king's offence is that he sent to a Philistine oracle instead of inquiring of Yahweh, and his soldiers are punished by fire for summoning the prophet to surrender. The spelling of the prophet's name in Hebrew differs from that in the rest of the OT. The story is mentioned in the Gospel (Luke 9:54). With ch. 2 we seem to en

I. ELIJAH'S TRANSLATION AND ELISHA'S COMMISSION 2:1-15 With the dramatic translation of Elijah, the prophetic mantle fell on Elisha. Though the spectacular departure of Elijah is surely one of the most wondrous events of the Old Testament, it is described in the most matter-of-fact way. After a final visit to the prophetic schools (2 Kings 2:1-5) and his final words with Elisha (2 Kings 2:6-10), Elijah was whisked heavenward in a chariot of fire and a great whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11-12). Immediately thereafter Elisha received his commissioning as Elijah's successor (2 Kings 2:13-15). A. ELIJAH'S FINAL VISIT TO TH

ELIJAH'S TRANSLATION TO HEAVEN The great service rendered to Israel by the prophet whose life is here closed was the stand which he made for the religion of Jehovah when its supremacy was threatened by the worship of the Zidonian Baal introduced by Jezebel. In view of such a crisis, the degradation of Jehovah's worship by the association with it of the golden calves set up by Jeroboam could for a while be ignored, a superstitious form of the true faith being preferable to total apostasy; though later, when the religion of Baal had been abolished by Jehu, the time came for a protest against the calf-worship, such as that which was made by Hosea (Hosea 10:5) and Amos (Amos 8:14). The preeminence which Elijah, by his zeal and devotion in this struggle against Baal worship, won for himself among the prophets of the O

THE LAST KINGS OF *ISRAEL AND *JUDAH BOOK OF 2 KINGS _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 2 GOD TAKES ELIJAH TO HEAVEN * God had promised Elijah that Elisha would continue his work (1 Kings 19:16). In this chapter is the end of Elijah’s work as a *prophet. But there is also the beginning of Elisha’s work as a *prophet. Because of Elijah’s work, there were now groups of people in *Israel who were loyal to God. Elisha would make those believers stronger. And he would deal with some of the troubles that remained in that country. V1 The time came when the *Lord would take Elijah up to heaven. The *Lord would take him up there in a whirlwind. (A whirlwind is a column of air that goes round very qui

CAME. — _Drew near_. ANSWERED — _Said. _...