2 Kings 2:1-25

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 Old Testament is evidenced by the expectation subsequently entertained that he would come again: see Malachi 4:5, and cp. Matthew 11:14; Matthew 17:11; Luke 1:17; John 1:21. It is said that a chair is still placed for him by the Jews at the circumcision of every child, and that at the Paschal feast the door is set open for him to enter. At our Lord's Transfiguration he is recorded to have been present, together with Moses, and to have talked with Him (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4).