2 Kings 2:1-14
Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel
In Christ Jesus, who has taken our sin and given us his righteousness, so that our death will one day lead us to eternal life with him, dear fellow redeemed!
When it comes to Old Testament figures, Elijah stands among the most prominent. He was seen by Peter, James, and John with Jesus and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. During his earthly life Elijah raised the widow of Zarephath’s son from the dead, defeated the prophets of Baal, and called an idolatrous Israel to repentance and faith in the one true and only God. In our lesson we see miracle after miracle. He parted the waters so that they could cross. He was then taken up to heaven by chariots of fire! Elijah is one of only two men who never faced a natural death—the other was Enoch. Elijah was brought up to heaven to be with the Lord. He was brought to glory! But why? What did he do to deserve that? Well, it is the same reason that could be said for any one of us who will be brought to be with our Lord in heaven—by sheer grace alone!
When we think about Elijah—we think of him as one of God’s mighty prophets who boldly proclaimed God’s Word of truth despite the looming consequences from the wicked King Ahab. Elijah was faithful. He was bold. He is someone we seek to emulate. Yet, as we look back at his life, Elijah wasn’t always so bold and strong. Just a few weeks ago, we learned about the time following Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal where he fled for his life after receiving a death sentence from the wicked queen Jezebel. We saw how the discouraged and weary prophet collapsed in the desert and asked the Lord to take his life. He thought he stood alone. We saw Elijah at his lowest point. He was in a bad place. A place where God’s people, weary and battle fatigued can sometimes find themselves.
I. The Battle
But the Lord had more work for Elijah to do. God did not grant Elijah’s request to end his life. He had plans for him. He was going to continue to use him as his mouthpiece to proclaim the Lord’s saving Word. He called Israel to faithfulness—to turn away from their foreign gods and worship the God of Israel. God gave Elijah the strength to carry this work out. And God blessed his work, even bringing the wicked King Ahab to repentance. Imagine that—one of the worst kings in all of Israel’s history—repented. God’s Word does not return empty.
We learn a lot about the ministry of Elijah in a short phrase in our lesson. As Elijah was being taken up into heaven by the chariots of fire, Elisha calls out, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Here, Elisha isn’t referencing the chariots of fire that were carrying Elijah up to heaven but rather referring to Elijah as “The chariots and horsemen of Israel.” Why did he say this? With this title, Elisha was showing that Israel’s true strength and glory were not in their war horses and military prowess, as the kings of Israel believed, but in the word and faith of her prophets.
Israel’s greatest enemies were not the hostile nations around them—not the powerful Assyrians, the clever Ammonites, or the fierce Philistines. Israel’s greatest enemy was herself—her immoral, ungodly self. Israel’s only defense from self-destruction was not to be found in Ahab’s army of gleaming chariots and heavily armed horsemen. Her real defense was the man of God in her midst. Elijah was a salt and light in Israel. Israel needed many more men, women, and children like Elijah. They needed people who were zealous for the Lord. They needed salt and light.
We also need to be the salt and light of this world. Israel’s need for people zealous for the Lord is just as true today as it was then. As God’s people, we are called to be the hands, feet, and mouth of our Lord Jesus. We are to be faithful, hear his Word, pursue that which is good, beneficial, and beautiful, defend the truth, and share the hope that we have with others. Despite how joyful and blessed of a task this may be, we can grow weak and weary with battle fatigue. As we see this world grow increasingly hostile to the Word or face our own personal struggles in our families, home, and community. We can feel all alone like Elijah. Perhaps we face financial setback after setback, personal failing after failing, or sadness and anxiety. Often, when we find ourselves in these low spots, we do the worst things possible. We tell ourselves that we are going to just start doing better—be more faithful, try harder, you name it. While it is good for us to want this, the result will often fall short. Why? Because we are looking inward for help. When we feel like giving up, it is often because we having been only looking to ourselves and saying, “I’m too weak.”
This is why Elisha and Elijah serve as such helpful examples for us. Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit. Elisha knew that if he was going to carry out the task of being a faithful prophet—he needed help! He didn’t say to himself, “I am just going to try my hardest and dig deeper.” No. He asked for help and strength. Elijah prayed on his behalf. Elisha’s request was granted. Seeing Elijah delivered on chariots of fire was proof. God granted him a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.
We are all guilty of seeking to take our troubles, sins, and weaknesses into our own hands. We have looked inward instead of outside ourselves. We are like the sons of the prophets who would waste their time searching for Elijah after he departed. We have sinned. And surely, we need to repent of failing to put our trust in God when we go through troubles—whether that be through sickness or our daily worries.
God sees us in our troubles. He knows our needs, and he has compassion on us. We are so blessed to have accounts of God’s people in Scripture because they truly show us the graciousness of God. When Elijah was hopeless and in despair, did God hit him over the head for his unbelief and doubt? No. He was patient. He sent the Angel of the Lord to give him food and drink. He refreshed him. He gave him his Word and promises. When Elisha asked for the Lord’s spirit as he carried out his work, he was given it. And God does the same for us!
II. The Reward
Our gracious Lord comes to us through the means of grace, his Word and Sacraments, to forgive us all our sins and give us the strength we need to carry out our vocations as husbands and fathers, wives and mothers, sons and daughters, truckers and farmers, clinicians and friends. He speaks to us the same words of consolation and peace as he did to the widow of Nain, “Do not weep!”
Each week we come to church burdened by our sins of the past week. You have been impatient, unkind, and selfish. You have been greedy. You have ignored God’s word when you wanted to. You’ve held on to anger against your neighbor and chose not to forgive. You shared gossip that will hurt your neighbor. You’ve sinned against God. Sin brings death. You come to church in your sinful and dying body. God sees it all. But what does he say? What does he do?
He says, “I forgive you all your sins.” Our sin does not cause him to run away. He has compassion. He forgives you. The pastor speaks these words, but they are Christ’s words. And he who died for your sins certainly has the right to forgive them! He says, “Take eat, this is by body. Take drink, this is my blood, shed for you for the remission of sins.” In the Lord’s Supper Jesus gives you the antidote for death—the medicine for immortality. “Depart in peace. Your sins are forgiven!”
This is only possible because our Lord Jesus lived the life that God wanted us to live. He was perfect. He was holy. But he carried our sin in his own body on the cross so that we could be robed in his righteousness. And his resurrection from the dead is our proof! Christ is risen! The tomb was empty so that yours will be too on the last day!
This changes everything in our life. It gives us purpose here on earth. God wants you to study his Word, receive the sacrament, pray, and grow so that you will be with him forever in heaven. The reason we want to bring our children to the feet of Jesus, study his Word, seek to be faithful neighbors and workers, pray for our enemies and support the church is because we want others to be with Jesus. Sure, we might face opposition and trouble in this sinful world, but it is a battle worth waging. And remember, we are not alone. That is the whole point!
We know our future. We know that this life is a short journey compared to the eternity that awaits. However, even as Christians, we can sometimes have some fears about our death. We don’t know what to expect, we haven’t done it yet. But consider our lesson today. The Lord allowed Elisha to see what man is normally not permitted to see—the glorious way in which the hosts of the Almighty gather the saints to eternal glory. What a comfort this is for you and me! A heavenly escort awaits.
But while we are here—use your time wisely. Don’t wish it away. Jesus has you here for a reason. Jesus said, “work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” Every day is a gift. Pray for extra measure of the Spirit so that we can carry out the good works that he has prepared for us. Read his Word. Repent of your sins. Show Christian love to your family and neighbor. Come to church and receive his forgiveness and strength. And may we sing with confidence regarding our future departure (ELH 406:3):
Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abram’s bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my Fount of grace,
Lord Jesus Christ,
My prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.
Amen!