Reading Portion: 2 Kings 2
We are reaching the final stages of the ministry of Elijah. Every mighty man of GOD should leave this earth, to be with the Heavenly Father in rest. Death always makes us emotional, as none can fill the gap the departed people leave us with. There are people who became introverts as their dear ones departed from them. For some, it’s a time to experiment what they learned from the life of the departed person. When we look at the bond between Elijah and Elisha, they would have become so close and might have shared their vision and mission. But now, they need to be separated. For Elisha, it’s like bearing the whole burden of the ministry alone. It’s like he has to do things that he had never done in his entire life and it’s time for him to learn, to fly out from the nest. It’s really heartbreaking for a new minister like Elisha. But, for Elisha to come up in the ministry, Elijah should depart. We may expect that we’ll get support in the ministry at all times. But remember Elisha, you have to come out as a person of valor for the LORD.
We read in 2 Kings 2:1, “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.” Elijah had the proper guidance from GOD that he was about to be taken up. A man after GOD’s heart seeks things that are above and they move on with courage to their end, with hope and grace.
Elijah was the second man to be taken up by the LORD while alive. The first was Enoch (Genesis 5:24). “When the LORD was about to take Elijah…” this means GOD had planned this particular day before. Just as Enoch walked along with GOD, Elijah did too. Enoch never did any miracles or prophesied (except those quoted in Jude 14, 15), we can be sure that their hearts were so much synced with GOD and were His close friends.
We see no final words of encouragement between Elijah and Elisha, but the departure of Elijah brought Elisha out of his shell.
