II Kings 2:1-14; God of the Prophets, Bless the Prophets' Sons

"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 Elijah said to Elisha, ‘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 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent.’ 4 Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, 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 company of prophets* who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he answered, ‘Yes, I know; be silent.’ 6 Then Elijah said to him, ‘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. 7Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ 10 He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over."

Introduction

Today's lesson ought rather to be sung than spoken. That is, the story here, or words from it, have been so immortalized through a great hymn and an academy award-winning film that we almost want to live in those words and images rather than the Biblical story itself. Let's begin, then, with those songs. First, there is the majestic hymn, "God of the Prophets." Written in 1884 by Denis Wortman and set to the tune Toulon, the hymn begins:

"God of the prophets! Bless the prophets' sons,
Elijah's mantle o'er Elisha cast;
each age its solemn task may claim but once;
make each one nobler, stronger, than the last.

Anoint them prophets! Make their ears attend
to thy divinest speech; their hearts awake
to human need; their lips make eloquent
to gird the right and every evil break."

The very scene described in II Kings 2 is put in poetic form, set to music, and then connected with the social justice tradition of modern Christianity. The prophet hears the divine speech and breaks the evil in the world. Like Elijah and Elisha of old, let the mantle of one cover the shoulders of the other so that the Word of the Lord may resound forever.

Then there is the movie, Chariots of Fire, whose imagery in the first instance was drawn from the famous hymn "Jerusalem," but whose biblical imagery behind the hymn arises from this text. The poem was written by William Blake in the early 19th century, but it was set to music immortally by C. Hubert H. Parry in 1916, just a few years before the opening scene of Chariots of Fire. I can still hear the joyous and triumphant sounds sung by the boys choir, as their descants and melismatic tones filled the Cathedral at the end of the movie. Here are the words of the poem, with a reference to the Biblical "chariots of fire."

"And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?

And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of Desire;
Bring me my Spear; O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of Fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant Land."

I. The Text

So, these images are swimming in my head as I turn to the pasage above--where Elijah is carried off to heaven in a chariot of fire, leaving a double share of his spirit on his successor Elisha. Few observations need be made about the text, though three seem appropriate. First, a historical note. The Elijah narratives in I Kings and the Elisha stories in II Kings share similarities (miracles are done; the Word of God confronts world leaders), but there is a significant difference that ought to be noted. Elijah is the individual prophet par excellence, who seems to follow only his conscience and the Lord's leading as he travels to the widow's home or to the palace of Ahab. On the other hand, Elisha is the leading figure of what we might call the "school of the prophets," a band of young men who gathered at traditional shrines and learned the lore and word of God. As commentator John Gray notes, in the Elisha stories "the relationship is fundamental" (I & II Kings, 466).

In addition, we see the groups of these prophets gathering around sites like Bethel or Gilgal, places which had a long history of divine manifestation in ancient Israel. Gilgal, for example, is of primary importance in Joshua as the place of setting up of the 12 stones, representing the solidarity of the 12 tribes of Israel (Josh. 4:20). By having a school of prophets around this shrine the young men are trying to keep alive the past of the people in a sacred place. When the prophet Amos, in the next century, excoriates the people, he will mention Gilgal (and Bethel) as places of judgment (4:4; 5:5). Thus, we see a little of this institution of early prophecy, where young men were gathered in groups around significant shrines to receive the Word of Yahweh.

II. The Vitality of Israel's Traditions

Not only do the schools of prophets want to keep alive the history of a place, but the actions of Elijah and Elisha in this passage show their commitment to the vitality of Israel's traditions. They both strike the Jordan with Elijah's mantle--and it parts. Even the rather uneducated reader should see in this the story of the Jordan parting as Israel entered the land. Deeper echoes of the division of the Red Sea and the drowning of the pursuing troops of Pharoah can also be heard. The prophets will drink deeply from the empowering themes and traditions that gave the people their identity.

Then, there is the language of the chariot of fire which took Elijah to heaven. Though chariots appear occasionally in the earlier texts (e.g., Ex. 15), the reference to the fire triggers memories of the divine theophany in the fire and cloud. Theophanies abound, whether it was to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:2) or Moses going up Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:17).

As we think about Israel's traditions and how alive they were for the prophets and other writers, we ask ourselves which traditions are alive for us from our faith and national history. How subtle and supple are these traditions? Which ones need to be drawn upon for our day?

III. The Passing of Elijah's Spirit

Elisha is told thrice by Elijah to "stay behind" while he passes on, but Elisha will have none of it. He has already once asked Elijah to "wait" for him (see his call narrative in I Kings 19:19ff.), and he now will never leave his side. So, they pass on to the Jordan, crossing it and heading East. But before Elijah is caught up in the chariot of fire, he asks Elisha if he has anything to ask. Elisha wants to inherit "a double share of" Elijah's spirit (II K. 2:9). Rather than this being an indication of wanting "double the power" of Elijah, so to speak, it is a traditional way of speaking about the inheritance due to the first son. Deut 21:17 provides:

"He must acknowledge the firstborn son of the one who is disliked (i.e., when a man has had children from two successive wives and the firstborn son was from the disliked wife), giving him a double portion of all that he has; since he is the first issue of his virility, the right of the firstborn is his."

Elisha, then, is just asking Elijah that he be considered like the "first son" of Elijah. And so he receives Elijah's prophetic mantle after the dramatic scene where Elijah is whisked away. The words that Elisha says: "Father, father! The chariots of Isarel and its horsemen" (v. 12) become the words associated with Elisha for his ministry (see II Kings 13:14). The vision of Elijah being carried off becomes foundational for Elisha's self-understanding, and the equipment from Elijah becomes the basis for Elisha's own ministry of healing, miracle-working and confronting royalty.

Are there yet more prophets that will God will raise up to lead people both in our nation and beyond? The text is tantalizing as it encourages us to believe that the Spirit imparted long ago is still a strong and living force in our world today. May it be so for us.

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