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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Second King's chapter two,
Speaker 1: and this is what we read. When the Lord was
Speaker 1: about to take Elijah up to Heaven in a whirlwind.
Speaker 1: Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal, and Elijah said
Speaker 1: to Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has told me
Speaker 1: to go to Bethel. But Elisha replied, as surely as
Speaker 1: the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never
Speaker 1: leave you. So they went down together to Bethel. The
Speaker 1: group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him,
Speaker 1: did you know that the Lord is going to take
Speaker 1: your master away from you today? Of course I know,
Speaker 1: Elisha answered, but be quiet about it. Then Elijah said
Speaker 1: to Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has told me
Speaker 1: to go to Jericho. But Elisha replied again, as surely
Speaker 1: as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will
Speaker 1: never leave you. So they went on together to Jericho.
Speaker 1: Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha
Speaker 1: and asked him, did you know that the Lord is
Speaker 1: going to take your master away from you today? Of
Speaker 1: course I know, Elisha answered, but be quiet about it.
Speaker 1: Then Elijah said to Elisha, stay here, for the Lord
Speaker 1: has told me to go to the Jordan River. But
Speaker 1: again Elisha replied, as surely as the Lord lives and
Speaker 1: you yourself live, I will never leave you. So they
Speaker 1: went on together. Fifty men from the group of prophets
Speaker 1: also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and
Speaker 1: Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. Then Elijah folded his
Speaker 1: cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided,
Speaker 1: and the two of them went across on dry ground.
Speaker 1: When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha,
Speaker 1: tell me what I can do for you before I
Speaker 1: am taken away. And Elisha replied, please let me inherit
Speaker 1: a double share of your spirit and become your successor.
Speaker 1: You have asked a difficult thing, Elijah replied, if you
Speaker 1: see me when I am taken from you, then you
Speaker 1: will get your request. But if not, then you won't.
Speaker 1: As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot
Speaker 1: of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove
Speaker 1: between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried
Speaker 1: by a whirlwind into heaven. Elishah saw it and cried out,
Speaker 1: my father, my father, I see the chariots and chariot
Speaker 1: tears of Israel. And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha
Speaker 1: tore his clothes in distress. Elishah picked up Elijah's cloak,
Speaker 1: which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elishah
Speaker 1: returned to the bank of the Jordan River. He struck
Speaker 1: the water with Elijah's cloak and cried out, where is
Speaker 1: the Lord, the God of Elijah. Then the river divided
Speaker 1: and Elisha went across. When the group of prophets from
Speaker 1: Jericho saw from a distance what happened. They exclaimed, Elijah's
Speaker 1: spirit rests upon Elisha, and they went to meet him
Speaker 1: and bowed to the ground before him, Sir. They said,
Speaker 1: just say the word, and fifty of our strongest men
Speaker 1: will search the wilderness for your master. Perhaps the spear
Speaker 1: of the Lord has left him on some mountain or
Speaker 1: in some valley. No, Elisha said, don't send them, but
Speaker 1: they kept urging him until they shamed him into agreeing,
Speaker 1: and he finally said, all right, send them, So fifty
Speaker 1: men searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
Speaker 1: Elisha was still at Jericho when they returned. Didn't I
Speaker 1: tell you not to go, he asked. One day, the
Speaker 1: leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. We have
Speaker 1: a problem, my lord. They told him. This town is
Speaker 1: located in pleasant surroundings, as you can see, but the
Speaker 1: water is bad and the land is unproductive. Elisha said,
Speaker 1: bring me a new ball with salt in it, so
Speaker 1: they brought it to him. Then he went out to
Speaker 1: the spring that supplied the town with water and threw
Speaker 1: the salt into it, and he said, this is what
Speaker 1: the Lord says. I have purified this water. It will
Speaker 1: no longer cause death or infertility, and the water has
Speaker 1: remained pure ever since. Just as Elisha said, Elisha left
Speaker 1: Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking
Speaker 1: along the road, a group of boys from the town
Speaker 1: began mocking and making fun of him. Go away, baldy,
Speaker 1: they chanted, go away, baldy. Elisha turned around and looked
Speaker 1: at them, and he cursed them in the name of
Speaker 1: the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods
Speaker 1: and mauled forty two of them From there, Elisha went
Speaker 1: to Mount Carmel and finally returned to Samaria. Let's pray, Lord,
Speaker 1: we thank you for your word, and we thank you
Speaker 1: for the privilege of being able to look at this
Speaker 1: portion of scripture. And Lord, I certainly find it interesting
Speaker 1: to look at how you communicated messages to the prophets,
Speaker 1: and how you worked in the its lives, and the
Speaker 1: things that you were doing in their lives and around them,
Speaker 1: and how you were using them to impact the culture
Speaker 1: and the conscience of the people of Israel. And Lord,
Speaker 1: we're grateful that when we look at your word, we
Speaker 1: see a variety of things that you have communicated to
Speaker 1: your prophets that pertain to us. You reveal to us
Speaker 1: through them what it means to walk with you, and
Speaker 1: what it means to live a life that honors you.
Speaker 1: You revealed through them the fact that your son Jesus
Speaker 1: Christ was going to come to this earth and rule
Speaker 1: and reign and offer salvation and even suffer as he
Speaker 1: paid for the sins of humanity. Lord, these are all
Speaker 1: things revealed in your word by prophets, and so we're
Speaker 1: grateful for that kind of ministry that we can see
Speaker 1: you accomplishing. Through them. Lord, we're also grateful that through
Speaker 1: faith in your son Jesus Christ, your spirit in dwells Us,
Speaker 1: we enjoy a privilege. We enjoy a blessing that not
Speaker 1: all people during the Old Covenant era experienced. Lord, we
Speaker 1: pray that in light of all these gifts, and in
Speaker 1: light of all these blessings, that we would use this
Speaker 1: day to honor you and bring glory to your name. Lord.
Speaker 1: We're grateful in advance for all that you bring our way.
Speaker 1: We pray that we would recognize that your hand is
Speaker 1: at work in our lives, and that you're seeking to
Speaker 1: give us strength. You're seeking to give us a deepened
Speaker 1: faith and a deepened walk with you, and you're helping
Speaker 1: us grow mature in our faith in your son Jesus Christ. Lord,
Speaker 1: we love you, and we are grateful for all of
Speaker 1: these things, and we commit this day to your care
Speaker 1: and pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.