Unwavering Devotion- The Ascension of Elijah: 2 Kings 2:1-18

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in

practical ways.

Chris, Yes, Jeff, I had a morning miracle today.

Wow, you you went regular? You drank coffee?

No, no, no, I don't. I don't drink I don't

drink coffee.

That's right. Yeah, you're so weird.

I know. I love the smell of the way.

That's weirder than me not liking chocolate.

I don't think so. But whatever, they both come from

a bean. It's just I have a better one. So anyways,

here's my morning miracle. On the way to the that's

right on the way to the office or to the

studio today. It's just over ten miles from my house

to hear and I never hit a red light. Wow, No,

one time.

Wow.

It was green lights all the way here. That's why

it's such a peppy moved. I passed more than ten

lights and not one of them was red.

Now when did you start to notice this? From the

fourth one? The fourth one?

Yeah, the fourth one. And now the fact that I

didn't have to stop at a red light doesn't mean

I didn't have anything. I'm joking right, but no, no, there

was never any red lights the whole way. It was

green lights the whole Wow.

You know what, today's gonna be a good day.

It's gonna be a good day. So man, I feel

like just that by itself means I'm gonna just bring

the very best that I have where it's gonna be

smooth sailing through this whole wow episode.

Well, I see what it takes to bring to require

your best.

Right, that's right.

So wow, that's that's wonderful, jeff I it's riveting for.

Isn't it so exciting? It's super so I was so happy.

Actually, it is a big deal. It is because when

that happens to me, I think it's like one of

the coolest things ever.

Yeah. So, I mean, we live in the suburbs. It

normally takes me like twenty minutes to go ten miles

or more. It takes me long more than twenty minutes ago,

so to just pop through every light, you know, it's amazing.

I feel really good about it. That's that's really good.

Fun, It wonderful.

It's gonna be a good Well.

Hey, I hope hope your day starts off and goes

just as well. As Jeff's mort has no red lights today,

that's right, and that's that's Oh, that's a that's symbolic.

That is no red lights. Let's let's chant that to

ourselves all day long. When you come up to your

crabby boss, just be like, nope, no red lights, still

red lights today. All right, Well, listen, we're gonna jump

into a segment called Guess the word, and it is

Chris will give Jeff clues. See if you can guess

the word without the forbidden italicized words if you're watching

on YouTube, then we're gonna hopefully put the words on

the screen. And then those are the words that I

cannot say. Okay, okay, are you ready? Yes, I've not

looked at these so holy Christmas. Wow, this is hard. Okay,

uh okay, okay, here we go. Ready, Yes, I've got

the blank deep down in my heart. Joy joy, that's correct.

I was not allowed to say happiness, delight, elation, rejoicing,

or jubilation.

The joy joy, that's down in my heart.

And by the way, when we went to Costa Rica,

your tango go so go, so go, so go, so

me go.

Yeah, I remember, I remember, Yeah, we used to do that.

In Mexico. Yep, that's so funny. That's great.

Okay, so, oh holy cow, Okay, here we go, ready

number two, no further questions. It's your blank, your honor.

Witness, witness. Wow. Wow, you watched a lot of courtroom dramas.

Yes, I was not allowed to say testimony, evidence, testify, faith,

or observe. Okay, well, I mean apparently you have too,

because you you got the you got it. But by

way I messed up. I said, it's your witness, your honor,

it's your witness to the prosecuting right, yes, okay, here

we go. Okay, here it goes. When I wake up

in the morning and I read my Bible singularly, it

is called a.

Devotion, devotion the awesome, good for you, fantastic three for three, due,

Yeah we are how we click? Yes we do that

magic behind allowed to say commitment, dedication, worship, faithfulness, or fervor,

and so obviously it was the different definition of devotion devotion, right,

So how clever is that?

That is great?

Okay, here goes. Ready. Okay, Oh, this is a terrible movie.

But it was called The Last Blank of Christ Supper.

Oh you don't know this movie. The last, when I

am when I am wanting to do a bad thing,

it is called what sin? Yeah, but it's it's a

something that's drawing me.

What is that thing called temptation?

Yes? Okay, I was not allowed to do You never

heard of the Last Temptation of Christ?

Think? So okay? I think it was like some kind

of a vulgar It was terrible. Yeah, okay.

So anyway, I was not allowed to say testing satan, sin, experience.

Or moral Oh wow, okay, hey, we got there.

That was our hardest one by far.

By far yea, but we got it.

Oh geez, we should.

Go on a TV. We should go on a game show.

We should she should Okay, last one, here, are you ready?

What is the exact name of the system that is

in a Tomahawk missile ensuring that it hits its target?

The exact name of the system. Yeah, Uh, the Patriot

missile system. Uh, Tomahawk missile.

Generally that system. Spell that out? Uh what does stand for?

I don't know, geographical, I don't know. I don't know

what stands really.

The bumpers on a bowling lane, you can say that

if you throw the ball down, the bumpers do what

to the ball guide. Yes, guidance, Yes, it's the guidance system.

Okay, guidance system. There you go.

Okay, I was not allowed to say direction, leadership, advice, support,

or council.

That was a good one. Good one, Chris, Well, you

got us there.

No, I didn't get us there. I mean I did eventually.

You never you never heard of the guidance.

Systems now that I think about it.

But you said the Patriot What.

Patriot missiles system? That's what I thought. But Patriot missiles

are different than tomahawks, so yeah, there's a different thing.

I just picked a missile. I don't know anything about

tomahawks or other types of missiles. What are the types

of missiles are there?

There's a bunch of them, intercontinental, ballistic missiles, there's all

kinds of missiles.

Dude, are you kidding me? How do you know missiles?

You don't read about global stuff. So you're scared about

what's happening in the world. You just don't know what

that's actually happening.

We need to know the number of the name of

the bullets that are in the chamber.

Okay, okay, yeah, anyways, I don't know. I don't know

why I know those things. I'm sure a lot of

our listeners did. Smart.

I'm sure they did. I'm the only dumb one here.

No, that's not what I said. That is not what

I said.

We're selling Steven's car, and I got.

A text from Steven's your son, my son.

Yeah, I got a text from somebody who's buying it,

and they said, hey, Huntington Bacon needs a ten day payoff.

You get a ten day payoff from Huntington Bank. And

I didn't know what that meant. Apparently I've never paid

off alone early before. I've only had two loans of

my entire life, and I paid them off normally. So

apparently you called Hunting's bank and you say, what would

it cost me to do a ten day payoff?

They give you that figure because they admortized out to

that next ten days. Correct, Yeah, okay, interest you all that?

But that is a common phrase. Yes, Now, how would

somebody know this unless they've experienced.

This, because that's true, right right?

So anyway, so now I'm the dumb one.

So you're just guessing numbers. I think thirty seven fifty.

No, I don't know what you meant. I go, are

you saying that I have to pay this off in

ten days, and because because you know, I could do that,

but just let me know. And she's like, no, no,

just get a ten day payoff. I'm like, I don't

know what this means. So I literally text her back

and I go, I am, I said, I I don't

think I understand. I am too dumb to understand what

you are saying. No, I said, explain to me like

a child. And then she called me and she goes,

you never heard that before? And I go, how would

I have ever heard anybody talk about this? So funny? Okay,

so I am the dumb one today.

No you're not. It's okay, No, you're not.

You know, I don't like you. You're the one, like

nice Jeff.

You're the one that you're the one who led us

through the normal jet. Dude, I didn't have any red

lights today. I am not normal Jeff today. I'm amazing

Jeff today.

Yeah, that's so funny. I used a nice jets speaking

of No, you're not speaking of.

Amazing, Jeff. Elijah was pretty amazing, and the way he

went back to heaven was even more amazing.

Wow that speaking of amazing Jeff, he did two things there. Yeah,

Elijah amazing, Jeff.

Elijah was also amazed, pretty amazing. Pretty Elijah was pretty amazing. Amazing.

That is great.

And it takes one to know one.

You know my word?

Wow sod. Second King's chapter two, If You're If you're

a newer listener, A few weeks ago, we started trying

to have like the worst transitions from yes, our chit

chat at the beginning, by the way to the I

didn't tell you.

I was in a restaurant and a young lady came

up to me in her twenties I think, and she said, hey,

Pastor Chris. She just recognized me. She said, just tell

Jeff that I think that your terrible transitions are better

than his. What. No, by the way, I think she

was just trying.

To she just has bad taste. No, no, no, you know

who you are.

I honestly think she was trying to just say something

to me.

Be there no red lights today, Chris.

But however, I think what she was really trying to

say is is that she likes our terrible transition.

Good good good, So okay, so there it is. Second

Kings Chapter two, Verse one says when the Lord was

about to take Elijah up to Heaven in a whirlwind.

Elijah and Elisha. Remember, he went and got Elisha to

help him. Wait where are you in Second Kings chapter two.

Oh that's right, we're striching. We're going backwards.

Yeah, that's right.

Okay, go ahead.

When the Lord is about to take Elijah up to

Heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal,

got it. Remember Elijah went and got Elisha to help him. Yeah,

God get told him go do three things, and one

of them must go get Alishah the right. But Elisha replied,

as surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live,

I will never leave you. Oh I'm sorry, Elijah said, Elisha,

stay here, for the Lord has told me to go

to Bethel. But Elisha replied, as surely as the Lord

lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.

So they went down together to Bethel. The group of

prophets from Bethel came to Elishah and asked him, do

you know what the Lord is going to take your

master away from you today? Of course I know, Elisha answered,

but be quiet about it. Then Elijah said to Elisha,

stay here for the Lord has told me to go

to Jericho. But Elisha replied again, as surely as the

Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.

So they went on together to Jericho. Then the group

of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him,

did you know that the Lord is going to take

your master away from you today? Of course I know,

Elisha answered, but be quiet about it. Then Elijah and Elisha.

Elijah said to Elishah, stay here, for the Lord has

told me to go to the Jordan River. But again

Elisha replied, as surely as the Lord lives and you

yourself live, I will never leave you. So they went

on together. Fifty men from the group of prophets also

went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elishah

stopped beside the Jordan River. Then Elijah folded his cloak

together and struck the water with it. The water divided,

and the two of them went across on dry ground.

When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha,

tell me what I can do for you before I'm

taken away. And Elijah replied, please let me inherit a

double share of your spirit and become your successor. You've

asked a difficult thing, Elijah applied. If you see me

when I'm taken from you, then you will get your request,

But if not, then you won't. As they were walking

along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn

by horses of fire. It drove between the two men,

separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.

Elijhah saw it and cried out, my father, my father,

I see the chariots and cherio tears of Israel. And

as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.

Elishah picked up Elijah's cloak, which had fallen when he

was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of

the Jordan River, and he struck the water with Elijah's

cloak and cried out, where's the Lord, the God of Elijah.

Then the river divided and Elisha went across. When the

group of prophets from Jericho saw from a distance what happened,

they exclaimed, Elijah's spirit rests upon Elisha, and they went

to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. Sir,

They said, just say the Word, and fifty of our

strongest men will search the wilderness for your master. Perhaps

the spirit of the Lord has left him on some

mountain or on some valley. No, Alisha said, don't send them,

but they kept urging him until they shamed him into agreeing,

and he finally said, all right, send them. So fifty

men searched for three days but did not find Elijah.

Elisha was still at Jericho when they returned. Didn't they

tell you not to go? He asked, Wow, yeah, wow,

so there you go?

So yeah, there you go. So apparently they knew a

day that God was planning on taking Elijah.

I guess so, uh, because it just.

Starts by saying, when the Lord was about to take

Elijah to Heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha, we're

traveling from Gilgal and they said, and then apparently everybody

else knew too, right, right, So the.

Prophet in in Jericho, because it says the prophets were

the ones that came and said, don't you know now?

I almost wonder if now you know, it's not like

I'm a it's not like I know every inch of

the Bible. Hopefully that's the goal in life. But is

there a place that maybe perhaps you know, because we're

only reading highlights of the Old Testament, is there a

place where this was announced that we met perhaps maybe.

Over all these groups of prophets.

Yeah, like, did God announce like surely on this day?

You know it's this is going to happen? Because how

did everybody know? It was just one of those things.

Because they're prophets, I guess so I think, so.

Well that's what I was meaning by just one of

those things.

Yeah, I think so okay, yeah you yeah, Well because

I don't remember seeing any announcement.

Yeah, I mean, because listen here, I'm under the belief,

I'm under the firm belief actually that it's not. God's

not obligated to tell us absolutely every detail he does, right,

so therefore you know, like uh, and by the way,

this this brings up a whole noother topic. I think

I've told you this before, like when people preach this passage.

For instance, if a preacher got up there and said,

let me tell you how the prophets knew they knew

by divine revelation or something like this, right, well better

it would be better if you said, most likely they

knew by divine revelation, right, because we don't know for sure.

It very well could be that God did make an

announcement that wasn't recorded. That's what I'm trying to say, right,

it could.

Be we can all get to that would be revelation.

Oh yeah, of course. But yeah, but I'm meaning, you know,

just through just through, uh.

Sure, saying things that the Bible doesn't say, is what

you're yes, you're saying. It's so I instead of connecting

the doctor.

Yeah. I remember one time going up to a pastor

and he said, do you want to know why the

woman touched his cloak or touched jesus cloak? And he said,

you know why? Jesus turned around. He was trying to

answer the wise and I I approached him afterwards and

I said, how could you possibly know the intent when

it's not recorded? And he said, well, according to Jewish custom.

And I was like, so that doesn't give you the

right or he actually gives nobody the right to say

I know exactly what Jesus was thinking at the time.

I said, you can't say that. I said, so as

a preacher, just say most likely or it's or you know, hey,

some scholars would believe or maybe it's possible, right, So

I would just say, you know, so.

They very clearly knew here, they knew, and the only

way they could have known would have been how.

Either number one an announcement by God audibly or number

two they just knew in their spirit because they were.

Prophets, fifty prophets of who of God, So it would

have been divine revelation either way. Either way, they couldn't

have known any other way. Fifty in Bethel, fifty in Jericho.

Yeah, but my question was was it was it announced

to God?

Yeah, there's nowhere in the Bible where there's an announcement,

but clearly he was informing these fifty in Bethel and

fifteen in Jericho. He's affirming it. Anyways. The bigger issue

is Elijah or Elijhah refused to leave Elijah. Elijah was like,

because Elijah doesn't know what's going to happen. He just

knows today's the day and uh.

And it could have been Elijah's acting like I don't

want you to see me die.

Right, but he's covering some ground, dude. To go from

Bethel down to Jericho is a long ways. Yeah, and

then that area is pretty hot, right, so he's he's

covering some ground. You know, if you were dying today,

I don't know that you'd walk from one city to

another city, then cross the river right, and then in

that area by the way, this is really interesting. There's

something special about this, and I don't know what it is.

The highest point that you can see from that spot

as far as I know I've been, there is Mountain

Nebo where Moses ascended back to Heaven. This is the

same area where Joshua brought the people across on dragground

at the Jordan River. And this is the same place

Elijah goes back to Heaven. Same honestly, it's within all

within view right of the same spot. And then this

is the same place that John the Baptist was baptizing

and where Jesus got baptized, all at the same spot,

within within just a few miles.

Now, how do we know that?

Just based on where they were, based on biblical descriptions,

and based on the fact that when you're standing on

Mountain Nebo, right there is Jericho and that's where John

the Baptist was baptizing. That's where Joshua led the people

across that's where Jesus got baptized. And there's there's several shrines,

there's a couple of churches, there's all these things commemorating

the plane. There's you kind of come out of the

river valley spot. There's just a little hill. It's not

a big hill, but a little hill kind of like

probably the limits of the banks of the river. And

then it flattens off into a plane and then it

pops up into the mountains from there. In this little

plain is where Elijah ascended back to Heaven.

Wow.

Right, so it all happens in the same this corridor.

For some reason, lots of miracles happened there. And then

the thing that's just so you know, we're like, wow,

chariots a fire coming, by the way, the people who've

ever watched movies, that's cherots of fire. Chariots the fire

come and get Elijah. That's amazing. But the one that

I think I always forget is he rolls up his

cloak snaps the water. Yeah, and the water parts it

is a huge miracle, just a sheer amount of water

that typically would flow from the north end.

If you've ever huge if you've ever seen a picture

of the.

Jordan River overflowing its banks.

Especially overflowing its banks. Right, but even just you know

you've been in the Jordan.

River that spot, you and I know you and I

could hold hands and reach across it.

Oh were they crossed?

Yeah? Now, but it's because of all of the the

irrigation where they've where they've redirected all the water in

modern day Israel.

But I thought you said it was the same place

where Jesus Baptist was baptized. It was because that place

seemed pretty wide to me. Didn't you go on a

big pool because.

You you were further north, not south. Yeah, there's there's

two places back when you couldn't they changed They changed

for the tourists.

Did they Yeah?

Yeah, oh yeah, okay when when when they when they could,

I went because of all the geopolitical issues, they just go,

oh and over here is where we think Jesus got

bad paste. And it's just a Jordan river, but we

know historically where you got baptized.

Okay, I see what you're saying.

So so anyways, that idea or that place is extraordinarily

special for some reason, God just does so many miracles

right there in that area, and The thing I love

about it is that Elisha understood what God was doing

in Elijah's life, and Elisha was like, you know, Elijah said,

what can I do for you before I die? Well, man,

Elijah made a lady her flour and oil never run out.

Right.

Elijah could have meant, hey, I don't ever want my

bank account to run dry. Right, Elijah could have said.

Elisha could have said, I want to live to be

two hundred right, right, he could have He could have

he could have I want to I want to marry

a model. Right, well, whatever, I don't know what all

the things I want to fast chariot.

Well, he could have definitely ensured his life, just like

what you're saying. It's like, it's like it doesn't have

to be horrible motivations, right, But it could have been

something like, hey, may make sure I never go without food, something.

Like that, I don't ever want to sick again.

Yeah, just for the you know, because I want to

serve the Lord.

You know.

It didn't have to be like, hey, I want a

million dollars or something like that. But but the thing

he asked for is a double portion of h of

his spirit.

Which is phenomenal He's like, I want, I want to

do more than you've done. Yeah, and I don't think

that spiritual ambition is wrong. In Timothy, it says if

a man desires the officer of a bishop, he desires

a good thing, you know. So having spiritual ambition saying, man,

I want to be used by God. I want to

do great things for God. God, if you would let

me do, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to

get to the point where you would use me to

do amazing things for you. I don't think that's wrong.

And you see it in Elijah. You see it with

Paul talking about bishops, you know. And this is what

Elishah has is. Elishah says Elijah, the difference you've made,

the impact you've made, I want. I want that kind

of relationship plus with God. I want that kind of

impact plus with God. I think it's really a neat thing.

And that's but at the same time it required a

lot of him.

So did you also know that Elijah did eight major

miracles and Elisha actually, if you total up all his

miracles by the time he died, it was only fifteen.

It wasn't quite exactly double. But then they buried Elisia's bones,

and then somebody dug up Elisia's bones and when they

touched them, they were healed, and so that was sixteen sixteen.

Yeah, it makes sense.

So Elijah eventually got exactly double the number of miracles

that Elijah did. So how cool is that?

It's pretty incredible?

So God allowed it to be exactly double. And so,

you know, Elijah says to him, Hey, what you've asked

is a very difficult thing. And you know what's really

cool about Elijah's response is that Elijah knows that only

God can grant what Elisha is asking for, right, right,

So Elijah decides to do, you know, sort of like

he lays out the fleece, doesn't he And he says,

I'll tell you what, Elisha, I'm going to lay it out.

If God allows you to see me, that means God

has granted your requests, right, And if you cannot see

me when I'm taking up in heaven, that means that

God has not granted your request. So Elijah is still

doing his part, right, and yet at the same time,

Elijah is acknowledging that only God can grant these requests.

So there's a great note you know, we love the

Life Application Study Bible. I don't know why you haven't

gotten yourself a life application study Bible. If you're listening

and don't have one, yes, grab one and read it.

I just had a young young adult, he's twenty I think,

and he always reads from his phone, always read the

Bible from his phone. Yeah, but you know, you get

all the alerts, you get texts, you get all these things,

and they distract you from reading.

Yeah.

So then he came to his dad and he was

asking his dad some questions, and he was just talking

about how hard it is sometimes to pay attention to

whatever he has. Dad a Bible questions. Dad goes, I

don't know, let me find it, and he goes and

grabs a paper Bible. And the young man kind of

poked fun at him little bit, but grabbing the paper Bible.

And so he opens it up and he's reading. He's

reading through the passage and he goes, oh, and then

he answers the question and the young guy was like,

how did you know that? He says, because it's right

here in the notes in the study Bible. And this

kid fell in love with the SOUB. I went and

grabbed himself one. Now he's reading and he said, I

don't get distracted with text anyone of the things. And

by the way, there's all these extra notes in it. Right,

you know the guy right he's on our staff and

his son was just super excited about it. And you

know who you are, Charlie. So this the notes in this.

That's twice that Charlie get mentioned.

Yeah, that's right. Second King's chapter two, verse nine, it

says God granted Elisha's request because Elisha. Elisha's motives were pure.

His main goal was not to be better or more

powerful than Elijah, but accomplish more for God. If our

motives are pure, we don't have to be afraid to

ask great things from God, but we must be willing

to ask. And when we ask God for great power

of we need to examine our desires and get rid

of any selfishness we find right And so it was

these pure motives of God. I want to do great

things for you. It's not for me. Now, Elishah benefited.

He didn't have to get a boat and go across

the river. He snapped the water and walked across too,

on dry land. So he benefited from those blessings, but

they were not selfish motives. Right.

Well, last thing I'll say before we wrap up, because

that is our time, is a mentor once said publicly,

we can get a lot done for God if we

don't care who gets the credit.

Oh that's great, isn't that great? Yep? It's his kingdom first,

that's right, yep.

All right, Well, hey, that's our time for today and

we will pick up our story with Elisha tomorrow on

the Babble Guys,