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Faithful Voices in a Faithless Time: 2 Kings 2
The main focus of 1 and 2 Kings is on the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah. However, in 2 Kings 2 there is another cast of characters, the prophets, who contrast the kings. These prophets are as faithful as the kings are unfaithful.
The role of the prophets in the books of Kings and throughout the Bible is to remind the people of their covenant relationship with God and call them back to faithfulness when they stray.
The prophets are the keepers of the first and second commandments. They challenge people to love and serve God alone, which is the first commandment. They also condemn worship of idols and false gods, reinforcing the second commandment.
There are many prophets in the Bible.
- Moses – the lawgiver and often considered the greatest prophet
- Elijah – the fiery power prophet
- Elisha – the miracle man
- Isaiah – the Messianic prophet
- Jeremiah – the weeping prophet
- Ezekiel – the visionary prophet
- Daniel – the interpreting dreams prophet
- Hosea – the mercy and love prophet
- Amos – the social justice prophet
- Jonah — the reluctant prophet.
The prophet Elijah is our current power prophet. He has been directly challenging idolatry by confronting Ahab, Jezebel, Ahaziah, and the prophets of Baal. He calls the kings and people to return to the worship of the one true God.
Passing the Mantle
In 2 Kings 2, Elijah makes an epic exit and Elisha (also in the top ten) takes center stage. These two powerful prophets are often compared and contrasted with each other for several reasons.
For one thing, their names are almost identical. Elijah means “Jehovah is my God,” and Elisha means “God is my salvation.” Right there alone is a message for us: Jehovah is my God and God is my salvation.
Their social backgrounds contrast. Elijah’s is mysterious. We only know he is from Gilead. Elisha is from a wealthy, faithful family in Abel-meholah.
Their personalities are very different as well. Elijah is often described as passionate, volatile, and prone to dramatic displays. Elisha is more even-tempered and focused on helping people.
Their ministry style contrasts in that Elijah primarily confronts kings and leaders with harsh messages, often appearing suddenly and dramatically. Elisha, on the other hand, interacts more regularly with ordinary people and performs a wider range of miracles.
Their approach is different too. Elijah is a loner, living out of the world, and showing up only when God commands it. He is seen as an enemy. In contrast, Elisha mixes with the people and kings. He is often seen as a counselor and friend.
As for their miracles, Elisha prays he will have a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, and he does twice as many miracles as Elijah. That’s why he’s known as the miracle prophet. However, some of their miracles are similar. For example, they both raised someone from the dead and called down fire from heaven.
So, if you prefer intense action, then the solitary, fiery, dramatic and confrontational Elijah is for you. If you like gentle encouragement, then the more compassionate and accessible miracle worker, the prophet Elisha, is your guy.
Elijah Takes Elisha on a Spiritual Journey
The scene in 2 Kings 2:1-6 feels solemn and intense. First, as the scene opens, we are told this is the day Elijah will depart the earth.
The dread is palpable. Elisha can’t even talk about it. He is almost rude to the other prophets when they ask about it, telling them multiple times to be quiet.
Were they afraid for Elijah? Did they imagine he would be killed? He had lived with that threat for years. How could Elisha protect him?
There is an element of testing on this journey. At each location, Elijah tells him to stay where he is while Elijah goes on to the next location. Three times Elijah tells him this, and three times Elisha insists he will not leave Elijah.
It’s reminiscent of the story of Ruth and Naomi. Ruth would not leave her mentor Naomi and in the end she was blessed because she followed Naomi.
It also echoes the three times Jesus asked his disciples to keep watch while he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Each time they fell asleep. They did not pass the test.
Elisha passes easily. His attention is riveted on his master and mentor.
Every Step’s a Story
Their dramatic journey takes them to four locations: Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan River. Rather than talking, Elijah is walking Elisha through a spiritual experience to prepare him for his coming ministry.
This entire spiritual journey highlights the transfer of Elijah’s prophetic mantle to Elisha. Each stop could be seen as a stage in this spiritual succession. Elisha is reliving Israel’s history, and each location they visit has deep meaning for the Israelites.
Gilgal was the starting point of the journey. It’s the first campsite of Joshua and the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan River. This is the site where they renewed their covenant with God in Joshua 4.
It’s where their life in the Promised Land began, and it symbolizes a new beginning and renewal. For Elisha it will be his new beginning where he too will need a renewed commitment as a prophet and guardian of the covenant.
Next is Bethel, which means house of God. Jacob named it this because it’s where he had a vision of the ladder reaching to heaven in Genesis 28. In his vision, God told Jacob He was the God of Abraham and Isaac, and what He promised them He also promised Jacob.
Jacob’s descendants would be blessed and numerous and God would watch over Jacob wherever he went. When Elisha visited Bethel, it would have reminded him of God’s promises to Israel and God’s presence with him.
Jericho is next on the journey. This is the location of Joshua’s first victory in the Promised Land. The Lord went before the Israelties and the walls of Jericho fell down.
The Israelites faithfully obeyed God, and He faithfully gave them victory. Jericho would have been a reminder to be like Joshua: strong, courageous, faithful, and obedient.
A River of Transition
In 2 Kings 2:7-8, they arrive at their last stop, the Jordan River, a symbol of transition for Israel. The crossing of the Red Sea was the Israelites transition to freedom. The crossing of the Jordan River was their transition to home. Here at the Jordan River there will be another transition as Elijah ends his journey and Elisha begins his.
There are only four times in the Bible that the water parts. Moses parted the Red Sea by raising his staff and stretching his hands over the sea. Joshua parted the River Jordan by telling the priests carrying the Ark to step into the river. Elijah struck the water with his cloak, or mantle, and Elisha will do the same with the same mantle.
In 2 Kings 2:9-10, Elijah senses the time is near. He turns his focus to his young protege and asks what he can do for him. Elisha doesn’t hesitate. He wants twice the portion of Elijah’s spirit.
This is symbolic of the Hebrew law. Elisha was asking for the eldest son’s double portion of the inheritance.
However, Elijah knows only God can bestow the power of the Lord. The test will be to see if Elisha can see and comprehend the spiritual world. That test happens momentarily in 2 Kings 2: 11-12. Elisha cries out for Elijah as the chariot and horses of fire separate them.
The chariot is symbolic of Elijah being a force for the military of God. The fire is one of Elijah’s greatest weapons against Ahab, Ahaziah, and the Baal prophets. Elijah was a defender of Israel, and now he is gone.
Elisha’s Journey Back Alone
The journey that began this story from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to the Jordan River continues but in reverse as Elisha begins his ministry back along the path he had traveled with Elijah. On his journey back, through miracles, Elisha demonstrates that the same spirit of Elijah is now with him.
Miracle 1: Parting the Jordan River
As Elisha begins to retrace Elijah’s steps alone, his first stop in 2 Kings 2:13-14 is the Jordan River. Just as Joshua mimicked his mentor Moses in parting the Red Sea, Elisha mimics Elijah by parting the Jordan River for all to witness.
Moses and Joshua. Elijah and Elisha. Two leaders who passed the baton to their successor. Two successors who gained confidence by beginning with a visible miracle.
Hundreds of years later, in the same Jordan River, a prophet John the Baptist will pass the baton to the One he had come to prepare the way for, the all-in-one prophet and king, Jesus Christ. Interestingly, John the Baptist is often compared to Elijah, and Jesus is often compared to Elisha because many of His miracles, like Elisha’s, were miracles of compassion for people.
After parting the water, Elisha gets back to the Jericho side of the Jordan River where he has an audience of 50 prophets from Jericho who witnessed his first miracle. In 2 Kings 2:15-18, they validate Elisha has the spirit.
At the same time, they question the disappearance of Elijah and insist on looking for him. This makes perfect sense. Elijah was known for disappearing. He had to because Ahab and Jezebel were intent on killing him.
These 50 prophets had another reason to look for Elijah. If he was really dead, they wanted to give him an honorable burial.
While the NIV verses say Elisha didn’t argue with them because he was embarrassed, this most likely is a poor translation of Hebrew. It would be more accurate to say they pressed Elisha until he relented and let them search.
The search, of course, is fruitless. Like Enoch, Elijah has been taken to heaven without experiencing death.
Miracle 2: The Water Purification that Gave Life
At Jericho, in 2 Kings 2:19-22, the people approach Elisha regarding a water problem. The NIV description of the water says it has made the land unproductive. Other versions translate the Hebrew word to barren, which implies the water caused the land, trees, animals, and people to miscarry.
There was something toxic in the water supply, and it was killing plants, animals, and people. This could have resulted from the curse on Jericho from the time of Joshua 6:26.
Because of the curse, no one was supposed to build on the site of Jericho, but back in 1 Kings 16 Ahab could care less about what God decreed. He builds on Jericho and because of his disobedience his oldest and youngest sons die.
Since that time, people have apparently been living at Jericho and suffering barrenness because of the water. Through Elisha, God turns this curse into a healing miracle and many lives are touched.
Miracle 3: The Ridiculing and Judgement that Brought Death
Bethel and Dan were the two places where Jeroboam, the first really bad king of Israel, had built places of bull worship. In 2 Kings 2:23-25, Elisha goes up to Bethel, and it’s no surprise the boys from Bethel scorn God’s prophet Elisha.
“Baldy” was a term of contempt and not just the contempt of a few boys, this is a mob. Elisha calls on the name of the Lord. God knows the hostile intent of this mob and responds to Elisha by sending bears to kill 42 of the boys.
According to Deuteronomy 18 and Leviticus 26 Elisha was justified in calling on the name of the Lord. The prophets have a rough job, and not all miracles are beautiful. Not all are of God’s grace and mercy. Some miracles are proof of God’s judgement.
🎧 Ready to dive deeper? Listen to episodes of the Bible Book Club Podcast here.
Themes of this podcast:
Faithfulness is a journey God can use to bless us. The journey of Elijah and Elisha from Gilgal to the Jordan River isn’t just a road trip. It’s a sacred succession. Elisha’s loyalty and devotion mirror Ruth’s with Naomi and show us faithfulness leads to a legacy of blessing in the kingdom of God.
God prepares us before He promotes us. Every stop on Elijah and Elisha’s journey had spiritual significance, mirroring Israel’s history and Elisha’s own preparation for leadership. God uses these moments to strengthen Elisha’s resolve and deepen his understanding before giving him Elijah’s mantle. God often walks us through a season of preparation before stepping us into new purpose.
Prophets reveal both God’s mercy and His justice. Through Elisha’s first miracles, bringing life to barren land and calling down judgment on those who mocked God, we see two sides of God’s character. Prophets carry the responsibility to speak both comfort and correction. God’s Word, through His prophets, brings healing to the humble and warning to the hardened.
