Whatever services Elisha may have rendered (Timothy-like) in association with Elijah while the latter remained on earth, his testimony proper began after Elijah was carried to heaven. Their last journey together is full of spiritual significance. Starting from Gilgal, they proceeded west to Bethel; thence they turned back towards the east and visited Jericho; and from Jericho they passed to Jordan, and across to the other side. All these points spoke of a blessed past and an evil present. Israel’s Canaan history commenced at Gilgal (Josh. 5). There their camp was formed; there the reproach of Egypt was rolled away; and thence they marched forth at the divine bidding for conquest. The associations of the place were thus very precious to a pious Israelite. But Gilgal was now one of the chief centers of national iniquity (Amos 4:4; 5:54Come to Beth-el, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: (Amos 4:4)
5But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought. (Amos 5:5); Hos. 4:1515Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The Lord liveth. (Hosea 4:15)). The place of Israel’s early consecration to God had become the place of gross unfaithfulness to God. How sadly we are thus reminded of what the Church was in the beginning and of what it is today.
Bethel, meaning “house of God,” was sacred as the spot where God manifested Himself to Jacob, and graciously pledged Himself to His servant (Gen. 28:10-2210And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: 22And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. (Genesis 28:10‑22)). Now one of Jeroboam’s calves stood there (1 Ki. 12:28-2928Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. (1 Kings 12:28‑29)), causing Jehovah to speak of the place in contempt as Bethaven— “house of folly” (Hos. 4:1515Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The Lord liveth. (Hosea 4:15)).
Jordan once opened to let Israel into the land; now it opened to let Elijah out. Jehovah seemed thus to sunder link after link all that which once bound the people to Himself. They had rejected Him; He now rejected them. It is as if He was saying to His servant, “They do not want Me, and they do not want you; let them alone.”
The holy persistency of Elisha on that memorable journey is very remarkable. At the start Elijah gave him the opportunity of remaining at Gilgal while he went on to Bethel (2 Ki. 2:22And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el. (2 Kings 2:2)). But Elisha protested, “As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.” At Bethel and at Jericho further opportunities were given, but Elisha refused them in the same determined manner. Was the departing prophet really desirous of getting rid of his companion, or was he instead testing him as to how far he entered into the circumstances of that moment! We believe it was the latter. As the words of the sons of the prophets show, there was an impression abroad that Elijah was about to be taken away, and Elisha was bent upon remaining with him until the end. His soul felt that blessing was connected with association with Elijah, and he was determined not to miss the blessing. So “they two went on.” Oh, that we clave to Christ with the same set purpose that Elisha clave to Elijah! Herein is the secret of power for life and testimony.
Arrived at the river, Jordan fled before the prophet, “so that they two went over on dry ground.” Expressive type of Christ—death’s Master. But His death is also ours, and we find ourselves, in consequence, with Him outside of the present evil world. Do we indeed realize that this is our true position?
Jordan being passed, Elisha’s great opportunity came. “Ask what I shall do for thee,” said his master, “before I be taken away from thee.” Like Solomon at an earlier date (1 Ki. 3:55In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. (1 Kings 3:5)), his purpose of heart expressed itself in his reply. “I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon Thee.” The “double portion” was the portion of the firstborn (pt. 21:15-17), whereby he was enabled to worthily represent the dead, and maintain the honor of his name. All in the Church are firstborn ones (Heb. 12:2323To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:23)), and as such are endowed with blessings such as saints in former dispensations never knew. Nothing could exceed the wealthy portion which is ours in the risen Christ, that “better thing” which God has “provided for us” (Heb. 11:1616But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)). By the power of the Spirit we are enabled to enter into the realization of it, and so become fitted to worthily represent the absent Christ in the scene of His rejection.
Not until Jordan was passed did Elijah propose blessing to his disciple. In like manner, Calvary must be left behind in resurrection power ere the Spirit could be given from above, and full Christian blessing be enjoyed.
But there was a condition imposed upon Elisha. “If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” Elisha did see the glorious sight, and so the longed-for power and blessing became his. Do we see the Man who has gone up to God! Is the eye of our faith upon Him! The apostle prayed for the Colossians (Col. 1:1111Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (Colossians 1:11)) that they might be “strengthened with all might, according to the power of His glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.” Strengthened in this manner, Stephen could die in triumph, and Paul could live and serve dauntlessly.
From the departing prophet there fell the mantle. This Elisha took up, and forthwith rent his own clothes in two pieces. We must put off in order to put on. We must be divested in order to be invested. In measure as the old “I” is practically renounced (God’s sentence of death upon it really accepted) so Christ is manifested in us. The apostle describes his own experience thus: “We which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor. 4:1111For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:11)). He even welcomed the most painful circumstances when they contributed to this grand result (2 Cor. 12:99And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)).
Possessed now of power, Elisha turned back towards Jordan: “And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah! and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither, and Elisha went over” (2 Ki. 2:99And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. (2 Kings 2:9)). Elijah had gone, but God remained. What we all need is faith in the Unseen. Israel failed in this when Moses disappeared in the mount (Ex. 32:11And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (Exodus 32:1)). The Church has likewise failed in its faith in the invisible Head, and in the invisible Spirit. Men come and go, but God is ever with His people. Let us not live in the past, lamenting that “the former days were better than these” (Eccl. 7:1010Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. (Ecclesiastes 7:10)); but let us rather lay hold upon God for today, assured that we shall find Him as good to us as ever He was to His saints in ages past.