Special Saturday Edition
Ethan Barton, Pastoral Resident, Tallowood Baptist Church
Technically, Elijah is one of only two people in the Bible to never die. The other was Enoch in Genesis 5. Both men were so filled with the Holy Spirit that God decided they should go ahead and join him in Heaven. Imagine being that close to God and that filled with his Spirit! Imagine if we were that close to him!
Elisha asks his teacher for a double inheritance of his spirit. This is in a language of fathers and sons; in that day, when a man died, his firstborn son inherited twice the amount of property as his other sons. The family wealth and honor essentially passed to him. This is all Elisha can ask: let all your zeal and wisdom in the Lord pass to me. Let me be as close to God and as filled with his Spirit as you have been. What better thing could he possibly have?
Sometimes, when we lose our Christian mentors or leaders, we may feel like we’re losing our link to God as well. Elisha sure did. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” But then immediately, God showed that he is also the God of Elisha. Just as God parted the water when Elijah struck it, he did the exact same for Elisha. The same Spirit was with him! Elisha wished only to have the Spirit of God with him, and as always, God was thrilled to grant it. Similarly for us, though God speaks to us through our leaders, he also wants to be personally present with each of us!
I could be wrong, but probably none of us will leave Earth in a chariot of fire. We’re called to life here before God brings us home. As Paul explains in Philippians, even though it’s better to die and be with Jesus, for the sake of his people we first must live and love them and minister to them. So in the meantime, what is it that we most want? Do we desire a double portion of God’s Spirit? If we do, and if we sincerely ask him for it, he is thrilled to grant it. The same God that parted waters for Elijah is guiding our steps in mighty power today.
