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We read through the dramatic record of the amazing ministry of Elijah, and, as we do so, a sense of awe begins to develop. A feeling of deep wonder invades our thoughts. What a man Elijah was! What a truly great man!

God used Elijah so greatly. That fact is so very obvious. God was able to use Elijah in a way He could use few other people! We see the unmistakable evidence of this fact.

This prophet had a strength of character which is so pronounced. A determination of will! A most striking faith. An unshakable loyalty to the Lord, His Word, and His will.

Surely there could be no one else like Elijah! That is where we are wrong! In fact, that is a very real danger. The danger of giving to this great man of God a nonexistent uniqueness. To suggest that he was so great that he was indispensable. That he was irreplaceable.

He was: "A man as we are!" He was no more unique than we are! No more indispensable that we are. No more irreplaceable than we are.

The mistake should beclear. It should be quite obvious to us as Christians. It is to confuse the man with the God who used the man. It is in God that we find the true uniqueness. Only in Him. He is the One who is indispensable. He is the One who is irreplaceable. He not the man! Elijah knew this.

Elijah was called to a specific mission. A mission chosen for him by the Lord. It was defined by the Lord.

Elijah "came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, 0 LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers'' (I Kings 19: 4).

The Lord heard Elijah's words. Before He responded to His servant He sent the prophet to Mount Horeb. There on the Mount of God: The Lord spoke!

Elijah said, "It is enough!" The Lord agreed! But with a totally different emphasis!

Elijah's words were so negative. He had expressed his deeply felt sense of failure. His belief that he had accomplished nothing of' lasting worth. Those words were the cry of the man who felt nothing but defeat.

"It is enough!" That is the implication of the Lord's words! "And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abedmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room" (Verse 16).

“It is enough!'' Anoint Elisha to be prophet in your place. But there is no suggestion whatsoever that Elijah himself had failed.

The Lord is revealing His estimate of the prophet's ministry. He sees: Faithfulness. Fruitfulness. Effectiveness. His Word commends Elijah. The Lord is approving His servant's service and loyalty to the Lord.

“It is enough!" That can be stated: "Yes! Well done good and faithful servant.!" You have done enough.

Elijah had at least one more responsibility to attend to. That was the matter of Ahab and Naboth's vineyard. Then, the second step could be taken.

“Take away my life!" My life has been worthless. Fruitless. Ineffective. It would be better if it ended now.

"Take away my life!" The Lord agreed that the time was close. That Elijah's life on earth would end soon. But for a totally different reason. And, in a completely different way. That end would not be death. But: glory! It would not involve the pronouncement of failure. But, God would proclaim the fact of Elijah's great effectiveness!

Elijah: "A man as we are!" At no point is this more evident than at this point! The true servant of God knows that he has nothing to boast about. The sense of emptiness and failure which he feels is real! So very real!

There are those areas where we have failed. Failed miserably. Yet, they are blown out of all proportion. Thus the vision is clouded. We cannot see those positive areas where the Lord has used us effectively. We see so much that is yet to be done. Yet know how totally inadequate we are.

It is that person whom the Lord has used. It is that person whom the Lord is using. Certainly not the one who boasts about me! My great achievements. Not the one who is so full of his so-called victories!

No! It is the one who sees himself as nothing! Empty. Ineffective. Who is being totally honest in that selfappraisal.

The Lord corrected His faithful servant. He did so in great love. He agreed. And He disagreed! In effect He said to Elijah, "Not your evaluation! But My evaluation. Not your way! My way! The Lord held all of those aspects in His sovereign love.

The Lord's way was to designate Elisha as Elijah's successor. An unexpected development which Elijah quietly received.

So very often, that is exactly what the Lord is saying to us today. "Not your evaluation! My evaluation Not your way! My way!" He still continues to hold all things in His sovereign love. Working out His will His way!

“So he (Elijah) departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth."

"So Elijah departed thence!" He immediately left Mount Horeb. Acting in obedience to the Word of the Lord.

The Lord had spoken to him on the Mount. It was enough for Elijah that the Lord had spoken. That he had heard His Word. He needed nothing more. The Word of the Lord had settled every issue!

The man of' God knew that he had only one thing to do. Obey the Word of God! Immediately. Fully. In every detail.

So he did the obvious. He left Mt. Horeb. He had obeyed God by going there. He was in the will of the Lord in meeting the Lord there. Now it was the Lord's will to go from there.

The first thing that he did was to find Elisha, the man he had been charged to anoint as prophet in his place.

It would be vain to speculate as to the thoughts of Elijah in this moment. All that the Word of God reveals is Elijah's immediate and complete obedience.

That had always been the pattern of his life. The Lord spoke. The prophet obeyed. The Word of the Lord revealed the will of the Lord. To the man of God immediate and total obedience was the only possible response. His thoughts focused on that reality. Thus honoring the Lord.

This is a lesson which we are so very slow to learn. A vital spiritual principle which we are often reluctant to apply. We miss out on so much because of that slowness.

The fact remains: The Word of the Lord reveals the will of the Lord! There is only one response which makes any sense. That is: immediate and complete obedience!

Elijah "found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast the mantle upon him."

What a most dramatic day that was to be for Elisha. Involving as it did the most unexpected intervention in his plans. Elisha was busy. He was faithfully attending to the responsibilities of his work. Plowing with the twelve yoke of oxen.

The description of this incident leaves many questions unanswered. Was Elisha expecting anything unusual to happen to him that day? We do not know. We do not need to know!

The Bible does not seek to satisfy our curiosity. God gives us all of the information He knows we need!

While Elisha was working, Elijah approached him. There is no indication that the prophet said anything. As he was passing, Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha.

There are some things which are quite clear. Elisha knew who this person was. He recognized Elijah. He obviously held the prophet of the Lord in the highest regard. He had the greatest respect for his ministry.

Elisha knew what was meant for the mantle to be thrown on him. It was a clear call to service. To specific service. The service which involved a complete identification with the ministry of Elijah.

Elisha did not hesitate. He knew that God was using Elijah to call him. Ha had no doubt about the fact of the Lord's will for his life. He fully identified with this act as the clear confirmation of the Lord's will.

God was using Elijah to intervene. To call Elisha. Elisha knew that the results of this call would be so far reaching!

"The Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me!" (Acts 9: 15). That was the Word of the Lord to Ananias concerning Saul of Tarsus. "A chosen vessel!"

That is still the message of the Lord concerning who? Concerning the Christian today, the one who is personally available to be used by the Lord!

Elisha was sure of the call of the Lord in his life. Every Christian can be equally sure. Sure of the clear call of the Lord in his or her life. Confident that they do know the will of the Lord. That they themselves have heard His Word. There is no doubt. No uncertainty.

"And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and I will follow thee!"

He was sure of the call. So sure that he immediately left what he was doing. That responsibility had to be set aside, enabling him to take up this Godgiven responsibility. Immediate, enthusiastic response!

It was natural that he desired to bid his mother and father farewell. He was genuine. He sought only enough time to express his love to them. To honor them.

Then, whatever it took! Wherever it led. No matter how great the cost. "I will follow thee!" It was definite. He was determined. He would do it!

It is that measure of commitment which is so often lacking today. Many do get so excited, so very enthusiastic for a while. Then their zeal fades. The commitments which they previously made are forgotten. The work of the Lord is neglected.

Let the Lord speak. Then respond immediately. Mean it! Stick to it! Weather the storms. Endure the trials. Even though all others fall by the wayside persevere to the end. That is what is needed so desperately today.

Only that level of commitment honors God. It is only such genuine commitment that God honors.

Elijah responded to Elisha. "And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?"

"Go back again!" Go back to your work. To your oxen. To your plowing. Was this a test of Elisha's commitment. Would such discouraging words weaken his resolve.

“For what have I done to thee?" Elisha would readily acknowledge that Elijah had done something. But he was far more aware of what the Lord had done! That the Lord had called him through the actions of Elijah. That gripped him!

"Go back again!" Some today would be happy to hear those words. To go back to: whatever! Many do go back! Relinquishing the responsibility of following all the way.

“What have I done to thee?" Was it only the call of a man that we heard? Then we should go back! Go back and wait until the Lord actually does call us! Until we do personally hear the clear word of the Lord to us!

If the only call that we have is from man, we have no call at all. No real call to spiritual service!

But, if the man was the instrument of God! If the call came to us through man from God! If there is that strong awareness. That deep conviction. Then: we must go on! No matter what anyone says or does. We must go on!

Go back! Go back?? It is almost as if Elisha says, "Let me demonstrate the depth of my consciousness of the call of the Lord! My irrevocable commitment to follow!"

He did go back! For only one reason! To "burn his bridges behind him"! To leave nothing to go back to!'

"And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat!"

That was that. The bridges were burned behind him! He had nothing to go back to. Nothing!

That must be our response. There must be the expression of that spiritual reality. Leaving nothing that could ever draw us back. Nothing to tug at us. Nothing to entice us to go back on our commitment.

“Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” The call was clear. The commitment was confirmed. It is so easy to see the reason that the Lord chose Elisha to take Elijah's place.

Elisha demonstrated the same intense loyalty to the Lord. The same strong commitment to obey His Word. That same deep love which willingly sacrificed all to be faithful.

"And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal."

The key words are: "When the LORD!" The Lord was still in sovereign control. He was patiently and powerfully working His purposes out. He was faithfully holding to His own timetable.

At the time when it was the Lord's will to act! Earlier Elijah had attempted to set the time! “It is enough!” “Do not let this go on any longer! Let me die: now!”

The Lord said, "No! That is not My plan! That does not fit My timing! You must patiently wait on Me. Patiently work out My will: for your life!"

We do get so impatient. Particularly when the way we are called to walk gets difficult. When the road ahead of us appears to be impossible. In our impatience we pray the wrong prayer. We ask for the wrong things. We seek the wrong solutions.

The Lord responds, "No!" How thankful we must always be when the Lord says that: "No!" Or, "not yet!" Or, "Not that way!"

We must learn to patiently wait on God. Let Him choose the course. Let Him set the timetable. Let Him decide not only: "When!" But: "How!" And: "Where!"

The "When" had come for Elijah. It was also matched by The Lord's: "How!"

Elijah's request: "Let, me die!" The Lord's will was to ''take Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind!" There is absolutely no comparison between the two!

God's plan was infinitely better than man's suggestion. It always is! Always! When the Lord says, "No!' to our requests, it is because He has already planned a far better answer. A much more superior way of dealing with the situation

Thank God for every time He says, "No!" He is seeking to reveal a much more exciting way! A far more glorious answer. When God says, "No!" That is the time to start to look around to discover His glorious: "YES!"

"Elijah went back with Elisha to Gilgal." Those two men. The significant men in the Lord's plan. They knew that God was on the move! They were on the move with God! Responding to God! Walking with God!

Too many will sit back and passively wait. The people whom God uses move with God! They keep in step with Him. Moving in humble expectant faith. In deep devotion and obedience.

"Gilgal!" Gilgal always had great spiritual significance in the history of Israel. It was at Gilgal that the covenant rite of circumcision was reestablished. There it was reaffirmed that these were the covenant people of God. The people whom God had drawn into covenant with Himself.

"And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place was called Gilgal unto this day"(Joshua 5: 9),

God was on the move. They went first to Gilgal. The reproach rolled away! That is exactly what the Lord sought to do for His people. Elijah and Elisha were the men through whom He sought to make this a reality!

We need to have our own "Gilgal!" That special place of sacred memory. There where we know that the reproach of sin and the world was rolled from off us. Where we genuinely became the covenant people of God. The place where we go when we are aware that we need to renew our covenant. There where we become part of God's answer to the desperate needs of our day.

“And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel."

Three times Elijah said to Elisha, "Tarry here!" (verses 2; 4; 6). Elijah was testing Elisha. Testing his commitment. Testing his desire to go all the way. Testing his faithfulness.

That was the way it had to be. Elisha had made a commitment Would he persevere? Would he insist on going all the way in his response to the call of the Lord?

Some today would have been content to hear Elijah say, "Tarry here!" They would immediately grasp that opportunity to sit down and passively wait for something to happen.

Such people never really count for much in the service of the Lord. Everything that really matters has long since left them far behind. They have not sought to keep step with the Lord. He cannot use them. They have failed the test.

Elisha did not fail the test. "And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee!"

On each of the three occasions he gave the same answer. No one or nothing could divert him. Not even Elijah!

Elisha had made his commitment. He was going to go all the way with the Lord. He would persevere no matter what the cost. Regardless of constant and great discouragenent.

To Gilgal. Then to Bethel! From the place where the reproach was rolled away to: The House of God! Jacob had testified, "Surely the Lord is in this place!'' (Genesis 28: 16]. That is why he named the place: "Bethel!"

The reproach is gone. Press on. Go to your "Bethel!" That place which speaks so powerfully to you of the Lord's presence! Go all the way with the Lord. Let Him renew again the sense of wonder and glory: "Surely the Lord is in this place!"

From Bethel to Jericho. Jericho! The place which witnesses to the Lord's great power in glorious victory. When simple faith and obedience experienced the most exciting intervention of the Lord in victory.

Notice the order. And, apply it! First: to Gilgal! The reproach rolled away. To Bethel: The Lord is present! Personally, powerfully present. To Jericho. The place of the Lord's glorious intervention in victory

That sequence should daily mark our pilgrimage with the Lord. As we walk with Him, seeking to keep step with Him.

The prophets twice spoke to Elisha. Warning of the impending developments. “Knowest. thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today?”

Elisha did not need that reminder. "Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace" He knew that the Lord was in control. He sought only to be in the center of the will of the Lord. Faithfully responsive to His leading.

“And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, arid stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.”

That is an interesting contrast. The fifty kept their distance. Hoping to be able to see what was about to happen. Not participating in those events. Mere spectators.

God has nothing for them. The revelation of His grace and power are for the few. That few who humbly, sincerely, go all the way with the Lord.

It is not at all surprising that these men not only saw nothing. They later refused to believe Elisha's witness to all that the Lord had done!

That is ever the characteristic mark of such mere spectators. Even today. Those who hold back from participating. They are left out. Even as they refuse to believe those who do go on with the Lord. They always have their own answer. Their own explanation.

“And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.”

What a dramatic moment this was. The Jordan. That river which had parted before the Israelites. Joshua led them over on dry land.

Elijah's ministry was drawing to a close. He had come to Israel as the ambassador of the Lord. He had faithfully proclaimed the Word of the Lord. He had effectively revealed the grace of the Lord. The Lord's desire to forgive. To cleanse. To reconcile His people to Himself.

Now, Elijah was going to the Lord. The Jordan was in front of them. He took his mantle. That same mantle which he had thrown on the shoulders of Elisha. With that mantle Elijah struck the waters of the river. They immediately parted before the two men. They crossed the Jordan or dry land.

They walked with the Lord. They were intent on doing His will. At the Jordan He again honored their commitment. The mantle of Elijah was seen as the symbol of spiritual power. Every hindrance was removed.

"And 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."

"When they were gone over!" Elisha was there because he had insisted on being there! He was unrelenting in his commitment to go all the way. If he had relaxed in his conviction he would have missed this most exciting moment.

What a challenge and inspiration that is to us. Press on. Persevere. Refuse to be diverted or discouraged. Then, and only then, can we expect to hear, "Ask what I shall do for thee!"

Elisha was prepared for the question. Ready to answer. "And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me."

How wonderfully that response honored Elijah! "A double portion.'' That was the inheritance of the oldest son. Elisha was asking, “Recognize me as your oldest son! So that as the oldest son I will receive the double portion of your inheritance.”

I want you to recognize me as your true spiritual son, so that I can perpetuate your name. To carry on your name and your life in me and in my life. To continue your ministry. What a statement! How it so greatly honored Elijah.

“A double portion of your spirit!” Elisha knew where the true reality was to be found. The things of the world made no appeal to him whatsoever.

'Thy spirit!" That is what he longed for. That spirit which made Elijah such a great man of God. So faithful. So sacrificial. So effective. So powerful. So totally honoring to the Lord. Continually glorifying His Name.

Is that what we desire today? Above all else? The double portion of that same Spirit? That is true riches. Eternal riches. The riches which focus everything on the glory of the Lord.

“And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.”

If you really do desire this: persevere! Go on all the way! Hold faithfully to the course. Then you will receive it.

That is God's way. It is the only way. Persevere. When the going gets tough keep on going!. The one who holds on receives the desired spiritual inheritance. The one who perseveres is able to claim the fullness of the promise.

"And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

“As they still went on, and talked” together. It is not at all difficult to visualize that. The prophet and his apprentice walking together. Those two men who were so completely one in commitment. In faith. In obedience. One in their unswerving loyalty to the Lord. In their love for the Lord.

They "talked!" We are not told the topic of that conversation The Lord knows that we do not need to know.

The memory of those precious moments would always live with Elisha. The words of Elijah would be a constant inspiration to him.

Then, it was all over! Out of heaven came the “chariot of fire, and horses of fire.” That marked the moment of separation. From that moment on the responsibility rested on Elisha.

"Let me die!" "NO!" God had a much better plan.. Taken up "by a whirlwind into heaven." Into the very presence of the Lord he loved. Into the courts of the God whom he had so faithfully served. Into heaven!

Who could doubt that he heard, "Well done, good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,"?

Who could desire anything more? There is nothing anywhere to compare with that. Nothing! To be able to look forward with deep calm confidence. To anticipate that incredibly exciting moment. We will see Him. Face to face! Knowing how utterly unworthy we are, yet He will welcome us home! '

"Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"

That is: "Joy unspeakable and full of glory!" That Is our hope. It may not be a chariot of fire, or a whirlwind. Yet the end result will be the same. This is for us, as we prove true and faithful. Living always and only for His glory.

“And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, My father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.”

"My father! My father!" The son was claiming his inheritance. Claiming the double portion of the spirit of Elijah. He had met the conditions. The promise was his. The inheritance was his. The Spirit of Elijah was his!

T'he ministry given by the Lord to Elijah would continue. The Spirit rested on Elisha. Filled Elisha. The Spirit of God would greatly use Elisha.

Christian: Meet the Lord's conditions. Then, claim the promise. Receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is thus that the work of the Lord continues. It is thus that this vital ministry progresses. The Lord could use EIisha. Can He use us?

“He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan." That mantle was now his. It had been left to him. He must take it to himself. He must also take to himself the responsibility which came with it. He immediately did so!

He went back to the 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!"

Yes! The Spirit of Elijah surely did rest on Elisha. He immediately went through the Jordan. Back to the place of such great need. Back to be the faithful ambassador of the Lord to rebellious Israel. Back to faithfully proclaim the Word of the Lord.

Elijah was gone. So gloriously rewarded for his faithful life and service.