TEXT: II Kings 2:1-15

SUBJECT: Life of Elijah #11: The Departure

Today brings us to the eleventh sermon in our study of Elijah. The prophet was a great man; except for Abraham and Moses, he was the most revered figure in Hebrew history. But we must avert our gaze from Elijah, and look to the God who worked in Him to "will and to do of His good pleasure".

The events of this chapter are stirring. Elijah wends his way from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho, from Jericho to the Jordan River, from the Jordan River to glory. His final ascent is made in a chariot of fire pulled by flaming horses. He spirals his way into the presence of God and leaves something for his disciple. His cape wafts its way down; Elisha takes it for his own; at the Jordan, he rolls it up as his master had done, and parts the River before him. Witnessing the sights from their perch in Jericho, the young men conclude: "The Spirit of Elijah [now] rests on Elisha. Elijah is at rest. But his work goes on.

We know what Elijah was doing; what Elisha was doing; what the other prophets were doing; but what was the LORD doing in these dramatic events? And how do they correspond to the work of Christ? Three things come to mind.

Elijah is now a revered name. Devout Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike hold him in high regard. It was not so during his life. For decades, he was the most hated man in Israel. The religious leaders despised him; the political powers loathed him; the common people resented him; even his "friends" were ambivalent. He often felt alone, forsaken, "hated without a cause".

Rejected by man, Elijah won the approval of God. His ride to glory left no doubt of that. Had anyone entered heaven with such fanfare? Solomon "in all his glory" never had a carriage like Elijah's. "Behold the man whom the King delights to honor!"

In this way, Elijah was a forerunner of Jesus Christ. Our Lord was bitterly hated. Although born into the royal house of Israel, the only crown He wore was made of thorns. His death was shameful in the extreme. The Latin word for cross, crux, was a vulgarity. Polite people never used it. It represented everything hateful and vile. It was doubly repulsive to the Hebrew mind which equated it with the curse of God.

What shame our Savior bore for a time! Yet His departure from this world was glorious! The resurrection and the ascension forty days later fully vindicated Him. His entrance into heaven was even great than Elijah's. The angels announced it: "Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in!" But they were not alone in their acclaim. God joined them with the incomparable words: "Sit at My Right Hand, till I make Your enemies your footstool".

"Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious:

See the Man of Sorrows now".

Elijah's ride to glory and our Lord's Asencension to God's Right Hand ought to inspire us. What are the persecutions of this life compared to the glories that await us in the life to come? "If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him". Let us, therefore, be bold in our faith; unapologetic for our Savior. If it costs us now in terms of popularity, what is that compared to God's approval? Behind the fiery steeds, do you think Elijah regretted his choice to "follow the Lord fully"? When taken up in a cloud, do you suppose the Lord Jesus wished He had been a little less extreme in His devotion to God?

If we would but fix our minds on the glory that awaits the faithful servants of God, we'd say with Paul, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us".

Vindication awaits everyone who has had the courage to stand up and be counted for Jesus Christ. "Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father in Heaven".

Secondly, The Lord was ceding Elijah total victory.

Elijah was a man at war with his age; his life was one long, uninterrupted fight. The conflict was fierce; much blood was let on both sides. But he saw his enemies fall one by one. Baal was humiliated in public; his prophets were slain. Mighty King Ahab died as a common soldier. His son, Ahaziah, would expire on his bed. Later, Jezebel would be eaten by dogs. All of Elijah's enemies fell. Now, "the Last Enemy" must bow before him. The prophet does the impossible: He beats death. His triumph is complete.

In this way, Elijah also anticipated our Lord. He too was beset by enemies, religious, political, and demonic. They combined forces to destroy the Prince of Life. They killed Him, buried Him; and set a guard to keep His grave secure. But early one Sunday morning, the tomb gave up its immortal Resident.

"Death cannot keep his prey,

Jesus my Savior;

He tore the bars away,

Jesus my Lord".

This He did, not only for Himself, but for His people. Believers in Christ do not succumb to the grave. It has no victory over them. When they pass from this life, it is not into a dark netherworld, but into the Presence of Christ. There, they receive "the fullness of joy". On the Last Day, their bodies are retrieved from the earth and remade in the Image of Christ. "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" is the promise which we hold so dearly.

Christians are often thought of as "losers". Many are, by nature. But, in Christ, we are "more than conquerors through Him Who loved us". The promise is sure: "To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne".

Finally, in taking Elijah to glory, the Lord was leaving his spirit behind.

The old prophet is about to quit this world; he wants to leave something behind. What is it that Elisha wants? Only one thing: "A double portion of [his] spirit". This is not easily given; the younger man must watch his Master's ascent into glory, which must have been both thrilling and horrifying. Elisha "sets his mind on things above". He is not disappointed; Elijah's cape falls to the earth, and with it, "a double portion of his spirit". Elisha goes on to a great ministry of his own, a work worthy of his master.

This too points to the One "Greater than Elijah". When our Savior left this world for His Father's Right Hand, He did not leave us alone. Ten days after the ascension, He sent His Holy Spirit Who abides with His church to this day. The Spirit enables us--as unworthy as we are--to continue the Lord's work. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to My Father".

What a mystery! Yet there it is, in black and white: "Greater than these shall [believers] do, because I go to My Father". The world lost nothing in Elijah's departure because Elisha was there to take up his mantle. And, the world lost nothing with our Lord's exit, for it was made up for by the sending of His Spirit. And so, the work of Christ continues, in the lives of His people, and in the world, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Elisha might well have rejoiced every time he looked at his Master's cape. We surely rejoice each time we think of our Master's Spirit, who remains with us "throughout all ages, world without end". Amen.