As I read today’s passage, I am reminded of the time, soon after I graduated from Berkshire Christian College, when I asked my wife’s Uncle, Rev. Vernon Burtt, to pray for God’s blessing upon my budding ministry. I think I felt a little like Elisha did.
There are several valuable examples to be observed in this passage, and they have a common theme. One concerns the loyalty of Elisha to his mentor and the reward he received. Because he was determined to stay with Elijah, he witnessed the flaming chariot of God and was granted his wish for a double portion of Elijah’s anointing.
Another has to do with the arrogance of King Ahaziah when he was rebuked by God through Elijah. He sent three groups of 50 soldiers to compel Elijah to appear before him, and God destroyed the first two. When the commander of the third group came in humility and pled for his life, God honored him and spared their lives, even though the message to the king didn’t change, and he died.
A different group of 50 men, young prophets-in-training, were present when God took Elijah up in the chariot of fire. God had warned them in advance of what was coming, and they wanted to be there, even though they stayed on the other side of the River Jordan. When God parted the waters for Elisha as he had for Elijah, they bowed before him, showing their willingness to follow his leadership.
The common thread with all these is the lesson referred to in 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV): “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The contrast between the pride of Ahaziah and his troops and the humble groups of 50 men illustrates the principle. Based on this, we must confront ourselves with the question, “How many times has my pride made it so God opposes me instead of blessing me?” Whenever I think of this, I shudder at the thought and cry out from my spirit, “Lord, keep me humble before you!” Let that be your prayer today.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up,” (James 4:10, NIV).
Jim Jensen, Prophetstown, Ill.
