What Does It Mean?

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!” So they went down together to Bethel. [2 Kings 2.1-2]

There are a couple things going on in this story as I see it today.

First, the question begs to be asked, why did Elijah not want Elisha to go with him if he (Elijah) knew he would be taken away? Don't mentors want their students to follow in their steps and take up their mantle?

It would seem to me that perhaps - just perhaps - Elijah wouldn't wish his life as a prophet of the LORD on anyone. Perhaps, just perhaps, Elijah knew that being in that office of a prophet was not as glamorous a position as would seem and certainly not fun.

The Word of God does not tell us why Elijah tried to stop Elisha from following him, so we are left to speculation. But it seems prudent that we would at consider why Elijah discouraged Elisha in that way.

Then, there is Elisha. He was determined not only to get the anointing he had seen in his mentor Elijah, but to get a double portion of that anointing. If there is nothing else to be gleaned from Elisha's story, it is that he was committed to getting that double portion. There were several opportunities to give up on it, but he did not.

I find it interesting that Elijah did not ceremonially "hand off the mantle" to Elisha. Instead, it fell to the ground when Elijah was taken up and Elisha was there to pick it up. What this says to me is that a person should never engage in ministry solely because someone else says, "you should do this..." What we see in Elisha is a drive from within that not even Elijah's indirect discouragement could dissuade. Elisha was determined to get that mantle!

I am not sure today how this applies to me, but somehow I feel it does...

Father, help me to understand this event involving Elijah and Elisha as it pertains to how I follow You.