2 Kings 2:9 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. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
2 Kings 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 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.
I think most Christians have a person in the Bible that we wish we could be like or have their gifts. Ideally, we are to be like Christ, but I think that probably scares most of us because He was perfect and God. We are being created in His image and will one day be fully transformed. Until then those we are attracted to have flaws like us and yet were mightily used by God.
Often preachers in training, like Elisha, long to be like their mentor. In our day of colleges versus apprenticeship it can be tough to pick. In my theology major, the two best liked were Dr. Hoyle Bowman and Dr. Robert Delnay. They were different in their personalities and while both were well loved some students wanted to be more like one than the other.
The danger is that we can become such imitators of men that we lose what God has put into us. We adopt their mannerisms, their phrases and some have even copied the regular clearing of the throat like their mentor. We are not called to be clones of our teachers.
Elijah and Elisha were different in their personalities and ministries, but they both shared the power of the Holy Spirit. Elisha wanted to be used even more than his mentor and like parents want their children to excel way beyond their own accomplishments, Elijah probably wanted the same for Elisha. It is a glorious thing to pass on knowing that God has raised up a man to take your place to use in the next generation.
Elisha’s request for a double portion was out of a sincere heart to be used by God like Elijah and out of respect for his mentor. Elijah knew that only God could answer that request and told him how he would receive it. Whenever Elijah told Elisha to wait somewhere there was no deterring Elisha. He was determined to receive the gift and did not want to let Elijah out of his sight. Can you blame him? How diligent would you be to get a double portion of Elijah?
He did indeed see him leave and was grieved. Too many would have rejoiced because now it was their turn, but Elisha had a different heart. He saw what all God had done for the nation through Elijah. Indeed, he was like a father to Elisha and he knew that Elijah being a servant of God was worth more than earthly military might. God used Elijah for His people more than Ahab could have ever done to protect and prosper the nation. He expressed his grief and would not take his new role lightly.
People like to speculate and it may have been discussed in a theology class or at the student center whether Elijah dropped his mantle for Elisha or God removed it and dropped it. I don’t know if Elisha was concerned about that. That mantle had no power in and of itself. It was just a piece of cloth, but it represented Elijah’s anointing and authority much like a crown on earthly royalty. Indeed, Elijah was a member of the royal court of Heaven so it was far more beautiful than a bejeweled crown.
Elisha picked it up and moved on. He did not build a shrine to Elijah or offer up a sacrifice. God did not ask for it. It was time to move on after the tearing of his clothing to show his personal grief. God’s work goes on no matter how great the man that has passed. Indeed, if a ministry fails to carry on after a man dies something is wrong. Maybe people put more stock in the man than God. Maybe.
Crying out to God was not an act of challenge or disbelief. It was a plea for affirmation of his anointing before he used the mantle as Elijah did. He had seen Elijah leave and he received the mantle, but parting the river would be affirmation that he had received all that he asked. With one strike of the mantle, Elisha the student graduated into Elisha the man of God for his time and he did not look back. He indeed was a mighty man of God even ministering on his death bed! And we think we have a right to retire. He would have disagreed and he would have been right. Our ministry may change into a different form, but our call dies when we do. Only two men in Scripture did not die with their boots on, Enoch and Elijah.
What about us? Who wants our mantle? You say you are not a pastor or in some other platform or public type ministry. Well, you are in a public ministry and on a virtual platform. Somewhere there is an unbeliever or believer looking at you and deciding whether or not they want to be like you or get a portion of your mantle or the Jesus you represnt.
You think you are not in a place of authority, but you are an ambassador of the Kingdom of God. You have been given at least one spiritual gift and maybe even more to fulfill the role you have been called to walk in.
You are called to be a witness of what God has done for you and that word in the Greek means martyr so your call may well be dangerous, but it is still your calling. One day you may be a witness for the prosecution at the Great White Throne when someone says no one ever told them about Jesus. Will your name just come to their mind when they say that or will you be brought before the bench? I do not know but your witness here will be a witness against them in some way.
You are a believer priest which means you can pray for people and forgive those who sin against you. You are sent to the marketplace to win souls and edify the saints that are there. In the sense that the word apostle means one who is a delegate or commissioned to speak and act on behalf of someone else as a messenger you are an apostle. Not like the original Apostles, so mind your ego, but you are sent on behalf of Christ to get His message out and lead people to Christ.
With such great authority there is great responsibility. People are watching. I once had a new convert confide that he did not feel he belonged in our church. I laughed and told him to keep an eye on me. When they throw me out be worried and move on. A year or so later he said he always looked for me to be assured he was still good to go. He is now a worldwide evangelist. What if I had been sporadic in my attendance? He may have come in depressed from a lie from the devil and saw me not there and gave up. He may not have asked if I were sick or on vacation, but assumed I was gone. I did nothing marvelous. I merely obeyed the easiest command in the Bible and showed up.
That time was blessing, but I have not always been faithful to my calling. I am afraid if you could see my mantle you would see faded colors, rips, snags, holes and ground in stains. How many have looked at me in my seasons of stupidity and walked away from Christ because they wanted nothing to do with Jesus because of my mantle? How many new Christians did I cause to stumble because I was too busy seeking a place of ministry that I missed ministry in the place I was in? How many times did I lop off a limb using the letter of the Word rather than letting the Spirit give it life and deal with the person with grace?
What if God put me in a room full of mantles and asked me to pick the ugliest one to throw out? What would I say if I handed him one and He told me it was mine? What could I say? All I could do is fall to my face and cry out for mercy.
What about your mantle? Are people attracted to it because Christ has made it glow? Can the Holy Spirit point someone in need to you because you are walking in His power? Are you as zealous for the Lord as the day you were saved and the mantle was fresh and clean? Have you some mold from leaving it in a dark, damp space? Have you plenty of holes, snags, rips and ground in stains? Will you be a witness for the prosecution at the Great White Throne or would the defense call you as the reason the person rejected Christ? Heavy stuff. Not exactly the jelly bean and sunshine Christianity that is so well liked today.
Let us come to the throne seeking mercy and grace. O God, O God, take our mantles and wash them clean. Make the repairs needed. Yes, we may use our flaws and failures are scars that can encourage those who feel their mantles are beyond repair. Only You can make them glow attractively after being exposed to Your light and forgiveness. Father, please give us mantles that draw all men to You. We are but road signs pointing to You. Cause us to be faithful ambassadors and messengers so that we can be sent to places we would never go to people we would never meet on our own or with tattered mantles. Cleanse us! Empower us! Use us for Your Glory! Amen! Maranatha!
