Meditation 223
2 Kings 2:1-12
Yesterday we read Psalm 50:1-6, which refers to God’s glory shining forth in a powerful and redeeming way. Today we are looing at the story of the end of the work of the prophet Elijah and the transfer of responsibility and calling to his disciple Elisha.
At the beginning of this narrative Elijah urges Elisha to stay where he is. Elijah knows that God has called him to meet God at Bethel, and he feels that it is not necessary for Elisha to travel with him for the entire journey. Elisha however insists that he will not let Elijah make this journey on his own. What might be the feelings that Elisha had on that day? Was he already beginning to grieve the loss of his mentor? Was he sure that the right thing for him to do was to accompany his mentor regardless of the obstacles put in his way? Or did he simply want or spend as much time as he could in the presence of Elijah before Elijah was taken by God? The other prophets who they meet along the way were not really much help, as the companies of prophets at both Bethel and Jericho made sure to tell Elisha that “today the Lord will take your master away from you.” When they reach the Jordon River there is a third group of prophets, but these simply stand at a distance, these prophets have nothing to say. It must have been hard for Elisha to stick with the plan he made to accompany Elijah. Elijah, the teacher he respected was urging him to come no further, and the companies of prophets were making sure that he knew to expect bad news. Still, he persisted.
As I read this story of Elijah and Elisha and the determination that Elisha showed to stay with Elijah and then to ask for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, I thought of the story of Jacob who was visited by an angel one night. (Genesis 32) Jacob wrestled with the angel and would not let him go unless the angel blessed Jacob. For me, the thought of being blessed by an angel or by God conjures an image of a gentle laying on of hands and a holy glow as the one being blessed beams with radiance. In the case of Jacob and it seems Elisha, there was determination and effort put into receiving a blessing. Maybe we can take from this the fact that when we are feeling so down that we have to look up to find bottom, that it is good to look for God. We do not have to sit and wait for the divine intervention that will give our lives hope and purpose, but we can reach out to God and ask for a blessing.
Each day seems to bring its share of bad news, whether it is about the pandemic, about people we love or about the loss of a loved one. As we receive the bad news of life, God does reach to us, and we see from Elisha that it is OK for us to reach to God as well. May your day be filled with the blessing that God alone can give, as you experience the glory of God in a powerful and redeeming way.