II Kings 2:1-12 *
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
What do Enoch and Elijah have in common (besides the fact
that both of their names start with “E”)?
Bible trivia experts will tell you that they are the only two people in
the history of the world who have never tasted death.
Genesis reports that Enoch lived to be 365 years old, and
after that “he could not be found,
because God had taken him away” (Hebrews 11:5).
The prophet Elijah’s departure was a bit
more dramatic. Horses and chariots of
fire escorted him as a whirlwind carried him up to heaven.
The mode of transportation was different, but the final
destination was the same. Both Enoch and
Elijah are with the Lord. Both Enoch and
Elijah are enjoying the blessings of eternal glory, the same glory Jesus
revealed for a moment on the Mount of Transfiguration, the same glory that
awaits you and me and every child of God when we die.
In anticipation of that day when we will meet the Lord face to face, in preparation for our own personal encounter with glory, Elijah serves as a role model of faithful service. When our time on this earth is up, we pray that God will invite us to take our places next to Elijah and say…
“WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT”
I. An acknowledgment of a life
in the Lord’s service
II. An invitation to live forever in the
Lord’s presence
Even though no one dies in this account, there are a number of elements in the story that are similar to the dying process. The first similarity is the diagnosis. “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal” (1).
I don’t know what the exact percentage is, but the Lord does
allow certain people to know within a few days or weeks when they are going to
die. For example, a doctor might tell a
cancer patient that he has six weeks to live.
God made Elijah a member of a very exclusive club when he
told him that he was not going to die.
His understudy Elisha and some other prophets were also aware of God’s
plans for Elijah. We don’t know how they
got their information, but we do know how they responded to the news. And their reaction is another parallel to the
dying process.
After God revealed his plan to Elijah, he crisscrossed much
of southern
Elisha’s reaction to the news was the expected response of a
person who is about to lose a loved one.
Three times Elijah suggested that Elisha stay behind while he traveled
on. Three times Elisha’s response was
the same: “As surely as the Lord lives
and as you live, I will not leave you” (2,4,6). Elisha knew that his time with Elijah was
short. He wanted to make the most of
it. And he was determined to be there
whenever God took Elijah away.
At every stop along the way, the prophets asked Elisha if he knew what was about to happen. At every stop, Elisha’s responded: “Yes, I know, but do not speak of it” (3,5). Maybe he was trying to block it out of his mind. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe Elisha’s silence was his way of acknowledging that this was the Lord’s will. Whatever the motivating factor was, Elisha’s behavior is not unusual in this type of situation. Elijah wasn’t going to die, but for Elisha the effect was the same.
Before the Lord took him away, Elijah wanted to pass on some
kind of legacy to his successor. He said
to Elisha: “Tell me, what can I do for
you before I am taken from you” (9)? Again,
it is not out of the ordinary for a dying person to want to do something for
loved ones so that they will remember him after he is gone.
How did Elisha respond to Elijah’s offer? He said: “Let
me inherit a double portion of your spirit” (9). Unlike so many families who fight over
the estate of the deceased, Elisha wasn’t interested fame or fortune. All he wanted was to be like Elijah. All he wanted was to follow in his master’s
footsteps. All he wanted was a share of
his master’s servant-like spirit.
Elijah realized that what Elisha was asking for was
something only the Lord could give. “You have asked a difficult thing, yet if
you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not” (10). And he put it in the Lord’s hands.
As the two men walked and talked, “suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of
fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a
whirlwind” (11). Our last image of a departed loved one is
usually a body lying peacefully in a casket.
Elisha’s last impression of Elijah was certainly a lasting
impression. He watched as a whirlwind
carried Elijah to heaven.
A funeral gives people an opportunity to say their final goodbyes
to the person who has died. At some
funerals, friends and family members participate in a eulogy. They take turns and talk about the deceased,
how they loved that person, how they will miss that person, what kind of impact
that person made on their lives.
Elijah’s sudden departure didn’t allow Elisha to organize
any kind of tribute for his master. As
Elijah was being whisked away, Elisha was able to say just a few parting words:
“My father! My father!
The chariots and horseman of
Elijah and Elisha were not related, but Elisha considered
Elijah to be his father in the faith.
Elisha knew that he would miss his dear teacher and mentor and friend,
but he also knew that they would see each other again.
Did you ever wonder: “Why Elijah? What made him so special? Out of the billions and billions of people
who ever lived, why did God single him out to leave the world in such a
miraculous way?
I don’t know of too many people who can touch a river with a
rolled up jacket and then walk between the parted waters. I don’t know of too many people who can stand
alone against a small army of pagan prophets and come out on top. I don’t know of too many people who have
raised a dead body back to life. Elijah
did all of these things, so maybe we can assume that this was God’s way of
rewarding him for a lifetime faithful service.
Elijah was mighty prophet.
Elijah was a miracle worker. Elijah
was such a towering Old Testament figure that some hailed Jesus as Elijah’s
second coming. As great as he was, Elijah
was still a sinner. When it looked like
his work wasn’t producing any results, when he felt like he was all alone, when
he felt totally worn down and worthless, he prayed to God (paraphrased): “God,
I’m tired. God, I’ve had enough. Why don’t you just put me out of my
misery?”
Have similar thoughts ever entered your mind? Have similar words ever come out of your
mouth? Are there are days when you feel
like you are engaged in a losing battle?
You don’t want to fight anymore.
You don’t want to deal with things anymore. You just want to give up. Maybe we aren’t so different from Elijah
after all.
Since Elijah wasn’t perfect, since Elijah is no less sinful
than the rest of us, we need to go back to the original question. Why did he receive a personal escort to
heaven? The Lord spared Elijah from physical
death for the exact same reason he has spared us from eternal death. Divine grace. God’s love. God’s undeserved loved poured out on an
undeserving world.
God strengthened Elijah when he was weak. God strengthened Elijah with his
promises. God promised Elijah that there
were still seven thousand faithful people in
The Lord didn’t let Elijah into heaven because he was
impressed by his resume. The Lord
carried Elijah to eternal glory because Elijah believed God’s promises. Even though the Lord didn’t say anything as
Elijah ascended into heaven (maybe the horses and chariots and wind were too
loud), the last miracle in Elijah’s life spoke volumes. It was God’s way of putting his personal
stamp of approval on Elijah’s ministry.
It was God’s way of saying: “Well
done, good and faithful servant.”
I doubt that any of us expect to receive the same VIP
treatment when we die. Instead of a
fiery chariot, most of us will leave this world in a casket. Instead of a whirlwind, most of us will go
out with little fan fare. “Quietly” is probably
a good word to describe how most of us will pass from this life to the next.
The way God takes us to heaven may be different, but the
reason God takes us to heaven is the same.
Like Elijah, we are sinful. Like
Elijah, we deserve to die for our sins.
Like Elijah, God has spared us from death. And Jesus is the key. Jesus traded in the glory of his
transfiguration for the shame of the crucifixion. Jesus suffered the pains of hell to unlock
the gates of heaven.
Elijah is the only person who ascended to heaven without
dying. Jesus is the only person who
ascended to heaven after he rose from the dead.
Jesus ascended to prepare our places in heaven. Jesus ascended so that he can come back
again. On the Last Day, our departure
will be anything but quiet. The trumpets
will blast. The Judge will return. The angels will sing. And our Lord will carry us to eternal glory.
Generally speaking people don’t like to think about death,
but there are exceptions. Some people
prepare for death years in advance. They
buy burial plots and grave markers. They
make known what hymns and readings they want to be included at their
funeral. Some go so far as to choose the
words that will be engraved on their tombstone.
It is interesting to walk through a cemetery and read some
of those epithets, the “final words” of the deceased, the way they want the
world to remember them. These
inscriptions range from the generic, “Rest In Peace,”
to the religious, “The Lord is My Shepherd,” to the irreverent, “I told you I
was sick.”
But what if it was up to the Lord to choose the words that
will be permanently chiseled on your tombstone?
What would he write? What would
you want him to write? There are all
kinds of possibilities, but it would be very difficult to improve on this: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Those
words sum up the desired outcome of every Christian’s life. They are an acknowledgment of a life lived in
the Lord’s service. And they are an
invitation to live forever in the Lord’s presence. Amen.