From Generation to Generation 2 Kings 2:1-14

-The Lord demonstrates His ongoing faithfulness from one generation to the next

There is a famous quote by Socrates a quote often misattributed to Socrates complaining about younger generations:

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

After spending some time with a lot of students over the last few weeks, I’m grateful to say that the kids are all right!

I. The Lord Prepares Us vv. 1-7

In this morning’s passage, the nation of Israel and the prophetic ministry are in a state of transition:

Elijah’s time as the prophet of the Lord is going to come to an end, and it’s the end of an era

After years of proclaiming God’s Word to His people, Elijah is going to be taken away

When we pick up the story, Elijah encourages his protege Elijah to stay put, while he went on to Gilgal

There are two themes that we will see repeated:

The Lord warns Elisha that Elijah will be taken away from him

Elisha chooses to stay with Elijah anyway!

At Bethel and again at Jericho, Elisha receives warnings, yet he chooses to remain with Elijah

This is an incredible act of faithfulness from Elisha!

I think we can learn a few things from the examples set here:

First, we see the tenderness of Elijah; he genuinely wants to spare Elisha the grief of loss

Second, we see the loyalty of Elisha; he remains faithful to Elijah right up until the end

Third, we see the reality of generational transitions: they are going to happen whether we are ready or not

Here is a correction in understanding the sovereignty of God as told by a writer in Our Daily Bread: In "Our Daily Bread," I told how a Christian providentially escaped death. An unexpected delay in New York kept him from catching Flight 191 in Chicago, which crashed with all 254 aboard. That article brought this note from a reader: "I just had to let you know about one of God's great saints who ran to make Flight 191--and made it!" His name was Edwards E. Elliott, beloved pastor of the Garden Grove Orthodox Presbyterian Church in California. His plane from Pennsylvania was late, and a friend who had accompanied him to Chicago said he last saw him "dashing forward" in the terminal to make his connection. As I read about Pastor Elliott's fruitful ministry, the question I raised in that June devotional challenged me with new urgency: "Was Divine providence operating only in New York and not in Chicago?" Immediately the words of my correspondent came alive: "At the time, Reverend Elliott didn't know he was indeed running to Heaven...Mrs. Elliott and her four married children comforted the entire church. Their Christian faith and testimony in sorrow was most extraordinary."

II. The Lord is Present With Us vv. 8-12

Next, we see that the Lord is at work in these final moments between the two prophets

Elijah does the kind of thing that he seems to always do

By the power of the Lord, he crosses the Jordan by striking it with his rolled up cloak

There is nothing natural taking place here; it is clearly the kind of thing that only the Lord could do

It is also noteworthy, because this crossing puts Elijah in company with Moses and Joshua, who crossed the waters on dry land

He turns to Elisha to allow him an opportunity for a request, and Elisha makes the most of it

Elisha shows serious wisdom here:

Elisha asks that the Spirit of the Lord who was with Elijah would be with Him in double-portion

This does not mean twice as much, but it means that this would be the inheritance of the successor to Elijah

This does signify recognition:

Elisha understood where Elijah’s power had come from as a leader, from the Lord

Elisha understood that he was in desperate need of the same power

As we face the realities of generational transition, we need to reflect on these things:

The spiritual power that marked those who have come before me is a result of God’s power and presence

I can be confident that He will be with me , as I honor and serve Him.

The big moment comes, and Elijah is taken away in a chariot of fire by the Lord

It is a dramatic moment that reminds us that none of this is accidental, but is in accord with God’s wisdom

The God who saw fit to take one generation away is present with the generation that He leaves behind!

In an article in the most recent Christianity Today, Mark Galli writes: “At one point in the movie Patton, Gen. Omar Bradley tells Gen. George Patton that Patton may be given a crucial assignment: leading troops in the invasion of Europe. Though he had played a decisive role in the battle for Africa and in the invasion of Sicily, Patton at this time was cooling his heels in England, having been disciplined for slapping a soldier in a field hospital. So Patton is anxious to get back into the thick of battle, and when he hears about the possible assignment, he can hardly contain himself.

“Bradley tells him no decision has been made, that it’s in the hands of Gen. George Marshall. Patton is a man of action, who took initiative while others stood around deliberating their options. But when he heard that his fate lay in the hands of Marshall, he calmed down. ‘He’s a good man,’ he said of Marshall. ‘At least he’s a fair man. I’ll let it sit with him.’ He said this based on his knowledge of who Marshall in fact was and how he comported himself in action.

“The God we know, the God we’ve seen in action has done this: He died for us. It is because of this that we say with confidence, ‘He’s a good God, He’s a fair God. All these questions that torment us—we can let those sit with this God.'” (CT, April 2012, p. 35)

III. The Lord Works Powerfully Through Us vv. 13-14

Finally, we see the moment of truth

Elisha has asked for a double portion of the Spirit of the Lord, and he puts his request to the test

The answer to this is critically important, as Elisha notes in his cry:

Elijah has been a father to Elisha

Elijah has been the chariots and the horsemen, the security of Israel

Now, the critical moment comes and Elisha takes a step of faith

He takes up the cloak of Elijah and strikes the water with it

God parts the water and demonstrates that He is just as much with Elisha as He was with Elijah

This has to be our confidence as well: God will work through us, just as He worked through the generations that came before us!

Psalm 78:1–8

[1] Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

[2] I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

[3] things that we have heard and known,

that our fathers have told us.

[4] We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

[5] He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

[6] that the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,

[7] so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments;

[8] and that they should not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God. (ESV)

-We need to remember the Lord’s faithfulness

-For the next generation

-For our generation

-In Christ