Chariots of Fire

2:1-14

Chariots of Fire

2 Kings 2:1-14

One of the best movies I’ve ever seen is “Chariots of Fire”, based on the true story of 2 English Olympic runners in the 1924 Paris Games. One of the runners was Eric Liddell, a Christian – son of missionary parents, and he refused to run on the Sabbath. As a result, he lost the chance for a gold medal in the race he was the favorite to win. At one level, the movie is about living by the courage of convictions and taking a day off for rest.

At another level, though, is the contrast between Eric Liddell the other featured English runner – Harold Abrahams. They were both striving to win gold medals at the Olympics. But Abrahams was doing it out of a need to PROVE himself. At one point in the movie, he was talking about the sprint event which he was so focused on winning. He said, “I’ve got ten seconds to justify my existence.”

Contrast that attitude with Liddell who, in everything he did, whether running or anything else – just wanted to please the God who had already accepted him. That’s why he said to his sister, “God made me fast, and when I run I feel his pleasure.”

Harold Abrahams was always tired – even when he rested, he was tired. Eric Liddell was rested even when he was running an Olympic race. I want to ask you this morning, as we begin our time in God’s word: Do you, today, feel more like an Eric Liddell or a Harold Abrahams? Do you feel the pleasures of God as you run the race of this life? Or do you feel the pressure of having to justify your existence – in the challenges of a world gone mad?

I pray that our text today – would help you to rest and delight in the Sovereign pleasure of God.

READ 2 Kings 2:1-8

1 ELIJAH’S LAST DAY ON EARTH, vv. 1-8

Chapter 2 begins with a dark, ominous sense of foreboding in the air. Elijah is at the end of his earthly life. This is the day he will be no more … and it isn’t a secret - everyone seems to know.

It’s not a surprise that Elijah isn’t going to live forever. From the time of

1 Kings 19:16, we’ve known that Elisha is going to take his place. Do you remember meeting Elisha back there? He’s working the family farm for his dad, Elijah walks by - tosses his cloak (his outer coat) across Elisha’s shoulders and keeps walking. When Elisha says that he wanted to go and say ‘goodbye’ to mom and dad - the legendary prophet isn’t sure how committed this young man is.

But Elisha pours fuel all over his Massey-Ferguson tractor - sets it ablaze and offers it up as a sacrifice to God and a kind of ‘burning his ship’ in the harbour - There’s no going back to farming for him now. He leaves everything behind and follows Elijah. He hasn’t turned back since.

So, the fact that Elijah will leave this earthly scen and Elisha will take his place - that’s not a surprise. But until now, we didn’t know when it was going to happen. And even if we did - you know how it is to lose someone you love - knowing that it’s going to happen - doesn’t make it a feathers’ weight easier to endure.

On this day, the two men have just left the town of Gilgal, but Elijah is trying to get rid of his protégé. Verse 2 - he says, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.”

Elisha will have none of it. Verse 2 continues, ‘As the LORD lives, and you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel.”

In fact, you noticed, when we read the first 8 verses - this conversation between the two men doesn’t just happen once. Three times Elijah says to Elisha - verse 2, 4 and 6: “Stay here - the LORD is sending me on to another place”. Maybe he just wants to end his earthly life alone with God. Whatever his reasons, Elisha says ‘No WAY - I’m not leaving your side.”

Does it sound like a conversation between a little sister and her big brother. You older children can identify with Elijah; the younger children can identify with Elisha: We firstborns are trying to get away to do something alone - or at least with friends your own age … and little sister or brother won’t leave you alone. “I want to go! I want to go! Mom - tell him to let me go too!” You’ve been there.

But Elisha is no tag-along. Don’t think ‘little brother’ here - think Ruth and Naomi.

In the book of Ruth, Naomi is an Israelite, part of the covenant people of God. Her family moves from home to a foreign land, her sons marry foreign, Moabite women. Then tragedy strikes, Naomi’s husband and sons all die, she is in grief and going to move back home to Israel. Her daughters-in-law are young - they need to remarry and have children - so she gives them her blessing and sends them on their way to start a fresh, new chapter in their lives. One of the young women accepts the offer and leaves. But the other daughter-in-law, Ruth - she says, “No way - I’m not leaving you.” In one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture - you hear it at many weddings, even though it wasn’t originally romantic at all - Ruth says, “Wherever you go, I will go. Your people will be my people and your GOD WILL BE MY GOD.”

It’s a picture of absolute, unswerving loyalty. It’s the image of God’s faithfulness to His people and it’s a model of the loyalty God is looking for from His people.

Remember, Elijah wasn’t sure, at first, how committed this young man was … there’s no mistaking the dedication now. He can’t get rid of Elisha, even if he wanted to.

And so the two prophets make the journey together from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho and from Jericho to the Jordan river. At each stop, Elijah visits the ‘sons of the prophets’ (vv. 3, 5, 7). These are the seminary students - prophets in training. At Bethel and Jericho - the students come out to Elisha a show that they are faithfully studying. Notice what they say in v. 3, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?”. The same thing happens at Jericho.

Well Elisha already knows what’s going to happen. He doesn’t need to be reminded: The end of verse 3, “Yes I know it, keep quiet.”You don’t need to remind me.

Can you feel the heaviness weighing down on Elisha’s heart? This is Elijah!

This is the one ray of spiritual hope in dark days for Israel. Stand-alone, speak truth to power, fearlessly take on an army of false prophets and, why the miracles that God powerfully performed when his faithful man E was on the scene - fire from heaven, droughts, rainfall. It seemed that no matter how low things had sunk in the nation, as long as Elijah was here, to represent God and true faith .... well, it just seemed that there was always a glimmer of light in the darkness. But now …?!

Oh, but there is a glimmer of hope, even here - whether it’s 9th century BC Israel or 21st Century AD Canada - hear me, Christian - as long as God is on the throne - there IS reason for hope.

There are a couple of reasons for hope that we see right here in the text: FIRST, notice the journey that the two prophets are taking. Elijah leads from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to the Jordan River. This is more than a few random stops on a meandering, meaningless walk. There’s purpose here.

Gilgal - is the place where Israel stopped FIRST when they came out of the Exodus and wilderness wanderings. They crossed through the Jordan river and set up the very first camp INSIDE the land of promise.

Joshua 4:19-24.

Jericho - you remember that the victorious first battle inside the promised land - a fight that Israel has no business winning - Jericho was a city fortified with massive walls and defensive positions. Israel is a ragtag extended family of former slaves. But you know the story - the Israelites didn’t win the battle. God did. The people marched and praised … and God shook the earth and brought down the walls when the trumpets of praise blew.

Jordan - is the river that Israel walked through to get into the promised land - but only AFTER God had parted the river at Joshua’s command - so the people could walk through on dry land … just as He had parted the Red Sea when Moses was leading.

Elijah gets to the Jordan river, takes off his coat, rolls it up with his hands and, like a baseball bat - he uses it to strike the river - verse 8, “… and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.”. Do you see what’s going on here? Elijah is tracing the first steps Israel made in the promised land - as a great reminder that the God who led His people after Moses died - is leading His people still.

ANOTHER glimmer of hope in these verses. Remember back to 1 Kings 19- when Elijah is in his deep state of depression. He runs to Mt. Horeb and tells God he just wants to die:

1 Kings 19:10, “He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.””

“I’m the ONLY one in this entire nation who still follows and worships you.” Remember God’s answer: “You aren’t alone!” God says, “I have reserved 7000 in Israel who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

Well, after that we met Elisha - he’s faithful. But we haven’t seen anyone else. Well, that changes here. Chapter 2 tells us that there are seminaries - training schools for faithful prophets of God in Bethel, in Jericho and - who knows where else in Israel - 50 of them are on hand to watch Elijah and Elisha walk through the Jordan river.

God is on the throne - building His people - in Elisha’s Israel … and in your Canada, friend.

2 ELISHA’S REQUEST, vv. 9-10

The pair of men walk through the dry bed of the Jordan river … the clock is ticking. Elijah’s time is getting closer and closer. He turns to Elisha and gives him the chance to make one last request of him.

Verse 9, “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.’ And Elisha said, ‘Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.’”

The younger man already knows he is going to be taking Elijah’s place when he’s gone. He also knows himself well enough to recognize that he doesn’t have what it takes to fill these shoes.

“I’m not half the man you are, Elijah. I won’t be half the prophet without a DOUBLE portion of the Holy Spirit.”

Doesn’t this remind you of Solomon’s request at the beginning of his reign. God appears to him and tells him to ask for whatever he wants. Solomon doesn’t ask for wealth or fame or power - what does he ask for? He asks for wisdom so that he can lead God’s people properly. God is so impressed - He gives him all of it.

Elisha sees Elijah’s miracle-working power. He could have asked for all sorts of things.

“How about if you roll up your coat again? See that mountain over there? I’d like you to strike it with your coat and make me a mountain of gold. The price of gas is killing me. I could sure use the cash.”

No - Elisha’s focus is on God’s kingdom. He wants to be the faithful, mighty prophet Elijah was - so he asks for the only power that can make that happen: “Oh, please, will you give me a COUBLE portion of God’s Spirit that empowered you?”

Verse 10, “And he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you ,it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”

Elijah says, ‘That’s a hard one. It’s not my Spirit - it’s God’s Sovereign Spirit - I can’t just pass Him around. But I tell you what - IF you see me as I leave this world, you will receive your request. If not, then you won’t.”

3 ELIJAH GOES TO GLORY, v. 11

The two men continue walking, talking as they go. Tick, tock, tick tock, the clock keeps ticking as step by step they journey - the weight on Elisha’s heart gets heavier and heavier, knowing this is the last conversation he will ever have, on this side of eternity, with his mentor.

Finally, in v. 11, it happens. They didn’t know what it was going to look like, but they knew something was coming.

READ 2 Kings 2:11, “And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

Without warning - chariots and horses of fire appear. Elijah is whisked away to heaven and Elisha is left standing alone, in stunned amazement.

This is where we get the term ‘Chariots of fire’. This is where we get the great old spiritual, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot … coming for to carry me home.’ This is one of the most stunning miracles in the entire Bible.

Unfortunately - if you went to the same Sunday School I did and learned through the same flannel-graph stories and Bible story-books that I learned from - then you have the wrong picture in your head about the chariots.

The pictures you saw on the board ,as a kid - probably had the chariot gracefully descending from heaven to earth, coming in cottony-clouds of fluffy white - like a heavenly limousine, to usher God’s prophet away to his heavenly home.

That’s the wrong idea of ‘chariot’. In the Ancient World of Elijah’s day - a chariot is ANYTHING BUT a luxury car. You would never rent a chariot for your wedding or high school grad. You would never say to the family, ‘Hey kids - get your shoes on. Let’s go for a drive in the chariot - we’ll get ice-cream.” You would never say that.

Chariots are instruments of warfare. They’re heavy, they’re iron. They have no shock absorbers, no rubber tires.

Chariots are instruments of warfare. You don’t use a chariot to go anywhere except into battle and kill someone. “Swing low SWEET chariot?!” There is nothing SWEET about a chariot.

But here come the chariots - flaming and led by fiery horses to take Elijah from the earth. What’s going on here?!

Look carefully with me at the way v. 11 describes the scene.

First - notice that, technically, the chariot isn’t what takes Elijah away. The “chariots ... and horses of fire ‘separated the two of them and Elijah went up BY A WHIRLWIND into heaven.”

It’s a whirlwind - same root word as ‘storm’ in Hebrew - THAT’S what takes the prophet away.

So, what does that look like? Maybe Elijah climbs into a chariot and then the whole thing goes up like a slow motion rocket in the storm cloud. But the key is the force and power of the storm that takes the man of God away. That’s significant because over and over in the Bible - God shows up in a storm. When God comes to meet with Moses, on top of Mount Sinai - He comes in the storm clouds - the people are terrified. When God answers suffering Job, who has lost everything and doesn’t understand why .... God speaks to him out of the whirlwind.

See the significance here - when the Holy God breaks into the common of this earth - in the OT there is a storm. This is God coming for his child.

And, SECOND - notice that there’s fire here - FLAMING chariots and FLAMING horses. Do you see the message this sends to an Israel whose kings have turned away from the LORD of the universe to follow Baal, the ‘Lord of the Flies?’

Baal is supposed to be the storm god - He’s supposed to control the fire with the lightning bolt in his hand. Meanwhile he dies every winter and has to be raised to life again every spring to bring the storm again.

But here is God - controlling the storm - controlling the fire. In chapter 1, He protects Elijah by fire when the king’s military comes to destroy him. Now God uses it to carry his prophet away.

See the man of God - ascending higher and higher and higher - further and further away from EVER having to face danger or discouragement - ever again.

And THIRD, most important of all - don’t miss, in v. 11 - that God takes Elijah to heaven without ever letting him taste death. That’s more than can be said for the god Baal - no matter how much he may trend among the ‘Influencers’ of Israel in Elijah’s day.

Could there be a greater show of God’s power than that?!

And could there be a greater honour for God’s servant than that?! Only 2 people in the entire Bible do not die: Enoch, in Genesis - who ‘walked with God and was no more - because God took him’ .... AND - ‘Elijah the prophet.”

What a reward for a faithful servant!

Elisha doesn’t bask in the glory of this scene - all he sees, neck craned back, head faced upwards, is his mentor, his security - the father figure in his life - rising further and further and further out of reach … until he is fully out of sight.

4 ELISHA’S REQUEST GRANTED, vv. 12-14

Elisha is beside himself

READ 2 Kings 2:12 “And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.”

See him there - standing alone, panic-breathing, shaking in grief. Gripped with anguish - he takes hold of his own coat and tears it into two - ripped in half exactly like his broken heart. Have you ever been there? At the bedside of your great love - the security that has always kept you standing firm when everything else around you seemed to be swirling in chaos. He or she was your ROCK - and you watch them slip out of consciousness - out of the body and into eternity? You are tempted to feel as though all security is gone - and all hope with it.

When Elisha cries out, “The chariots of Israel and its horsemen ...” - he’s referring to Elijah. In the grieving young prophet’s eyes - the battle weapons he clings to - are not physical chariots or literal horses .... Elijah is the weapon he has held onto.

The nation has been falling deeper and deeper into spiritual darkness for generations now. But no matter how bad things got - there was always one, constant bright spot - Elijah! Who is going to protect true faith in Israel now that he’s gone?

MRS. STEBLIN. In the church I grew up in - there was a lady, who was always around. Mrs. Steblin - born and grew up in Poland - was invaded by the Nazis and then by the Russians - managed to get out and get to Canada. Met and married the love of her life. They moved to Richmond - had six children, building a life together - and then her husband died. 6 kids- the youngest one barely a toddler. What a challenge - but she raised her kids - with no money, she kept them fed and clothed and educated - they all ended up as high achievers in their careers - but most importantly, she trained them up in the ways of the Lord. Her family was always a staple of the church. Daughter led our children’s choir and taught me to sing, son led the boys brigade, others sang in the choir, took care of the finances of the church -

Mrs. Steblin seemed kind of old from the time that I can remember - but she was always around. Always active. Never a church service that she wasn’t at. When I went to visit my mom in the hospital when we had just got the diagnosis of cancer - as I was leaving mom’s room, who was coming down the hall to visit? Mrs. Steblin. I run into her kids from time to time over the years - ‘How’s your mom?’ Oh - she’s still going strong.

Well Mrs. Steblin just died a couple of weeks ago - 99 and a half years old. I may not have seen her much in the last couple of decades … but still she was one of those foundations stones that hold up your expectation that there is some kind of stability in this world. Now she’s gone. And over the last few years we see more and more of the people we count on - from the Billy Grahams to the John Stotts to the JI Packers .... one by one they are going home to the Lord and we wonder .... “GOD - WHO WILL TAKE THEIR PLACES?!! WHO WILL BE THE CHARIOTS AND HORSES OF ISRAEL?!”

Well, the story isn’t finished. Elisha’s head drops forward, shoulders stoop in sorrow … and there - on the ground - there’s Elijah’s coat. It’s lying right at his feet - fell from his body as he rose into heaven.

2 Kings 2:13-14- “And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.”

Elisha picks the coat up from the ground, walks back over to the bank of the river, rolls the coat up just as Elijah had done earlier on this day - he strikes the water with it himself - and cries out in prayer: “Where is Elijah’s God?”

“Where are you God?!” “Have you left me too, or are you still here?!!”

No sooner do the words escape his lips and he strikes the water … and the river parts before him - a wall of water rises up on his left … a wall of water rises up on his right .... and in the middle there is bare ground … and the man of God walks across.

You ‘get’ what this means … Elisha begged for a double portion of the Holy Spirit that empowered Elijah … clearly his request has been granted. He doesn’t just have Elijah’s coat - He has the empowering presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

It means that the God of Elijah’s day is just as powerful in Elisha’s day. The generation may change - God’s power remains the same.

Dale Davis, “… this should prevent us from idolizing certain servants of God. The prophets likely wondered, What will we do now that Elijah is no longer with us? And if we think that, we must, like Elisha himself (v. 14), look for the God of Elijah to be with us. Our help is in the name of the Lord not in the charisma of his servants. God’s leaders change, God’s power persists. Perhaps sometimes God removes his most illustrious servants so that we will not make idols of them, as though they are the only conduits of God’s help. Perhaps God deliberately displays his might through ‘lesser’ instruments so that we will not be transfixed on the pizzazz of God’s servants but on the strength of God’s arm.”

God’s purposes NEVER fail. Hear that Christian - the world you are living in right now - is not the world you grew up in. You feel like you hardly recognize it. You hardly recognize it compared to the world you lived in three years ago - and things are moving faster and faster and hostility is growing deeper and deeper - and Jesus Christ seems to be more and more removed from public discussion.

Something I need to point out to you from the context around our passage - that will help you see more clearly how important this passage is (?)

Last week, we dealt with chapter 1. At the end of the chapter - We have a transition on the throne of Israel. Evil king Ahaziah dies because of his sin and a new king takes the throne. 2 Kings 1:18, “Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”

Now if you flip past chapter 2 and look at the beginning of chapter 3 of Second Kings – 3:1, “In the 18th year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Ahabe became king over Israel in Samaria and he reigned 12 years.”

You can jump from chapter 1 directly to chapter 3 and not miss a beat – the story flows perfectly. In fact - Chapter 2 almost seems like an interruption. But it’s not.

In fact, what God’s Word is telling us here is this: While the tv news and social media in 850 BC Israel would have been dominated by the deaths and coronation of the kings on the throne of the nation … those are NOT the most important things are happening.

The centre of power and lasting influence in the world is not to be found settled on the thrones of kings … The power is to be found in what God is doing among His people as He takes one servant home and raises up another – to carry on His work … as the GOD’S KINGDOM MARCHES STEADILY FORWARD AND GOD ACCOMPLISHES EVERY SINGLE PURPOSE from generation to generation.

Cast your eyes forward, from 2 Kings 2 – to the New Testament – Acts chapter 1 – The crucified and risen Savior - Ascension