JESUS today YOU will SAVE me.
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 21
2 Kings 2
1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
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.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
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.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
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.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
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.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Elisha knew where he needed to be and nothing persuaded him otherwise, he didn’t give up or take a break half way through. He followed Elijah from city to city until the will of God was done. Afterwards God honored the promise he spoke by Elijah and blessed him. We need to be as steadfast as Elisha and decide I’m not going anywhere until I see the will of God
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.
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.
Like Elisha, it’s time for our youth and young adults to step up and take on the mantle of our elders. But I’ll be the first to say, what big shoes those are to fill! So first we must, also like Elisha, begin following our elders and watching how they live. Elisha says he will not leave Elijah; young people, now’s not the time to wander but to follow our elders. Don’t leave – stay in Gods will, follow our elders, and take up the mantle of double portion for our next generations!
iLove to Grow in the Word
2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the lord has told me to go to Bethel.”
Elisha did not disobey the man of God or even disrespect him. Elisha understood that the man of God was trying to give him away out of the ministry he was called to. Sometimes the man of God will test you and say, “Stay here while I pull this weed” but the true minister will always follow and pull weeds with him.
COMMITTED
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.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
Elijah was mightily used of GOD, he was a well respected prophet and man of GOD. Elisha recognized the favor of GOD on Elijah and the COMMITTED ways in which Elijah followed the LORD.
Elisha requested a “double portion of the spirit of Elijah”. Elisha did not request a double portion of the Spirit of GOD, because he knew that man could not provide what is the power of GOD.
The request of Elisha was a double portion of the attitude (spirit) of Elijah. The requirement being simple, but challenging, you must see me when I go. While Elijah gave Elisha opportunities to depart and separate from him, Elisha remained COMMITTED to the side of Elijah.
Notice the difference:
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
There will always be prophets that are not as COMMITTED. They were there to see, but not serve.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
The prophets who stood afar off remained the followers.
Get involved in what your man of GOD is doing, saying, believing. Be COMMITTED to GOD and to HIS servants.
iRepent
iPraise
iPray
iWork
iGive
iReap
If Elisha had not stuck by Elijah until the very end, he never would have been given the chance to ask for whatever he wanted. Like Solomon, he didn’t ask for riches or fame; instead, he wanted more of God.
A few things we can learn from this chapter…
– stay close to the man of God
– more of God is greater than riches or fame
– what God did for others, He will do for you
– use your gifts to help others
– don’t make fun of the Man of God’s bald head!
Three times Elijah told Elisha to tarry, but he refused. Three times his spirit was tried but he did not leave his man of God’s side. What followed after because of his tenacity shows the promise in staying true to your man of God and ministries.
Stay committed first to God then to your man of God. This is what we are commanded to do in the word.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
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.
The passing of the mantle!!! How important it is to continue the work of someone you loved and served? Here we observe how Elisha follows Elijah through thick and thin. He watches, observes, and imitate his master Elijah. Even to the return to the Jordan he does the same thing and the waters divide. How important it is to continue the work of the Lord??? Very!! Nothing should stop us from reaching the lost! Evangelizing, spreading the gospel, and the good news SALVATIIN IS HERE!!!! Should be the most important things. Lord help us receive the mantle or pass the mantle down so your work will continue to reach the lost In Jesus Name Amen
When Elisha cried out “Father, father” and rent his clothes, it shows the depth of his relationship with Elijah. Elijah was the Prophet and man of God but also a mentor and like a father to Elisha. Elisha learned well from his mentor and was quickly put to the test and healed the waters of the land. But what is so surprising is that it was little children that mocked the man of God! They mocked him so much that he cursed them. We must be respectful and teach respect to the children we can impact whether or not they are ours. Thankful for Sunday school teachers who impart their wisdom and knowledge to the children of POFW and beyond.
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
I’m sure numerous times on their journey that Elisha was given the opportunity to part ways with Elijah. But the Spirit that was in Elijah was drawing Elisha to desire that same spirit and more.
Jesus said “Greater things than these shall you do, because I go to my Father.” The same spirit that raised Him up out of the grave, abides in those who are filled with the Spirit of God with evidence of speaking in tongues. We must activate that spirit and allow it to lead us into a deeper relationship with the Lord that we won’t be satisfied with status quo, but hunger for more!
Amen!!
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.
In Jesus name!
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
Don’t talk about the man of god for god will deal you himself
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
Persistence is what helped Elisha receive his annointing! We too must have the mindset of I’m not going to give in, I’m not going to quit until I see the promises of God through!!
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Notice that because Elisha stayed with Elijah he received the mantle and the spirit of Elijah. What’s interesting to see is that when they came to meet Elisha they bowed down to him not because of his anointing or his spirit but because of the spirit of Elijah! When we are submitted to our authority we receive their spirit and as a result God gives us authority.
Grow with Lord Amen
2 Kings 2 – A Leader, A Disciple, A Spectator
A Leader leads (as an example), teaches, and trains others.
A Disciple is teachable and learns and GROWS to take on responsibility.
A Spectator sets on the sidelines and watches.
In this chapter, we find Elijah as a Leader, Elisha as a Disciple, and 50 men of the sons of the prophets as Spectators.
Bishop Foster asked us one time in Leadership Class, “As a Leader, who are you Discipling/teaching to take your place?”
There are always going to be Spectators. BUT as a LEADER at POFW, who are you DISCIPLING/teaching to GROW and take your place?
2 Kings 2:14 (KJV Strong’s)
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.
Elisha meet the God of Elijah.
Elisha performed the miraculous but had no relationship with God. It almost sounds like he was questioning if the mantle had really fallen on him. God responded through parting the waters but he journey for Elisha had just begun. Now it was up to Elisha to walk with the Lord.
We can have anointing, have a mantle, and work miracles and still miss out on the most important thing in this life. We must have a relationship with the Lord.
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
Follow the man of God on where he leads you, it will lead to blessings from God for being obedient!
19-25
The two miracles set a tone for Elishas ministry which first of all involves kindness and second serverity. In this Elisha reflects the character of the Lord who keeps His covenant whith love for those who love him and repays by destruction those who hate him.
2 Kings 2:23 From their Elijaha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. Get out of here baldy they said get out of here baldy! He turned around looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty two of the boys. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
Be careful not to disrespect the man of God or you will have a curse on you.
23And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
Don’t make fun of the man of God. For he is anointed from God. And he is the mouth piece. Lift them up in your prayers and bless them for they watch out for our souls. I am great full for the man of God that God has placed in my life, pastor Watts. Don’t curse him. But bless him and watch his six. Be blessed in Jesus name.
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
Don’t mock the man of God.
Children can be cruel and bully one another and others. They may have thought because prophets and men of God are meek and peaceful that Elijah would have put up with this mockery. Elijah has just come from healing the waters and it would be easy to get upset and lose his cool. Instead he puts it in Gods hands and their judgment may seem harsh as death by bears. The Lord sees it fit for the mocking of a man of God this is why it is so important never to speak against the man of God. To touch not Gods anointed and do is prophet no harm.
“And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.”(2 Kings 2:21 KJV)
Here we observe the miracle of healing the waters. Elijah shows to us the way a prophet should make place to sweeten bitter spirits, and to make barren souls fruitful, by the word of God, which is like the salt cast into the water by Elisha. Jesus says we are the salt of the earth and we need to keep our saltiness. It is an apt emblem of the effect produced by the grace of God on the sinful heart of man.
I will not leave thee
The greatest way to change your life, attitude, or actions is by observing others and connecting to those that possess the characteristics that you desire. Then learn from them and apply it to your life. God places people in our lives to train is to become better.
2 Kings 2:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
I want a double portion Lord of the mantals left by the great men that have been left that have not been taken up. Use me in this last day revival, I am a vessel in your hands, do as you will!
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
The word of God (Jesus) records reverence. One may think it was mean and cruel; however children become adults, which ones actions if never corrected can become worse. Therefore one should consider where were; their parents, their manners, and why were they never corrected (taught right from wrong). The word of God (Judge) identifies one is to correct one’s children, if one loves them. Dear God, help us heed your word and show reverence unto your servants (God called). God Bless America, Israel, Jerusalem, and you all in Jesus name, Amen!
“And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?” They acknowledge him as prophet, which they seen the Lord divide the waters before him; however they still ignored what he told them. To doubt or question in this manner it truly unwise, and may be more costly than a few days of searching. God help us to hear and be obedient, in Jesus name.
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. 10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
Don’t walk away from your blessing! Stay close to your leaders, watch and learn from them and one day your blessing is to come because you stayed faithful in a walk with God and a man/woman of God. You can’t just ask for a blessing but show that you want it and for a mantle that will be passed down from our elders is a blessing that the next generation should want. Stand and grab your blessing of a mantle youth its our time to change the generation!
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
We should learn that a man of God us to be respected.
Elijah marks his dramatic exit and passes the torch to Elisha. The rest of the chapter validates Elisha as Elijah’s successor through healing and judgement. He represents both known activities of God.
Be careful who you and what you talk about. God protects His anointed
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.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
There will be many opportunities to miss the mantle of those who have passed on before us. We must be purposeful in maintaining the position God allows us to have near our leaders.
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
We don’t want to miss out what God has in stored for us because we don’t have the right sprit. We need to put away any hindrances, we need to commit ourselves to our leaders. Our leaders are there to help us not hurt us.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
We see in this chapter how many times Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here. God has sent me ……and Elisha would always respond “Not on your life! I’m not letting you out of my sight!”. This is called staying committed and focused on your promise, don’t lose sight of it.
Sometimes it is best for you to keep your mouth shut. In this passage they were told the master was leaving 2 times, but the speaker was asked to silence his thoughts 2 times. We have to be willing bought to be
11As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.
I guess we dont know how we will meet God up in heaven. He took Elijah by whirlwind, and Jesus slowly ascending until disappearing from view. Let us be ready for his coming, and enjoy the ride to heaven!