2 Kings 2:14
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.
Our verse today comes from the famous scene of Elijah's rapture. Elisha had asked for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah, and it was told him that if he saw Elijah going up it would be granted him. Elijah goes up and his mantle comes down and Elisha is granted his request. He now has the mantle of his man of God, both literally and figuratively. Yet, long before this scene were years of Elisha ministering to, and pouring water on the hands of Elijah. If you have a man in your life who is truly "A man of God" then do as Elisha did, pour water on his hands, minister to him, and ask God to do for you what he did for him and doubly.
God puts men in our lives and he takes them away. What are we going to do when they are gone? We ought to do as Elisha did and take up where they left off. Pick up the gospel banner, don't let it touch the ground! Elisha had just seen how God parted the waters for Elijah, now with Elijah gone and his mantle upon him he does what Elijah did and "Smote the waters." Then he asked this question, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" That is the question all of us will have to ask in days to come. There will be a day when you are serving the Lord by yourself, the men God has put in your life will pass off the scene, and when confronted with the same obstacles they were confronted with we must ask Where is the LORD God of ___________? We read of the great revivals and ministers in London, under the leadership of Spurgeon, of those in Chicago under the leadership of Moody, of the great missionaries like Livingstone, Hudson, and Judson but is there anyone asking Where is the LORD God of these men?
Granted, this is not a mantle we can take for ourselves, it must be granted as it were to Elisha, but if it is let us smite the waters. Let us do those things that the ones before us did, let us lift up Christ, let us live for his glory and be willing to die for his glory, let us give as they gave, let us go as they went, let us sacrifice as they sacrificed. Truly it is a hard thing that we ask, but nevertheless, if he grants it, let us do as they did. Then when we reach a point where we cannot go any further, let us say "Where is the LORD God of these men?" Then smite the waters again and I believe we'll find that what he did in days gone by for men gone on can be done in this present hour for those carrying on the work.
"And Elisha went over" he went over the river, he went over into the ministry, he went over to make bitter waters sweet, he went over to raise the dead, to conquer the armies of Moab, he went over to a life of service to the Lord in the power of God. Today we need some men to be Elisha's. Pour water on the hands of the working men of this hour, and when those men have passed on may we ask for a double portion and take up their legacy, live as they lived, give as they gave, go as they went and when we come to impossible, impassable situations, let us pray "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?"
Comments