2 Kings 2 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence

Back in 1 Kings 19, after Elijah complained to the Lord that he was the only godly man left in Israel, the Lord had told him that he had left seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal and that the Lord had someone waiting in the wing to take the baton from him personally and to serve the Lord in the next generation. That time had now come to pass. Even though Elisha was determined to hold onto his mentor Elijah and not let him go, it was the Lord’s will to take him early and to raise up Elisha in his place. After three attempts were made by Elijah to ditch his younger companion in order to make his exodus from this world, he promised to grant Elisha’s prayer to receive a double portion of the Spirit that lay upon him, but only if he witnessed his departure, which Elisha was determined to do either way.

This passage reminds us once again that none of us is essential to God’s kingdom purposes. No matter how gifted we are, the word “finite” is indelibly written upon our foreheads. All that we have and all that we are is a gift from God; therefore, none of us should think more highly of himself than he ought. At any moment, the Lord could choose to use us less or not at all according to his own plan and purpose. On the other hand, he may plan to use us more and in a greater way, not because we are any greater than others but because the Lord has chosen to elevate us to higher service in his kingdom. It is truly a privilege to serve the Lord with the gifts and time that he has measured out to each of us, but it is also a part of our sanctification that as we grow in understanding the will of the Lord that we also grow in our desire to serve him more and in greater ways, not for our own glory but for the Lord’s sake.

In the same way that Elijah was the forerunner of Elisha, so John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus. And, if you remember John’s attitude was that he felt himself unworthy even to untie the strap of his sandals. In John 3:30 he said of Jesus “He must increase, I must decrease.” Surely, that is the mentality of the Lord’s servant. Just as Elijah needed to humble himself to make way for Elisha, we, like John, need to humble ourselves before the Lord. And strangely, as we take on this mindsight of humiliation, the Lord raises us up to greater levels of service in his kingdom that we might share in Christ’s exaltation. Just as Elijah was raised up into heaven, so all God’s people will be raised and exalted with Christ as his servants. And if we have been so blessed with children both physical and spiritual, surely it is our desire and prayer that the Lord would give a double portion of His Spirit to those who are left behind. Let none of us leave this world to the devil, but leave it to our sons and daughters to finish what we’ve begun by God’s grace and power.