December 2 A Double Portion

2 Kings 2:9 When they had crossed (the Jordan River), 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." 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."

IF you've been with me on our journey through the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, you have seen how God used these men to present the message of sin, salvation and service (the Bible's message) to Israel. In these writings, you may be mindful that I have been counting Elisha's miracles. I said on September 28 that if you stayed with me, you'll learn why I'm counting Elisha's miracles.

    The reason for the counting goes back to today's Scripture. As Elijah was about to ascend to Heaven, Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me." In the Hebrew culture, the "double portion" is the proportion of a father's property which was the right of an eldest son. Elisha, then, asked for twice as much of Elijah's spirit that he would be considered Elijah's' firstborn spiritual son above all the other prophets who lived at that time.

    Is that greed? No. It is a heart's desire to live a life that is completely devoted to God, regardless of the cost. In fact, Elijah's response to Elisha's request was, "You have asked me a hard thing." (2 Kings 2:10)

    Did God granted Elisha's "double portion" request? The Prophet's ministry required many years of hardship for Elisha; yet, we have seen 22 miracles God did through Elisha. These are double the recorded miracles God did through Elijah. Now, we're not counting the miracles to say one was more powerful than the other or a better prophet - or that in any way Elisha's works brought him closer to God. I point this out to acknowledge this truth: God uses people in different ways at different times for different purposes. (For example, see John 21:20-23).

    The Spirit of God formed Elisha's heart to ask for more so that he would glorify God, that he would make God known more and more into an Israel empty of faith and without God's presence. Elijah knew it would be a difficult request. God ordained it. He gave to Elisha the power to make it so.

    As we end our 7-month study of these the three Prophets Ezekiel, Elijah and Elisha, my hope is that you've seen how God used these men to display his holiness, his grace and his great love for his people. Our Father in Heaven does not exist to judge his people but to save them. He offers all of himself to display his righteous ways. But we must know and must tell the truth as the Prophets proclaimed. God's judgment does condemn the unfaithful. God's grace saves the faithful.

Prayer: My Father in Heaven, may your name always be holy on my lips. I confess that I am born a sinner, worthy only of your judgment. I believe you graciously sent Jesus to die that I may live with you. I thank you for sending the Holy Spirit upon me to breathe into me the breath of eternal life. Give to me a portion of your power that I may glorify your name into a world empty of faith and without you. In Jesus' precious name, amen.

Note: For the remainder of the Advent season we'll look at Luke's account of Jesus' birth. Then we'll resume our study of the "Five E's" with the account of Esther.