FILIAL SON

1. Introduction

a) Elijah taken up to heaven

i) 1When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

ii) 3The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”

iii) 4Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

iv) 5The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”

v) 6Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

vi) 7Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

vii) 9When 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.

viii) 10“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

ix) 11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

x) 13Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. (2 Kings 2:1-14 NIV)

2. The Journey

a) It is a story of Elisha following Elijah from place to place throughout the journey God told Elijah to make before Elijah would be taken up to heaven.

b) God told Elijah to leave Gilgal and go to Bethel.

i) Gilgal

@1. Gilgal was the place where circumcision of covenant was made (Joshua 5:2-9).

#1) 9At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

#2) 9Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. (Joshua 5:2-9 NIV)

@2. This was the 2nd time that God told the leader Joshua to circmcise all males born in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All those men of military age died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt as God said they would for disobedience (afraid to enter the promised land).

@3. In the Bible, it also talks about circumcision of heart:

#1) 6The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV)

#2) 29No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. (Romans 2:29 NIV)

@4. Gilgal was a place where reproach or shame had been rolled away.

#1) 9Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. (Joshua 5:9 NIV)

@5. This is the place where we recognize ourself as a sinner. It is also the place where we receive our salvation because God has rolled away our reproach or shame or guilt in committing sins.

ii) Bethel

@1. Bethel was called the house of God in Genesis 28:19.

#1) 19He called that place Bethel (means house of God) , though the city used to be called Luz. (Genesis 28:19 NIV)

@2. Remember Jacob's dream of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and he saw the angels of God going up and down upon the ladder from earth to heaven.

@3. Where do the angels live? Earth or heaven? Guardian angels live on earth to watch over our children.

@4. In the house of God, we can receive peace, joy and healing.

c) Next, God told Elijah to leave Bethel and go to Jericho.

i) Jericho

@1. Jericho was a place of palms trees and fragrance. It is the city of the world. This is the place where do warefare and take whatever belongs to us.

@2. This was the first walled city that God told Joshua to take when they crossed over River Jordan.

d) From Jericho, God told Elijah to cross over River Jordan.

i) River Jordan

@1. River Jordan is 200 feet below sea level. It is place of death. We need to let go self ego, self image and self worship.

@2. Each time Elijah told Elisha to stay on but Elisha persisted to follow Elijah from place to place where God had told Elijah to go.

@3. The relationship between Elijah and Elisha was like that of a father and son. Elisha was not Elijah's biological son but was his spiritual son. Elijah was a father to Elisha. He was strict with him like a father. He stayed with him like a father. He led him like a father; and he gave him son's inheritance.

@4. Elisha was a filial son to Elijah.

@5. We do not choose our earthly father. God gives him to us. Similarly, we do not choose our spiritual father - God gives him to us too. It is God who puts us in earthly family as well as spiritual family. Our earthly father is not perfect. Likewise, our spiritual father is also not perfect. However, we cannot leave our father and expect to prosper. We will end up being a prodigal son. There is no perfect husband, perfect wife or perfect children. We choose to live in harmony and unity. It is God who puts us where we are today!

3. Prayer focus

a) Pray that we will be a filial son to our earthly father as well as to our spiritual father. God feels honored when we do thing right before his eyes.