In 1 Kings 19:19, the Lord told the prophet Elijah to place his mantle (his cloak) on Elisha\u2019s shoulders, which symbolically represented that Elijah\u2019s calling from God would be passed on to Elisha. Now, in 2 Kings 2, we read that the Lord took Elijah, while he was still alive, to heaven in a whirlwind. And with Elijah’s departure, the time for Elisha to step into his role as a prophet of the Lord came.<\/p>\n
Elijah\u2019s cloak had fallen off as he was taken to heaven. And if Elisha would simply pick it up, it would now be his. He realized it would be an expensive cloak to take up and that following God would not be easy. But he did, and as he picked up the cloak and put it on, he also picked up the load of public service that Elijah had left. He went to the Jordan River with the cloak and asked a question that is just as critical for us today as it was then: “Where is the God of Elijah?”<\/p>\n
In our 21st-century world, we desperately need the God of Elijah to work in and among us. Where are the men and women of God who are unafraid to take up this mantle of service and speak truth? Where are the leaders who will take a stand for righteousness, calling sin by its name and calling humanity to repentance so that God can forgive our sins and heal our land?<\/p>\n
After visiting America in 1831, French writer Alexis de Tocqueville said:<\/p>\n
I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests\u2014and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning\u2014and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution\u2014and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So we desperately need to pray.<\/p>\n
“LORD, we fear that day has come, but we ask that you not leave us here. Please give us again truth-speakers as well as ears to hear and accept the hard truth needed to bring repentance, and then we ask for Your hand of mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n
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2 Kings 2 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass, when the\u00a0LORD\u00a0would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said\u00a0unto him, As\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0liveth, and\u00a0as\u00a0<\/em>thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el.\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0And the sons of the prophets that\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the\u00a0LORD\u00a0will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know\u00a0it;\u00a0<\/em>hold ye your peace.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0hath sent me to Jericho. And he said,\u00a0As\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0liveth, and\u00a0as\u00a0<\/em>thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0And the sons of the prophets that\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the\u00a0LORD\u00a0will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know\u00a0it;\u00a0<\/em>hold ye your peace.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0hath sent me to Jordan. And he said,\u00a0As\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0liveth, and\u00a0as\u00a0<\/em>thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.\u00a0\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. 9<\/sup> 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.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing:\u00a0nevertheless\u00a0<\/em>, if thou see me\u00a0when I am\u00a0<\/em>taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be\u00a0so\u00a0<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold,\u00a0there appeared\u00a0<\/em>a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12<\/sup> And Elisha saw\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>, 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<\/sup>\u00a0He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;\u00a0\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And when the sons of the prophets which\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>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<\/sup>\u00a0And 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\u00a0LORDhath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And 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.\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? 19<\/sup>\u00a0And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>naught, and the ground barren.\u00a0\u00a020<\/sup>And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>to him.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the\u00a0LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren\u00a0land\u00a0<\/em>.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 23<\/sup> And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: 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.\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the\u00a0LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 1 Kings 19:19, the Lord told the prophet Elijah to place his mantle (his cloak) on Elisha\u2019s shoulders, which symbolically represented that Elijah\u2019s calling from God would be passed on to Elisha. Now, in 2 Kings 2, we read that the Lord took Elijah, while he was still alive, to heaven in a whirlwind. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6796"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16266,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796\/revisions\/16266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}