2 Kings picks up where 1 Kings left off, which is no surprise since it is
really all one great book. 2 Kings begins with the story of Ahaziah who was evil
like his father Ahab. Ahaziah had a serious fall and wondered whether he would
recover. Rather than inquire of the Lord, he chose to inquire of Baal-zebub,
the god of Ekron. Because of this, an angel speaks to Elijah and tells him to
instruct Ahaziah that he will not recover. We may not be as evil as Ahaziah,
but sometimes we too seek for answers in the wrong places, rather than going to
the Lord. At the end of chapter one we read that Ahaziah’s brother, Jehoram,
succeeded him as King of Israel because Ahaziah had no son.
In 2 Kings 2 we learn about the passing of the
mantle of prophecy from Elijah to Elisha. Elisha asks to have a double share of
Elijah’s spirit. Elijah tells him that he will be granted his request if he
sees Elijah being taken from him. Elijah, subsequently, has perhaps the most
dramatic departure from earth recorded in Scripture. He is taken to heaven in a
chariot of fire, from whence one of my favorite movies gets its name. We soon
learn that Elisha has indeed inherited a double portion of Elijah’s spirit for
he is able to part the waters of the Jordan with Elijah’s mantle.
2 Kings 2 ends with the strange story about a
group of small boys taunting Elisha: “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!”
Elisha curses the boys and two she-bears come out of the woods and maul all
forty-two boys.
This story raises questions on a number of
levels. Why was Elisha not mature enough simply to ignore these boys? Was it fair
for Elisha to use his power in this way? Was the mauling really a just
punishment for these boys taunting Elisha? Where is God in all of this?
C. S. Lewis has this insightful comment on this
passage:
My own view about Elisha and the bears (not that I
haven’t known small boys who’d be much improved by the same treatment!) and
other episodes is something like this. If you take the Bible as a whole, you
see a process in which something which, in its earliest levels (those aren’t
necessarily the ones that come first in the Book as now arranged) was hardly
moral at all, and was in some ways not unlike the Pagan religions, is gradually
purged and enlightened till it becomes the religion of the great prophets and
Our Lord Himself. That whole process is the greatest revelation of God’s true
nature. At first hardly anything comes through but mere power. Then (v.
important) the truth that He is One and there is no other God. Then justice,
then mercy, love, wisdom.[1]
In 2 Kings 3 we learn that Jehoram, son of Ahab,
ruled over Israel for twelve years and did what was evil in God’s sight, though
he was a little better than his parents because he removed the pillar of Baal that
his father had made. Jehoram formed an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah and
the king of Edom to fight against the king of Moab who refused to deliver sheep
to him as he had to his father, Ahab. Once again, Jehoshaphat is the only one
who inquires of the Lord through the prophet about the course of action they should take.
Elisha, out of respect for Jehoshaphat, consents to give to these three kings
an ingenious plan from the Lord that allows them to win their battle against
Moab.
Finally, in 2 Kings 4, we see more of Elisha’s
exercise of the double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha enables a widow to
multiply a jar of oil into many jars so that she is able to sell and live on the
proceeds. Then Elisha goes to live with a wealthy woman who bears a son at
Elisha’s word, even though her husband is old. After the child is born and
grows to be a young boy he suddenly falls dead one day and Elisha is able to
bring him back to life by the same method his mentor Elijah used. Elisha lies
on top of the boy and prays over him.
In these and other stories, we see the power of
God at work in and through Elisha. However, I agree with C. S. Lewis: far more
important than the power of God is justice, mercy, love, and wisdom. We will
certainly see some of these qualities as we continue our study of 2 Kings.
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