Elisha the Baldhead, the Two She Bears, and the Forty-Two Boys - Part 5
The four tests of prophetic leadership
With the story behind the story being told, we can now begin working our way through 2 Kings chapter 2 in an attempt to make sense of that weird passage which is the namesake of this series of articles. Elijah is completing a legendary run as a prophet of God. God is allowing him to hang it up and has revealed to Elijah his successor, Elisha. Elisha has been in training, but he’s about to get activated as the new chief prophet. The position will be perceived as most vulnerable to the influence of various competing agenda’s in the initial stages of his ministry. Could Elisha handle the pressure? He was about to be tested. Elijah suffered relentless testing and executed his ministry with an iron fist until he cracked. Now it’s Elisha’s turn.
As Elijah is making his farewell tour at the beginning of chapter 2, he meets with who are called “sons of the prophets” at different locations. These are his key political base supporters. Starting at Gilgal, then on to Bethel, then to Jericho – Elijah is retracing the route taken by the Israelites as they take possession of the promised land, even mimicking the parting of the Jordan river. It was like a political campaign trail to rally his base and endorse his successor, and the message couldn’t be more clear. Israel is Yahweh’s turf and no other gods are welcome here. I have been, and now Elisha is God’s chosen man. The hearts and the minds of the people of this land belong to God and God alone. It is also recalling the original mission of that journey from the book of Joshua ending at Jericho . . . war.
The original mission of Israel was to clear the land of everything and everyone that didn’t submit to Yahweh’s sovereign rule. The salvation of the world from rancorous evil was at stake and couldn’t become compromised by noncompliance. And now the salvation of God’s own unique possession from rancorous evil was in the balance. This was very high stakes poker being played.
Knowing well the horrors of war, Elijah has mercy on Elisha. He gives him the option of sitting out twice. Sitting out of the relentless controversy of the toxic political climate of the campaign trail. Battling for hearts and minds of people uncertain, and slow to believe the truth. They are also likely slow to trust Elijah’s leadership no matter how many times he has proven himself. Rest up kid. You’re going to need all of your strength and energy if you’re going to fill these shoes.
But Elisha has none of it. He not only wants to match Elijah’s track record of defending the glory of Israel’s God, he wants to exceed it. He is a true patriot. He welcomes the grind, cowboy up. He counts the cost, looking it dead in the eye, and asks for a double portion. Let’s go. That’s test number one.
Then 2 Kings 2 repeats two almost identical interactions between Elisha and the prophetic guilds found there:
1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
The fact that this is repeated in such a short space implies that it is important. What it represents is the testing of Elisha by his allies. They know Elijah is leaving the scene and Elisha is next in line, they want to see if he’s man enough for the job. They want to probe him for vulnerabilities that may not have been present in a hardened and established Elijah, so that their various competing agendas might find their way onto the big stage of the chief prophet’s ministry. As Elisha is moving up, it might be their chance to move up as well.
But Elisha’s poker face has no tells. He doesn’t blink, and he tells them to shut their pie holes while he’s at it. He is pure strength and resolve. Like his mentor, he only performs for an audience of one. That’s test number two.
Then as Elisha pays homage to his departing mentor he has to take the risk of wielding the power of his new office. With everyone watching. Elijah parted the waters of the Jordan to cross, would it work for him? Would God show up? What if it didn’t work? Everyone was watching to see if it would, many were even hoping it wouldn’t. Would he lose their respect? Failure would be humiliating. And the enemy would smell blood. There were wolves everywhere, many in sheep’s clothing. The text reveals Elisha’s next move:
13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
That was test number three. Starting in verse 15, Elisha demonstrates that he is not only strong but also flexible. In verse 19 he demonstrates that he is capable of solving the civic problems of Israel. He is a leader worth following in every way.
But one test he hadn’t yet faced. He hadn’t yet faced the enemy. And that episode will bring us to the climax of our story. That will be test number four.