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Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Spurgeon - “Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.” Preparing to die is the greatest thing we have to do, and we have to do it soon. First, we must learn to hold all things with a loose hand. Why should I grip so tightly that which death must and will tear from me? Why should I set my affections so ardently on a dying thing that will melt before my eyes? I cannot carry it with me when I am called to go. The next thing is to go and see about our work. If we have a feeling at all that we are going home, let us set our house in order. What did Elijah do? He went to the two colleges he had founded at Bethel and at Jericho, and of which he was their principal instructor, and he addressed the young men once more before he was taken from them. I should like to have been a student there to listen to the professor’s last lecture. I guarantee it was not an ordinary one! There was nothing in it dry, dusty, dead, and dreary. We have so little time to live, let us live like those who are dying. Elijah also said to his friend Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you” (2:9). If we have anything we can do for our friends, we should do it now. “Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength” (Ec 9:10). And see that Elijah and Elisha were talking as they walked—holding communion with each other. Elijah had a great deal to say to Elisha. He was about to leave in perilous times, so he talked fast to the man who was to bear the burden and heat of the day. And no doubt Elisha asked him many questions and was informed by him about many knotty points. Let our talk always be like their talk, and then it will be well to die talking. “Those who feared the LORD spoke to one another. The LORD took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared the LORD and had high regard for his name” (Mal 3:16). Robert
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Spurgeon - “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” The courts of the Lord’s house are dull and dreary if the Lord himself is not there. In reading a Christian book, or in engaging in private devotion, or in coming into the great assemblies of God’s house, our chief question is, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” For if we do not find God in all these things, what have we found? Nothing. Or we have mere husks, whereas the precious, priceless kernel is lost to us. A great weight of responsibility had fallen on Elisha. He had to do what scarcely any other person had ever done before: he had to follow one who seemed to be one of a kind. He had to be successor of the prophet of fire—the man of God, Elijah. He had Elijah’s mantle, and there is something in that. If I could ever feel any great reverence for relics, I would like to have Elijah’s mantle. Elisha had it, but what was the use of having the mantle of Elijah unless he could also have his God? Though he was called to take the mantle and with it to strike the waters, yet he knew where his strength must lie; and his prayer, his cry, was, “Here is the prophet’s mantle; but where is Jehovah, God of Elijah?” We learn from Elisha’s question that we must ask after God when we are beginning any new work or when some great difficulty is in our way. Where Is the Lord God of Elijah? - Robert Morgan Borrow More Real Stories for the Soul: 101 Incredible True Stories ... - Page 94 Seven young men sailed to a small island off the coast of mainland China to evangelize the fishing village of Mei-hwa. It was the 1920s, and the group was led by a promising young evangelist named Watchman Nee, later to become one of China’s most powerful Christian leaders. It was a pagan village, but at least one Christian lived there, a midwife, the surrogate mother of one of the young men. It was she who had asked them to come. Despite intense effort, the young men didn’t see the slightest results to their witnessing. The villagers ignored them. Finally the youngest of the evangelists, Kuo-ching Lee, shouted to a crowd in frustration, “What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you believe?” “Oh, we do believe,” came back a reply. “We believe in our great king, the god Ta-Wang. He never fails us.” As Kuo-ching questioned the crowd, he learned that every year the village staged a great festival for their god, Ta-Wang. For the last 286 years it had not rained on that annual festival day. And as it turned out, the celebration was only two days away, on January 11. Impulsively Kuo-ching Lee announced, “Then I promise you, our God, who is the true God, will make it rain on the eleventh.” The crowd took up his challenge. “Say no more,” they replied. “If there is rain on the eleventh, then your Jesus is indeed God. We will be ready to hear Him.” When Watchman Nee heard about the exchange he was deeply troubled, and he started to rebuke Kuo-ching Lee for his rashness. But instead he stole away for a time of prayer. “Father, have we gone too far?” he asked. “Should we leave this village now before Your Name is maligned? Should we turn these people over to themselves?” Instantly a phrase from 2 Kings 2:14 came to his mind: Where is the Lord God of Elijah? Watchman Nee thought of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, recorded in 1 Kings 18. He began wondering if God intended to do something similar in the village of Mei-hwa. The next day during his prayer time the same verse returned to his heart with unusual tenacity: Where is the Lord God of Elijah? Convinced that God intended to perform a miracle on the eleventh, Watchman instructed his young men to broadcast the challenge throughout the area. The Lord God of Elijah would send rain on January 11, a day that had not seen a drop of rain in almost three centuries. The news spread quickly, and everyone in the village became caught up in the excitement of the contest. It was the subject of every conversation. When January 11 dawned, it was a perfect day. The sun rose in a cloudless sky, and Watchman Nee had to shield his eyes from its brightness. The villagers, assured that Ta-Wang was the true god after all, scurried about preparing for their festival. Deeply disturbed, Watchman began to pray, “Lord, this doesn’t look like the rain that You.…” Suddenly his prayer was interrupted by 2 Kings 2:14: Where is the Lord God of Elijah? Quickly dressing, Watchman joined his companions at the breakfast table. As they bowed their heads over the food, he offered a simple blessing: “Father, please accept our prayer as a gentle reminder that You promised to answer the challenge of the demon-god today. Even though not a cloud appears in the sky, we trust in Your promise.” Before Watchman pronounced the “Amen,” the seven young men heard a few drops hitting the tiled roof. As the rain began falling, villagers hurried to protect their false god, hoisting him onto a platform to be carried down the street. As they started off, the rain fell in sheets, then in a torrential downpour. Water rose in the streets until it reached the porches of many houses, and as the false priests tried to carry their heavy statue, they slipped in the deluge, and their idol crashed to the pavement, breaking its arm and head. When the storm finally abated, the pagan priest quickly repaired the idol and announced he had made a grave mistake. The annual celebration, he said, was to have fallen, not on January 11, but on January 14. “Lord,” Watchman Nee prayed, “give us good weather until that hour. We have much to do.” During the next three days, the seven young men evangelized around the clock, and thirty villagers confessed Christ as Lord. When the revised day arrived, exactly at the appointed hour, another mammoth storm hit Mei-hwa. From that moment, paganism’s hold on the island was broken. A church was established. And the faith of seven young men was dramatically strengthened for their years of ministry to come. C H Spurgeon - sermon notes - 2 Kings 2:14—“And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” The great object to be desired is God, Jehovah, Elijah’s God. With him all things flourish. His absence is our decline and death. Those entering on any holy work should seek for the God who was with their predecessors. What a mercy that the God of Elijah is also the God of Elisha! He will also be with us, for “this God is our God, for ever and ever, he will be our guide even unto death.” Ps. 48:14. In great difficulties no name will help but that of God. How else can Jordan be divided but by Jehovah, God of Elijah? Elisha sought first for the Lord, and enquired, “Where is he?” Elijah was gone, and he did not seek him, but his God. He used Elijah’s old mantle, and did not invent novelties; desiring to have the aid of the same God, he was content to wear the mantle of his predecessor. The true is not new. Still we do not need antiquities from the past, nor novelties of the present, nor marvels for the future; we only want the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we shall then see among us wonders equal to those of Elijah’s age. “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” The old mantle, used with faith in the same God, parted the waters hither and thither. The power is where it used to be. I. THE QUESTION TURNED INTO PRAYER. It is as though he cried—O thou, who wast with Elijah, be thou also with me! At this day our one need is Elijah’s God 1. The God who kept him faithful must make us stand firm should we be left alone in the truth. 1 Cor. 1:8. 2. The God who heard his prayer must give us also the effectual inwrought prayer of the righteous man. James 5:16. 3. The God who provided for him at Cherith and Zarephath, and in the wilderness, must also supply all our needs. Ps. 23:1. 4. The God who raised the dead by him must cause us to bring men up from their death in sin. 1 Kings 17:23. 5. The God who answered by fire must put life, energy, and enthusiasm into our hearts. 1 Kings 18:38. 6. The God who gave him food for a long journey must fit us for the pilgrimage of life, and preserve us to the end. 1 Kings 19:8. 7. The God who gave him courage to face kings must also make us very bold, so as to be free from the fear of man. 1 Kings 21:20. 8. The God who divided Jordan for the prophet will not fail us when we are crossing into our Canaan. 2 Kings 2:8. 9. The God who took him away in a chariot of fire will send a convoy of angels, and we shall enter into glory. II. THE QUESTION ANSWERED. The Lord God of Elijah is not dead, nor sleeping, nor on a journey 1. He is still in heaven regarding his own reserved ones. They may be hidden in caves, but the Lord knoweth them that are his. 2. He is still to be moved by prayer to bless a thirsty land. 3. He is still able to keep us faithful in the midst of a faithless generation, so that we shall not bow the knee to Baal. 4. He is still in the still small voice. Quietly he speaks to reverent minds: by calm and brave spirits he is achieving his purposes. 5. He is still reigning in providence to overturn oppressors (1 Kings 21:18, 19), to preserve his own servants (2 Kings 1:10), and to secure a succession of faithful men. 1 Kings 19:16. 6. He is coming in vengeance. Hear ye not his chariot-wheels? He will bear away his people, but, sorely, O ye unbelievers! shall ye rue the day wherein ye cried in scorn, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” Oh, to be so engaged that we can court the presence of God! Oh, to be so consecrated that we may expect his benediction! Oh, to have that presence, so as to be girded with his strength! Oh, to live so as never more to ask this question! AUXILIARY EXTRACTS “God of Queen Clotilda,” cried out the infidel Clovis I. of France, when in trouble on the field of battle, “God of Queen Clotilda! grant me the victory!” Why did he not call upon his own god? Saunderson, who was a great admirer of Sir Isaac Newton’s talents, and who made light of his religion in health, was, nevertheless, heard to say in dismal accents on a dying-bed, “God of Sir Isaac Newton, have mercy on me!” Why this changing of gods in a dying hour?—“Addresses to Young Men,” by Rev. Daniel Baker. 1. The God of Elijah gave him the sweet experience of keeping warm and lively in a very cold and dead generation; so that he was best when others were worst.… But where is the Lord God of Elijah in these dregs of time, wherein professors generally are carried away, with the stream of impiety, from all their liveliness and tenderness that aforetime have been among them, when the more wickedness sets up its head, the more piety is made to hide its head? It is a sad evidence that God is gone from us, when the standard of wickedness makes advances, and that of shining holiness is retreating, and can hardly get hands to hold it up. 2. The God of Elijah gave him the sweet experience of the power of prayer: James 5:17.… But where is the God of Elijah, while the trade with heaven by prayer is so very low? Alas, for the dead, cold, and flat prayers that come from the lips of professors at this day, so weak and languishing that they cannot reach heaven! 3. The God of Elijah gave him the experience of the sweet fruits of dependence on the Lord, and of a little going far, with his blessing: 1 Kings 17:16.… But where is the God of Elijah at this day, when what we have seems to be blown upon, that it goes in effect for nothing? Our table is plentifully covered, yet our souls are starved; our goodness sometimes looks as a morning cloud, it blackens the face of the heavens, and promises a heavy shower, but quickly proves as a little cloud, like unto a man’s hand, which is ready to go for nothing; yea, this generation is blinded by the means that have a natural tendency to give light Ah! “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” 4. The God of Elijah gave him the experience of a gracious boldness to face the most daring wickedness of the generation he lived in, though it was one of the worst. This eminently appeared in his encounter with Ahab: 1 Kings 18:1.… But where is the God of Elijah now, while the iniquities of our day meet with such faint resistance, while a brave brow for the cause of God, a tongue to speak for him, and a heart to act, are so much wanting? The wicked of the world, though they have an ill cause in hand, yet they pursue it boldly; but, alas! the people of God shame their honest cause by their cowardice and faint appearing in it. If God give us not another spirit, more fitted for such a day, we shall betray our trust, and bring the curse of the succeeding generation on us. 5. The God of Elijah gave him the experience of a glorious and powerful manifestation of himself in a solemn ordinance, even at the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, which was ushered in with the spirit of prayer in Elijah: 1 Kings 18:37–39.… But where is the God of Elijah, when so little of the Spirit’s influences is found in ordinances, even solemn ordinances? Here is the mantle, but where is the God of Elijah? Here are the grave-clothes, in which sometimes the Lord was wrapt up, but where is he himself? Communion-days have sometimes been glorious days in Scotland, and sometimes the gospel hath done much good, so that ministers have had almost as much to do to heal broken hearts as now to get hard hearts broken; but where now is the God of Elijah? 6. The God of Elijah gave him the experience of being enabled to go far upon a meal: 1 Kings 19:8. But where now are such experiences, while there is so little strength in the spiritual meals to which we now sit down? This is a time wherein there is much need of such an experience; the Lord seems to be saying to his people, “Rise and eat, for the journey is long”; and what a hard journey some may have, ere they get another meal, who knows? Oh, for more feeding power in the doctrine preached among us! 7. The God of Elijah gave him the experience of the Lord’s removing difficulties out of his way, when he himself could do nothing at them: Jordan divided. So Peter had the iron gate opened to him of its own accord: for when the Lord takes the work in hand, were it never so desperate as to us, it will succeed well with him. Sure we have need of this experience this day. How is the case of many souls so embarrassed at this day that they cannot extricate themselves, by reason of long and continued departures from God, so that all they can do is that they are fleeing and going backward! Ah! where is the God of Elijah, to dry up those devouring deeps? Enemies have surrounded the church, and brought her to the brow of the hill, ready to cast her over; where is the God of Elijah, to make a way for her escape?—Thomas Boston. 2 Kings 2:15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. saw him 2Ki 2:7 The spirit of Elijah Nu 11:25-29 27:20 Jos 3:7 Isa 11:2 59:21 Joh 15:26,27 Ac 1:8 2Co 12:9 1Pe 4:14 bowed: 2Ki 2:19 4:1-4,37 6:1-7 Jos 4:14 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him - These are the 50 prophets from 2Ki 2:7 who had witnessed the transfer of power in the miraculous dividing of the Jordan. they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” - They have just witnessed the same miracle Elijah had performed with the mantle clearly attesting to the 50 that Elisha was Elijah's successor. Thus they recognized Yahweh’s power was still available through Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him - The 50 honor him and bow in submission to him as Elijah's replacement in Israel. Bob Deffinbaugh: The section we are dealing with in 2 Kings describes the transition of power from Elijah to Elisha. While there were a number of prophets in Israel, it would seem that Elijah was the “senior prophet” of his time. After his departure, it was necessary that his successor be designated in a way that would make it clear he was the one in whom the spirit of Elijah had come to abide. (2 Kings 1:1-2:18 Life and Times of Elijah the Prophet-Chariots of Fire) Chris Tiegreen - Salvation Story The One Year Heaven on Earth Devotional: 365 Daily ... - Page 278 When the group of prophets from Jericho saw from a distance what happened, they exclaimed, “Elijah’s spirit rests upon Elisha!” 2 Kings 2:15 IN WORD Elijah’s name means “Yahweh is God,” which was exactly the message he preached. He was zealous for pure worship of the one true Lord, both in his own life and in the national culture of God’s people. He was outraged that the God of Israel, who had carefully chosen and powerfully delivered His people, was being brazenly rejected in favor of idols of wood and stone. He had a jealous spirit for God. Elisha received the Spirit that was working in Elijah, but the message came out different. After Elijah preached uncompromising truth, Elisha demonstrated the mercy of God in the midst of a cursed land. Elijah declared the sins of the nation; Elisha remedied them. Elisha did things like heal lepers, bless cursed cities, promote reconciliation, feed a multitude, and raise the dead. (That should all sound familiar to anyone who has read the Gospels.) And Elisha’s name reflects the message of his life: “God saves.” We see that dynamic often in Scripture. Moses, the prophet of the Law, took God’s people to the edge of the Promised Land; Joshua (whose name also means “God saves”) took them in. The captivity disciplined the nation; Joshua the high priest (same name, same meaning) led the worship of God’s people afterward. John the Baptist pointed out the sins of the nation; Jesus (whose name also means “God saves”) came to heal them. The Old Testament emphasizes why we need a Savior; the New Testament gives us one. In every case, uncompromising righteousness is followed by fulfillment. IN DEED Elijah and Elisha illustrate the heart of God. God never compromises His righteousness, but He is always willing to redeem and satisfy our lack of it. In fact, Elisha —the mercy emphasis in the prophetic duo —received a double portion of the Spirit. God’s mercy is always a higher priority to Him than judgment (James 2:13). God’s heart will always draw Him to those who need His grace. 2 Kings 2:16 They said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” the Spirit: 1Ki 18:12 Eze 3:14 8:3 11:24 40:2 Ac 8:39 2Co 12:2,3 PROPHETS NOT SURE ELIJAH TRULY GONE They said to him, “Behold, (hinneh; Lxx - idou) now, there are with your servants fifty strong men (Heb. sons of strength), please let them go and search for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” - Their request indicates that they did not see what Elisha saw (cf 2Ki 2:10), that Elijah had been translated to heaven body, soul and spirit! Their search for a body would be futile and Elisha knew it which is why he said do not send out the 50 men. Bob