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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
June 19, 2024
The Invitatory
The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: O come, let us adore him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Reading:2 Kings 2:1,6-14
Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
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Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
This is a vividly and powerfully written passage and one is sorely tempted to focus principally on the drama, the movement of the characters and the surprises and thereby, miss the auspicious power of God who rules over all in and throughout creation. The many symbols in this passage convey the omnipresence and omniscience of God.
Two prophets journey together to the Jordan River: the hard-bitten spiritual warrior who turned Israel from Baal back to Yahweh, and the prophet-in-waiting who will champion Yahweh’s supremacy over Israel and the surrounding nations. Their journey together takes the two to places that evoke deep associations with Israel’s past. They travel first to Gilgal, a shrine that marks two fateful beginnings, the united Israel’s crossing into the land Yahweh promised and the inauguration of the Israelite monarchy. They then travel to Bethel, a royal sanctuary located near the southern border of the Northern Kingdom and a symbol of fractured Israel. A third stop at Jericho brings together the conflicted threads of Israel’s story. Jericho represents national unity, obedience to Yahweh, and Yahweh’s power and faithfulness: Yet, Jericho also represents the arrogance of Israel’s kings, exemplified by the Ahab, under whose reign the city was rebuilt, despite being cursed by Joshua. The journey ends at the Jordan River, a boundary region, a crossing place, and the site of transitions. Rivers are both spiritual and physical boundaries. They are privileged locations for divine encounters, notably here, Elijah’s ascent.
Given the history of Elijah’s witness, the crossing of the Jordan River is a demonstration of God’s victory over the forces of evil that attempt to hinder the movement of God’s people. Any power humans have over the river is given by God, as an expression of this reality. While rivers and streams give rise to life and sustenance, their very absence would threaten all earthly life. Within scripture, this basic premise is understood: that the river originates with God. This frames the biblical narrative from the beginning to the end.
The crossing from past to future occurs when Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind, leaving Elisha alone to step into the future that God is making. God takes Elijah up into heaven by a whirlwind. This singular and dramatic departure of Elijah reveals to us that the company of the redeemed also live in heaven. While we do not fully witness this drastic transformation it assumes a spiritual depth in scripture with its sense of the momentous possibilities for good or ill that characterize human life. Elijah is translated from earth to heaven, without death. This proclaims God’s power, not the power of any human, even Elijah. God opens the heavens to admit Elijah. This is a vivid reminder to us of God’s enduring power in creation and that we are subject to that power.
Two prophets cross the Jordan. One is taken up. One is left. With Elijah’s departure, the past he represents is closed. Elisha is left, and the future he represents begins when he strikes the water and asks pointedly, “Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?” Where is God amidst the turbulence of change and transition? Life is always changing. There is nothing that stays the same. This is sometimes for the good, sometimes not, and at least, different - in any event, constantly pointing to the transformation of life and human character that is expected to occur in all who are reborn in Christ.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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