Elisha Part 2: Crossing the Jordan, Healing the waters and the Children that mocked

 2 Kings 2:1-24

 In the first study of Elisha, we learned that he was promised a double portion of the spirit be upon him if he saw Elijah translated.  And so it was, that when Elisha saw that "there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." (2:12)  and Elisha "took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces" (2 Kings 2:12)  but he must carry on in the place of Elijah, as the anointed man of God.

And so Elisha took up Elijah's mantle and now we see the first miracle given that Elisha is God's own .  "he went back and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and he went back and smote the waters, and said Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over." (V13-14)  This is the first miracle that Elisha did by the spirit of the LORD. There were others watching, the sons of the prophets from Jericho, and they are witnesses that "the spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha..and they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him." (V15) And this is the reason that the sons of the prophets knew that Elijah would be taken, so that they could see that Elisha was the anointed successor to Elijah.

The sons of the prophets thought that perhaps God had cast Elijah down again onto a mountain or into a valley and wanted to go look for them, and wanted to send fifty strong men to look for him, but Elisha said "Ye shall not send" (V16)  So Elisha went to Jericho while the men searched for Elijah but they did not find him. When they returned Elisha said to them "Did I not say unto you, Go not? (V18) And so because Elisha knew that Elijah would not be found, the men of the city tell Elisha the situation in the city, "the water is naught, and the ground barren." (V19)

Elisha requests a new container with salt inside.(V20)  This must be a new container, not an old that has been used for other things..  healing requires the new, the old is put away.  The salt is cast into the water,  and Elijah gives glory to the Lord "Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land." (V21)  The man of God makes it clear that this healing is by God's will, not his own. "so the waters were healed unto this day,according to the saying of Elisha which he spake." (V22)