And he replied, 'As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.' The progression of the armies in Joshua goes from crossing the Jordan to the destruction of Jericho, to a battle at Ai and Bethel, to encampment at Gilgal. The next stop in Elisha's journey was Jericho. When the body touched Elishas bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings 13:20-21. [2] I read a quote from A. W. Tozer recently. We need to trust our Father. So the first stop on the journey was Gilgal. After Elijah was taken into heaven, Elisha returned to earth by back-tracking the same steps. That is summing up Israel's history. The tale proceeds as Elijah confronts the evil king, Ahab, about being the cause of problems for the people of Israel. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on their home ground and claimed this holy place for the one true God. Jordan (Josh. The first are these stones that were set up as a monument and a reminder so that anyone that looked at them would remember that God is alive and well. (Part 2), We saw in the first study that Elisha went from being a ploughman, working in the fields one day, to being a prophet of the Lord the next. He said to the Israelites, 'In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' Gilgal. Probably if he knew my friend's butter fingers as well as I do, he wouldn't be laughing! For example, when he died on the battlefield during the Civil War in 1863, Stonewall Jackson is said to have remarked, "Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.". He threw his coat around him. What is the author saying by showing Elijah take this path at the command of the LORD? But I do believe that these places are highly significant and do speak to us. (See " What is the Meaning and Significance of Gilgal in the Bible? And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan . Bethel: House of God, which contains His Presence, Jericho: Walk by Faith because God has taken over. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. I know this because things are seldom easy on this crazy planet. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw the glory and the two men standing with him. Luke 9:30-32. They would be thinking 'OK right, are we looking for a way in here? We are back to where we were at the end of the first study on Elisha. And so, if we were going to boil it down to one word, Gilgal symbolically stands for 'separation' - being separated from the past and being separated unto God. of Joshua 4:19-24 'On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. joram. Elijahs Journey. How to Simplify expression into partial Trignometric form? I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, please. seem to be identical with the city visited by Samuel (I Sam. 20 Then Elisha left his oxen. 38 a company Deut. As his final destination, instead of returning to Egypt (Gilgal), he returned to Mount Carmel, which is where Elijahs ministry had ended, and where of course Elishas ministry was going to begin. 4, v. 5; Hosea iv. In the NFL, much is made of "coaching trees." They show us all how to stand for God, even when we feel like we may be the last voice for Him. What are the priests of the second order? Bible Study Elisha's Journey How far do you want to go? But we need, obviously, to trust. While he was on the way, some little boys came out of the city and jeered at him: Go away, baldy; go away, baldy! I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. This is a poor quality post for this site. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. [6] Jesus repeatedly said 'He who loses his life for my sake shall find it.' I added some formatting to your post (hope you don't mind). He went into heaven, and therefore heaven is a literal place. She could have given up and thought that there was no point in carrying on because the others were too far ahead. vii. Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. You are not a symbol. The answer - stones. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. Always active in her community and local church, Meg also leads Bible study for women and teen girls. ', And that is what he was meaning. Rain fell, and Elijah retreated from the evil Queen Jezebel, who had sworn to kill him (1 Kings 19). Press on in the Lord to find and go deeper into that purpose my friend and lay hold of that for which God has laid hold of you! While gathering or hanging out, Elisha performed some miracles for the young prophets to see. As she came down she tumbled over and she quickly tried to get to her feet to glide down to the finish line to get gold. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Salem Media Group. The LORD has sent me on to Bethel." Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 'Here is the cool part - On the seventh day after we have walked around it seven times we are going to blow our trumpets and the walls are going to come crashing down! "When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal." ( 2 Kings 2:1) The author of 2 Kings . ; In good times and in bad. Later in the Hebrew Bible (in fact among the last verses of the English translation of the Old Testament), there is indication that Elijah will physically return to earth "before the great and terrible Day of the Lord," and so there is still an expectation (among Jewish and some Christian students of the Bible) that this Prophet will yet return to earth physically in the future. You are not a projection of our imagination. My Father will honour the one who serves me.'. Now there are two important things in Gilgal. Now alone, Elisha crosses the Jordan again, returns to Jericho and thence back to Bethel. These cities are considered to be special locations where there were schools for groups of prophets. Here the route of the prophets journey rules out the most famous Gilgal (Jos 45), the one near Jericho. What does the Jordan speak of for you and me? At that time, Israel was ruled by corrupted Kings whose evil ways caused the drought from God upon the land. ID: 594023 Language: English School subject: Religious Studies Grade/level: Grade 6 Age: 9-11 Main content: About Elijah and Elisha journey Other contents: Add to my workbooks (16) Download file pdf Embed in my website or blog Add to Google Classroom Bethel is a throwback to Sinai, when the dwelling of God came to earth. Most theories stick with two cities named Gilgal: one in Samaria and one near Jericho. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. She could have just slowed down and glided down the hill for first place but just let it slip. It thereby becomes almost mythic in its import and reminds us that, behind the transitory flow of kings and kingdoms, stand the eternal word of God and the prophets who give it voice. Its name could still be found not many years ago in that of a hill At Gilgal "the shame of Egypt" was removed (Joshua 5:8-10), when the foreskins of the Israelites were taken away. With 2 Kings 2:1-12, we have just such an occurrence of the torch being passed from one generation to another. And Elisha passed the test saying (in so many words!) It was a base where Joshua and the Israelites used to go out from. I am staying with you and I don't want to be anywhere else.'. Discover how the intersection of your passion and Gods purpose is the key to empowerment in your life. Bianca Jurez Olthoff, 10 Friendships of the Bible to Learn From Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. The route is both spiritual and social. I guess to try and fit it into this passage - Paul was saying here 'I am not going to let it slip - I am not going to get complacent. I found that convicting anyway. Apparently from the village of Tisbe, south of the Sea of Galilee, since he was known as Elijah the Tishbite.. "Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye," he said. And these speak of separation, the presence of God, walking by faith, and death and resurrection respectively. One commentary I read mentioned that this is a rather indirect route for Elijah to leave the land, but didn't comment beyond that. The passage is full of feeling and pathos. Elisha picked up Elijahs mantle and used it to cross the Jordan again on dry land. Sorry, you have Javascript Disabled! It shows the images with a short description of what is happening in each scene. 'Look, there's no way, no way at all I am leaving you. First and foremost, this is the first instance within the Hebrew Bible that there is direct parallel between the visible "rest" of God and the invisible "rest" of God. Among the many who profess the Christian faith, scarcely one in a thousand reveal any passionate thirst for God.'. When things were hard or went wrong for them, then they sought Him. Joshua sees this guy, he's got a sword and he looks as if he is going to be a real good fighter and so Joshua obviously wants to know whose side he is on - 'Are you with us, or are you with our enemies?' 5. Though Elijah and Elisha are the prophets of the northern Israel, their travelling routes indicate their status and position as the prophets representing both kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee. Stopping short of Bethel at Shechem cost him dearly but he did return to Bethel. ), I have added the following table. Bethel in Hebrew means the house of God. So this little passage gives us the reason why it is called Gilgal. Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ' What message does my Lord have for his servant?' Elishas Journey. As you use this map on its own, or as a compliment to the brand-new book, Choosing the Extraordinary Life you will be motivated to choose an extraordinary life for the Lord, too, as Gods story intersects your story. Joshua was in the presence of the Lord! iv. 2 Kings 4 Elisha and Good Old Fashioned Kindness! The author of 2 Kings records Elijahs body being swiftly taken up to heaven, without having to experience an earthly death. Now the first real mention of Jericho is back where we were before in Joshua. When Elisha returns, he will carry Elijah's prophetic responsibilities and--most importantly--a double portion of God's Holy Spirit to anoint his work. At Gilgal the shame of Egypt was removed (Joshua 5:8-10), when the foreskins of the Israelites were taken away. Elijah is another pilgrim but his journey ended in a more visible entrance into the Lord's presence. Kings Saul, David, & Solomon. For Elisha it was a place of nurturing and growth. 5 Things You Should Know about the ESV Bible Translation. It was known as the House of God. Does anyone ever exchange places on the highest prophetic level in private? It is my conjecture that the writer of Luke/Acts is drawing a parallelism of the mantle of Elijah coming upon Elisha as a result of him seeing Elijah taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2:10) with that of the mantle of Jesus Christ (the power of the Holy Spirit) coming upon the disciples as they witness the ascension of Jesus Christ. God inspired 1 and 2 Kings to retell the history of his people and remind them of his promises, assure them that his promises had not failed, David Mathis explains on desiringGod.org, and declare that his word remained as sure as ever.. Let them go in search of your master. All rights reserved. I love what Major Ian Thomas says about this. Elijah said to Elisha, ' Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.' Jordan's line about intimate parties in The Great Gatsby? 'In so many words Joshua was saying to Him 'whose side are you on, are you on our side or on theirs?' 2 Kings 2:6 Then Elijah said to him, 'Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.' Ahaziah, son and successor of Ahab, was succeeded as king of Israel by his brother _____. Elijah set out on a journey with Elisha from Gilgal to Bethel, then from Bethel to Jericho, and finally from Jericho across the Jordan River (see Bible Map 4). And it's the same with us. When your descendants the land on which you are lying, David, & quot ; is... Ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean? things were or. King of Israel near Jericho life for my sake shall find it. ' future when your descendants their... Of your passion and Gods purpose is the key to empowerment in your life and... Went wrong for them, then they sought Him cross the Jordan speak of for and... 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Of your passion and Gods purpose is the author of 2 Kings,. People of Israel her community and local church, Meg also leads Bible study Elisha 's journey was.! When the body touched Elishas bones, the presence of God, walking by because!
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