Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Why Elijah Didn't Die | Historical Books | 2 Kings 2:1-14

Episode Date: September 25, 2025

Did Elijah die? What makes a good leader? Why did Jesus leave us for the Father? In today's episode, Patrick shares how 2 Kings 2:1-14 reminds us of the gift and power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave us when he ascended. If you're listening on Spotify, tell us about yourself and where you're listening from! Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 2 Kings 2:1-14

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. What's the cost to holding on to power? There's an alternate version of American history that could have played out. After leading the revolutionaries to victory against the British, George Washington was the most beloved leader in the country. When the Constitution was ratified in 1787, he was elected as our first president in 1789, and he stayed in that. office for eight years until 1797. He only led for two terms. Now, there's nothing surprising about that to Americans today because our presidency has a two-term limit, but back then there was no term limit. Washington could have stayed in office much longer. The American people loved him, and no one could

have won an election against him. But Washington had a fear. If he stayed in office, he would become like a new king. And as the first president, he would set a precedent for future presidents. If he led for three or four more terms, other presidents would seek to do the same thing. And in his view, that jeopardized the vision of a Democratic Republic, where leaders were elected to serve people, not rule over them for a lifetime. So Washington laid down the mantle of leadership, and in doing so, he exemplified what a peaceful transition could look like for future presidents in America. It might seem unnoteworthy to us today, but it was unheard of in his generation. His willingness to lay down power and pass it to the next generation.

It created fertile ground for the American experiment, and it allowed those who followed him to flourish in a way they couldn't have otherwise. It's easy for us to assume that when a great leader steps aside, what follows him will be disappointing, a cacophonous unraveling of all his good work. And of course, that happens sometimes. But the biblical storyline tells a different story, a story that I imagine might have even inspired George Washington,

because in the Bible, when great leaders step aside, God often graciously chooses to work even greater things through those who follow them. In a strange way, the faithfulness of one generation makes fertile soil for the next generation. What began as a brave seed is allowed to grow into a great tree. We see this for the first time with Moses. He never enters into the promised land

because of his sin and the sin of Israel, yet his predecessor, Joshua, and Joshua's generation, they do enter the land. And while they're not perfect, this generation turns out to be one of the most upright and godly in Israel's history. What followed Moses's ministry and Moses' leadership was greater than Moses' ministry and leadership. Today, in 2 Kings 2, we encounter a similar story. Elijah is the greatest prophet in 1st and 2nd Kings.

And when we meet him, he's a lone ranger, and Israel has turned into his own. entirely against God and idolatry. But by the end of Elijah's journey, things have changed. He has a dear student named Elisha. And Elisha's not alone. There's now an entire company of prophets who are carrying forward Elijah's prophetic ministry. Let's read what happens in 2nd King's 2

as Elijah is leaving his ministry. When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgall. 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. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today? Yes, I know, Elisha replied. So be quiet. So let's start here. In some strange way, Elisha and the company of the prophets all know that God is going to take up Elijah. Unlike most people, he's not

going to die, but be transported into the heavenly realm by God himself. This is a deep and profound mystery. But think about it from the perspective of Elisha, Elijah's student. Think about it from the perspective of these prophets who followed Elijah. This had to be devastating news. Their leader was leaving. The man who confronted Ahab and defeated the idols on Mount Carmel, would no longer be with them. And perhaps to spare Elisha the pain of departure, Elijah keeps telling him to just stay behind, don't come with me. But again and again, Elisha refuses.

Three times Elijah tries to stop him and three times Elisha refuses to leave him. Let's pick up in verse 7. 50 men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water, with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over dry ground. So Elijah is here reenacting the parting of the Red Sea and the later parting of the Jordan River, and God is leading him out of the Egypt of this life into the paradise of the next life with him.

But Elijah can't go with him. So let's pick up in verse 9. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elijah, tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away from you. let me inherit a double portion of your spirit elisha replied you have asked a difficult thing elijah said yet if you see me when i am taken from you it will be yours otherwise it will not now this could sound like a strange power grab but i think that would miss the point elisha understands that god's mission for the prophets in israel doesn't end after elijah leaves there's a lot more to be done and by asking for a double portion of elijah's power he's admitting his own weakness. It's kind of like saying, I'm starting off so weak

that unless I have twice your power, I could never lead like you. And at the end of the day, both Elijah and Elijah know the truth. The power of Elijah didn't come from Elijah. It came from God's spirit. And so Elisha is asking for intercession. He's asking Elijah to pray

that those who follow him would flourish and do even greater things than he did in the name of God after he leaves. Eventually, chariots of fire descend onto earth, and they carry Elijah up into heaven. And Elisha sees it all. And as the story unfolds,

it becomes clear that God has answered the prayer. And as great as Elijah was, Elisha and the company of the prophets do even more. Doesn't that just highlight God's power and mercy? But it also points us forward, because Jesus and the disciples would experience something similar. Like Elijah, Jesus is taken up into, heaven and it would be tempting for the disciples to believe that this marked the end of his movement.

But Jesus told his disciples two remarkable things, almost impossible things to believe. The first one is in John 16.7. It is for your good, Jesus said, that I'm going away. Unless I go away, the advocate, which is the Holy Spirit, will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. Jesus is saying that it's better to have the Holy Spirit inside you than it is to have Jesus beside you. Why? We'll check this out in John 1412. Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I'm going to the Father. Again, Jesus is saying something almost impossible to believe. As great as his ministry was, as great as his work was, those who followed him will be empowered by the

Holy Spirit and by His grace to do even greater things. Sometimes we forget this. We forget that we've been given the opportunity to become like Joshua, to become like Elisha, to become like the disciples, men and women who benefit from the ministry of those who came before us, who get to see the seed planted by others grow into a tree in our lifetime. Do you realize the incredible gift Jesus has given you in the spirit? Do you realize that you've been called alongside all of his people to do even

greater things than he's done. Not in your own strength, but by standing on the firm foundation he built by dying on a cross for your sins and rising to give you resurrection life and the gift of his spirit.