“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” 2 Kings 2:9
In 2 Kings 2:2, Elisha refuses to leave the prophet Elijah and they set out from the place of the flesh (Gilgal), to the city of Bethel, the second leg of their journey. Again the first mention gives us the meaning of the name Bethel, (Genesis 12:8), the house of God. Abram builds an altar and worships God. He later goes to Egypt because of a famine, and thereafter he returns to Bethel to worship God. So, he had to leave Egypt, a type of the world, in order to worship God again. How then do we think we can really worship God while in Egypt, while still in the world?
God calls Christians today to come out from among them, 2 Corinthians 6:17. “For every child of God defeats this evil world and we achieve this victory through our faith”, 1 John 5:4 (NLT). How we struggle with this aspect of our walk with God! “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16) We must have a heart after God, only then can we escape the world and move on to Bethel, the house of God.
Even in the house of God, we will find those who will try to discourage us on our journey to the double portion. The sons of the prophets in Bethel try to hinder Elisha by telling him the Lord was to take his master. Elisha continues on the journey with Elijah in spite of their attempt to side track him. Friends and family often will not understand our commitment to the things of God. How we deal with them determines how soon we can continue on our journey to the double portion.
In the house of God is where we find the power to overcome the world and establish our relationship with the Father. In the house of God is where He gives us His spirit. In the house of God we can separate ourselves from the world. In the house of God we consecrate our hearts to God. Only in Bethel can we forsake the world, and worship God. One writer says, “Bethel is the opposite of Egypt”.
Elisha continues his journey to the double portion, refusing to listen to the world.
(to be continued)
Pastor Rosita
