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Week of 07/27/25

Pastor Jim Gallagher

2 Kings 2:1-14

Introduction - The Spirit-Filled Life Finishes Well

Read 2 Kings 2:1-14

2 Kings 2 gives us some details from the end of Elijah’s life and ministry and the passing on of that ministry to Elisha. As we discuss today’s passage, we will consider the idea of finishing well. We’ll read about the way Elijah’s life comes to an end, the fact that his ministry is passed on to another with Elisha, and the dramatic way in which Elijah’s life ends.

Elijah’s Last Day - Four Cities

God sends Elijah to four cities (In 2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6 Elijah says, “For the Lord has sent me on to…”) Elisha travels with Elijah to these four locations on Elijah’s last day. They both know this will be his last day, so the locations that Ellijah visits are significant. Each city he visits is important because of the events that had taken place there in the history of the children of Israel.

  1. First, God sends him to Gilgal (2 Kings 2:1) This is most likely the Gilgal mentioned in Deuteronomy 28 where 6 tribes of the Israelites stand on Mount Ebal and proclaimed curses that will come upon the children of Israel if they do not walk in the ways of God, while the other 6 tribes proclaimed blessings that they will have when they choose to walk in the ways of God. Elijah wanted to remind the Israelites of the promises of God and exhort them to walk in His ways.  Deuteronomy 28:2 states “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” Do you think about the fact that your choices to walk in God’s way or to not walk in His ways have long-lasting consequences or blessings?

  2. The second place they visit is Bethel (2 Kings 2:2).  When Abraham entered the land of Canaan, the promised land, the first thing he did was build an altar to the Lord and worship Him. He names the place, Bethel, or “house of God’. His grandson Jacob later worships at the same altar at two significant times of change in his life. He is much older in the second time of worship and calls Bethel “El Bethel”. He meets with the “God of the ‘House of God’” (Genesis 35:7). Elijah visits this place to remind the children of Israel that they can encounter God. Describe an encounter you have had with God. Are you hungry for an encounter with Him? Do you know the “God of the ‘House of God’”?

  3. Next Elijah and Elisha visit Jericho (2 Kings 2:4). This is the first city that the Israelites won a battle against all odds when they entered the promised land. God gives them a great victory. Elijah wants to remind the Israelites that our Lord provides His people with great victory, even when it seems there is no way. Where has the Lord given you victory? In what areas of your life do you need Him today to show up and give you victory? How does it encourage you that God has given you victory and always fights on your behalf?

  4. The final place that Elijah and Elisha visit is the Jordan River. (2 Kings 2:6-9) This is the place where the Israelites cross miraculously on dry land to God’s promised land on the other side. God provides this miraculous “parting of the sea” for Elijah and Elisha here again at the Jordan. Do you feel like there are obstacles in the way of God fulfilling His promises in your life? Are there obstacles that only He can remove? What promises are you holding onto today?

  5. Has the Lord “sent you” to a place, whether it be a physical, spiritual, emotional, or circumstantial, to remind you something about Him?

  6. Elisha sticks with Elijah until the very end. He wants to keep learning from his mentor until he’s gone. Are you passing on your faith to someone else or are you receiving from a mentor? Is this something you have made yourself available for?

  7. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. (verse 2:9) Jesus sums up His own ministry and that of Elijah’s in Luke 9:52-54: “And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.”  Do you see yourself in need of more of God’s spirit to be a witness for Him? Is it a challenge for you not to judge others and be critical? Do you see yourself as a prophet in a cursed city? How can we change our mindset?

  8. If you knew it was your last day on earth, how would you spend it?

Conclusion

To finish well, we need to be spirit-filled, walk in His ways, seek encounters with God, remember His promises and the victories that He has already done. Remember what you already know! Remember what He’s already done! Continue ministering to others in His name.

Elijah is ushered into heaven by a chariot of fire driven by angels into a whirlwind. Whirlwind here carries the idea of a raging storm. The dramatic way in which Elijah enters Heaven alludes to the idea of Jesus coming for His church. The primary focus of the book of Revelation, and the end of time, is the return of Christ. 

In Mark 13:35-37, Jesus commands us to be continually on the look out, waiting for Him: “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Prayer Points

  • Let’s ask the Lord to help us to be obedient to walk in His ways 

  • Let’s ask the Lord make us hungry for an encounter with Him

  • Let’s ask the Lord to overcome obstacles in our lives

  • Let’s ask the Lord to show us who we can mentor or who we can be mentored by in our lives