"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 not." 2 Kings 2:9-10
As a kid I always mixed Elisha and Elijah up, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, too. Elisha and Elijah. Wonder if others mixed them up back in their day? "So you're a prophet. Are you Elisha or Elijah?" Elisha or Elijah? Was this ever annoying to Elijah? I mean he seems like the main prophet dude. He was the grand champion in the UFP (Ultimate Fighting Prophets) between he and the Prophets of Baal (and the Prophets of Asherah, ever wonder why they don't get much billing on the card? Baal must of had better agent.) So does he get a little bit ruffled when people mistake his apprentice Elisha for him? Does he get bothered we're still doing it? I don't know. He was a pretty flawless guy. Hence the fiery chariot ride.
But I think I catch a bit of annoyance in his tone when he's getting ready to depart this world and his apprentice responds to Elijah's gracious offer for "anything I can do to help before I go?" by asking for a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit. "Elijah, supersize me!" "You want it? Well...catch me departing this world in my fiery ride and you got it." Was he putting Elisha off or is this just a spiritual test of Elisha? If Elisha is able to see this spiritual event, if he has the eyes to see, then he is worthy of the spiritual gift. Well, he does see and apparently he does get supersized.
The Bible only records five miracles by Elijah. It records more than twice as many through Elisha - 12. So the student does outdo the teacher. But, Elisha never gets his ticket punched on the fiery chariot to heaven. So it's not quantity its quality. (In other words, I'm not sure Elisha's retrieving a lost ax head is as big an event as the Baal battle.) Lord knows.
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