Word of Encouragement (06/25/2024)

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” (2 Kings 2:9-10).

Elijah’s ministry was coming to an end, and he was about to be taken up to heaven. So, Elijah asked Elisha, his successor, what he could do for him. Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit. This was a wise request. It reminds us of what happened between the LORD and Solomon. Soon after Solomon became king, the LORD asked what he would ask of Him. Solomon requested wisdom: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people” (1 Kings 3:9). The LORD was pleased with this request: “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word...” (1 Kings 3:11-12). And God granted him not only wisdom but also riches and honor.

Elisha, too, did not ask for riches and honor. He asked for a double portion of the Holy Spirit. He saw that Elijah was about to be taken up into heaven, and he would have to carry the mantle of the prophetic ministry in Israel. He rightly understood that he could not do the work apart from the Holy Spirit. This shows that Elisha’s main concern was, just like Solomon’s, to please God by doing a good job of the work the LORD had entrusted to him. This challenges us to think about what our main concern is in life, doesn’t it? Are we more concerned about our comfort and well-being or about faithfully fulfilling God’s calling, not only in your family and work but also His church?

But why a double portion? Elijah was a man of God, and he had performed powerful miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. No one in all of Israel’s history did what he had done other than Moses. Yet, here was Elisha, asking for a double portion of the Spirit! No wonder Elijah said, “You have asked a hard thing...”! Why did Elijah ask this?

Many see this in light of the double portion the first son received of the father’s inheritance (Deut. 21:17). So, G.H. Jones suggested, “Elisha is asking that he be granted special privileges as his master’s successor, possibly as the leader of a community of prophets” (as quoted by Paul R. House). That may be possible but unnecessary. Elisha was already anointed as Elijah’s successor according to God’s command (1 Kings 19:16).

Did Elisha ask this out of his ambition to be even greater than Elijah? I believe that it was the opposite: he requested a double portion of Elijah’s Spirit because Elijah was great in his eyes, and he recognized his utter inadequacy to carry on his work. How humble Elisha was! And this is true humility, isn’t it? True humility is not simply acknowledging our inadequacy and use it as an excuse not to do the work God has called us to do. True humility is to cling to the LORD more tightly and rely on Him always because we recognize our inadequacy. What are the things God is calling on you to do? I’m not just talking about all the chores and tasks you must do in your family, church, and society but also the spiritual battle you must fight against sin and temptation, too. Would you not pray for a double portion of the Holy Spirit? Jesus assured us, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13)!