II Kings 2:1-12 relate that Elijah ascends to heaven. This story has a strong connection to the prophetic guild, as is typical of Elisha stories. The narrative has a chiastic structure, except that Elisha does not return to where he started, Gilgal, but goes past it to Carmel and Samaria. The journey/departure narrative is highly structured around a series of episodes involving locations important in the history of Yahwism: Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan. The events of this text occur between summaries of two distinct regencies: Ahaziah and his brother Jehoram (1:17b-18; 3:1-3). As such, this record, the beginning of the Elisha cycle of traditions and the concluding account of Elijah the Tishbite, constitutes what Burke O. Long calls a "pausal moment" between the reigns.[1]
The way this story begins, the story of Elijah ascending to heaven was a story within the prophetic circles. In Sir 48:1, we read, "Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire, and his word burned like a torch." Elijah is a model of prophetic vocation. The narrative also begins by removing all doubt as to the outcome of this story. It suggests that the story of Elijah’s ascent was a well-known feature of the hagiography of the prophet. Stories like this symbolize the greatness of the person. The idea of leadership and having worthy influence on those who look to us, commends itself. It also offers a hint of handling death. The ascension to heaven by Elijah can obscure the somber movement toward death and the loss it means for Elisha. 1Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind (se`arah). This word occurs for the first time in the canonical text. It occurs elsewhere mainly in contexts from late periods (e.g., Ezekiel 13:11, 13; Zechariah 9:14; Job 38:1, 40:6; etc.). The word usually denotes the tempest or whirlwind as an instrument of divine wrath (e.g., Isaiah 29:6; Jeremiah 23:19, 30:23; Ezekiel 13:11, 13), and as the word for an ordinary storm, the word occurs only in late Psalms (107:25, 29; 148:8). The use of this word for whirlwind, therefore, clearly signals that no ordinary blast of wind brings about the translation of Elijah to heaven. Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. We do not know with certainty whether the story is a deliberate echoing of the journey of Abraham and Isaac (and servants) toward Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:1-19), although such a connection would be appropriate in the present context. The focus of the story is less on the departure of Elijah and more on the gradual emergence of Elisha as his legitimate and worthy successor. In this way, the story is similar to that of the story of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac. The important part is what remains at the end of the story. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” That is, they travel away from the Jordan River. Gilgal is eight miles north of Bethel. Yet, this desire to be alone is not a desire Elisha will grant. Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” Elisha will not allow Elijah to depart from this earth alone. Therefore, they went down to Bethel. 3 The company (Hebrew “sons”) of prophets is a familial way of referring a class of individuals. The company of prophets was a prophetic guild attached to a local shrine, such as those at Bethel and Jericho and at the Jordan as well, at the Gilgal mentioned in Joshua. They addressed the leader as “father,” as Elisha addresses Elijah in verse 12, another echo of the Abraham-Isaac story, especially in Genesis 22:7. The guild is the source of much of the tradition concerning Elisha. The family of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” He said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.” We can sense the somber and hushed approach to the departure of Elijah. They know how close Elisha was to Elijah. They want him to face the reality of the death of his mentor and friend.
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” Elijah still has a desire to die alone. Nevertheless, Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” Elisha refuses to allow Elijah to die alone. In fact, many of us find it curious that throughout the story, Elijah seems to want to journey to the point of his fiery departure alone, and Elisha steadfastly refuses to leave for whatever reason. I am suggesting that he refuses to allow his mentor and friend to die alone. This text, therefore, is less about Elijah and his fabulous exit scene as it is about Elisha's emergence as the prophet laureate for the next period in the northern kingdom's troubled history during the regencies of Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz and Jehoash -- an astonishing period of about 73 years. Therefore, they came to Jericho. 5 The company (Hebrew “sons”) of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” The companions of Elisha want to be sure he is aware of the approaching death of Elijah. Yet, this moment so humbles Elisha that he does not want to speak of it. In fact, most of us have a tough time with death. We understand as readers why he is so reluctant to speak.
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” Yet, again, Elijah expresses his desire to die alone. Yet again, Elisha refuses, as he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” Therefore, the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company (Hebrew “sons) of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle (a long, loose cloak) and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. This miracle has a somber tone. We might note an echo of the crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites. When Elijah crosses the river, we see no mere coincidence that he has entered the same region where Deuteronomy tells us that Moses died (Deuteronomy 34:5-6). No one, of course, knew exactly where or how Moses had died, or where the ancestors had buried him. This hint of the mystery of Moses' departure in II Kings 2 sets up the idea that Elijah is in the very same class as Israel's liberating prophet, and that Elijah will have a similarly mysterious departure. Like Moses, the life of Elijah was a study in contrasts. Both prophets emerged from the desert, and both spoke the truth to power -- Moses to the enslaving Pharaoh, and Elijah to the corrupt King Ahab and his meddling pagan wife Jezebel. Both performed miraculous feats of power. Moses parted the seas, brought water from a rock, and stood in God's presence on top of Mount Sinai. Ravens sustained Elijah in the desert (I Kings 17:1-7), brought a child back from the dead (I Kings 17:17-24) and defeated the prophets of Baal in a winner-take-all contest between deities on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18). Both prophets worked to train their replacements, too, as Moses instructed Joshua, and Elijah, albeit a bit more reluctantly, prepared Elisha to take up his mantle. Yet, the Bible reveals that both Moses and Elijah were flawed leaders and timid prophets as well. When through a burning bush God confronted Moses with the mission of leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses, lacking confidence in himself, balked in fear of the Pharaoh. He sometimes let the anxiety of his people get the best of him. Elijah demonstrated a similar bent when he ran for his life in the desert after Jezebel threatened him and hid in a cave until God talked him out of it with a display of divine power (I Kings 19:1-10). The Gospel of Mark quite rightly, then, seeks to show the connection Jesus had with Moses and Elijah in the story of the transfiguration (Mark 9:2-9).
As the story moves to its climax, it is as if it is a deathbed scene. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Given his desire to die alone, this question is understandable. Even in death, he is the mentor of Elisha. He asks a good and appropriate question. Even in death, the mentor is willing to give something to the one he mentors. Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit,” that is, the Spirit of God.[2] The use of “inherit” is appropriate. Deuteronomy 12:17 says this was the portion due the eldest son. He wants to be the successor to Elijah.Thus, we can see that Elisha is not asking for twice as much spirit as Elijah has. He is not asking to excel over his master. Rather, he is asking for twice the portion received by the other prophets (vv. 7, 15). Elisha is requesting the force, energy, and authority of Elijah — the rûah — and to be recognized and equipped as the true successor of Elijah. The Lord has already granted Elisha the gift of the spirit, but only the work in which the younger prophet will engage will prove its giving. To get a sense of that for which Elisha is asking, we would need to review the life of Elijah. He wants at least a portion of the power of the Spirit that he saw in the life of Elijah to be true in his life as well. The cycle of stories about the life and career of Elijah is brief, encompassing less than six full chapters (I Kings 17-19, 21 and II Kings 1:1-2:18). He is an opponent to the introduction by Ahab of the cult of the Canaanite storm god Baal into the worship of the northern kingdom of Israel (I Kings 17:1 and I Kings 16:32-33). The bulk of the narratives about him focus on his aggressive opposition to Israelite apostasy, especially among the ranks of the Israelite nobility and royal house. He has two more confrontations with apostate Israelite kings. He has one final encounter with Ahab over the vineyard of Naboth (I Kings 21:1-29). He will offer a denunciation of Ahaziah, Ahab's successor, for his consultation with the cult of Baal-zebub (II Kings 1:1-18). The career of Elijah comes to its climactic close with his awesome ascent to heaven. Such is the kind of insight and courage that Elisha desires to see in himself. In that sense, this request is compatible with the desire in any mentor relationship. 10 He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” The beginning of this story signaled the moment now upon us. 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. We would not use such language to describe death. Yet, some people die in a beautiful way. We see it and feel it. Even in death, they witness to the quality of their lives. The ascent of Elijah into heaven is unique in the Hebrew Scriptures. This is an act beyond human affairs. While this account may be a challenge to modern common sense, the story strives to place Elijah outside our human sense of reality. He is in the storm, yet between him and Elisha come horses and a chariot of fire. Outside of popular artwork, Elijah is not a passenger in the chariot, but the chariot is an instrument to separate Elijah and Elisha — the one taken up into heaven and the one left here on earth — who is the one left with the prophetic responsibility. The fact that Elisha first sees, and then could no longer see, testifies to his reception of the “double portion” of which he had asked. If I am right in this interpretation Elijah does die, but the text obscures this fact by concentrating on the divine mission, authority, and power of the master. Elijah meets his end, but he does not go to the underworld. He goes toward heaven. Yahweh intervened as the content and goal of his life.[3] 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! Here is the affectionate and familial term with which the family of prophets would have addressed Elijah. The address is a sign of respect and dependence. This expression is no doubt honorific. We find it again in the mouth of King Joash at the death of Elisha (13:14). The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” The meaning of this statement is in dispute in academic circles. Some scholars believe that the words indicate that Elijah has been the all-powerful protector of Israel, mediating power of God. Others believe the words refer to the heavenly armies accompanying Elijah. Still others believe that the title originally belonged to Elisha, and the prophetic guild later transferred it to this theophany, of which fire was a common element (Exodus 24:17; Isaiah 30:27). However, when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. The departure of Elijah moves Elisha to offer this gesture of grief at a time of loss. We cannot know, however, if he reacts this way due to grief or to the awesome quality of what he has just witnessed. As for me, I will side with this act as an expression of grief. The parting of the two prophets offers this image of separation and division. The “two pieces” suggest a weighty change from “the two of them together” that we find in verses 6 and 11. The two prophets, like the two pieces of clothing, have been torn apart, and now Elisha must proceed without his master.
No comments:
Post a Comment