Patty Loveless has a song that goes like
this:
Though the back window of a ’59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slippin’ further away
I kept on waving ‘till I couldn’t see her
I through my tears, I asked again why we couldn’t stay
Mama whispered softly, time will ease your pain
Life’s about changing, nothing ever stays the same...
And she said, how can I help you to say goodbye?
It’s OK to hurt, and it’s OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
Yes, life’s about changing, nothing ever
stays the same. That is true for us today, and it was true for the Prophet Elijah and his disciple Elisha. Elijah’s ministry was ending, and Elisha’s ministry was beginning. Moreover, transition was going to be difficult for both men.
The story for today picks up as Elijah and Elisha were walking to Gilgal. Elijah turned to Elisha and told him to remain in Gilgal, while he went on to the worship center at Bethel some 7 miles away. Elisha sensed that Elijah’s
ministry would be ending, and yet he wanted to hold what he had known before. Therefore, he swore to Elijah that he would
not leave his side.
When they arrived at the worship center at Bethel, some of the “sons of the
prophets” came out to greet them. These “sons of the prophets” were trained and certified prophets.
They took Elisha aside and told him that God was going to take Elijah away from
him that day. Elisha responded that he already knew that, and for them not to
say anymore about it. “Life’s
about changing, nothing ever stays the same.”
They were in Bethel only a short while before Elijah wanted to be on the move again. He told Elisha to remain
in Bethel while he traveled on to Jericho only a few miles away. However,
Elisha as before insisted that he go with Elijah to Jericho. When they arrived at Jericho, the “sons of the prophets” came out to greet them. As before, they took Elisha aside and told him that God was going to take Elijah away from him that day. He replied that he already knew that, and for them not to say anymore about it. “Life’s about changing, nothing
ever stays the same.”
As before, they are in Jericho only a short while before Elijah wanted to be on the move again. He therefore told Elisha to stay in Jericho while he traveled to the Jordan River. Elisha once again insisted that he go with him. This time however, some 50 of these “sons of the prophets” followed them to the Jordan River. When Elijah and Elisha
arrived at the edge of the Jordan
River, these 50 “sons
of the prophets” stood back to see what was going to happen.
At the edge of the Jordan River, Elijah took off his mantle—a long and sleeveless cloak. It was the symbol of his prophetic authority.
He rolled it up tightly, symbolizing the rod with which Moses had parted the
Red Sea. He
then struck the waters with his cloak. As the waters of the Red Sea once had
parted for Moses when he led the Hebrews out of Egypt and to freedom—and as once the waters of the Jordan River had
parted for Joshua when he led the Hebrews into the Promised Land—likewise this time, the waters of the Jordan River
parted for Elijah. Elijah and Elisha then crossed over the riverbed on dry land.
If we trace Elijah’s journey on a map, his journey to the Jordan River may seem erratic. However, Elijah symbolically is traveling back
in time. For throughout Elijah and Elisha’s journey, they have been traveling in reverse, the route that Joshua had
traveled in leading the Hebrews into the Promised Land.
After they had crossed the Jordan River, Elijah turned to Elisha and asked him what he could do for him before God took him away. Elisha replied that he wanted a “double
portion” of Elijah’s spirit. A “double portion”
was a term that was used in Middle-eastern inheritance laws. According to those inheritance laws, the eldest son was to receive
a “double portion” of the inheritance—twice what the other sons would get—two-thirds of the estate.
In asking for a “double portion,” Elisha was asking that he be invested as the eldest heir or leading prophet—the
rightful heir of Elijah’s ministry. Elijah replied to him, that request
was a hard thing to grant anyone. However, if Elisha saw him being taken away
into heaven, then he would be invested with the authority of the leading prophet.
The two men continued walking and talking. Suddenly a chariot of fire drawn by horses
of fire separated the two men. Then a whirlwind swept in upon them, and Elijah was caught up in it, and carried away. Elisha
had seen everything, and he cried out “Father,
father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen.” When he could not see Elijah anymore in the whirlwind, he
tore his clothing in half, in grief that God had separated them from one another. As
the song says, “Life’s about changing, nothing ever stays the same! It’s OK to hurt, and it’s OK to cry—How can I help you to say good-bye?”
Elijah’s cloak then flew out from the midst of the whirlwind, and fell to the
ground. Elisha picked it up, for he knew that Elijah had invested him as his successor. Elisha
then began to retrace the route that Elijah and he previously had traveled earlier that day.
Elisha knew that for him to be recognized by the other prophets as Elijah’s successor that he had to claim that
authority for himself.
Therefore, when he arrived at the Jordan River, he rolled up the cloak as Elijah had previously done. He
then struck with water with it as Elijah had done, and he called upon the name of the Lord. Miraculously,
the waters parted for him, and he crossed over on dry land. The “sons of the prophets” who had remained by the
Jordan River saw what had happened, and they recognized Elisha
as the heir of Elijah. “Life’s about changing, nothing ever stays the
same.”
Even though he was Elijah’s successor, Elisha was a very different person than
Elijah. He therefore would have a very different ministry than Elijah. Whereas
reflective, solitary, and introverted Elijah always was at odds with the royal household—outgoing and extroverted Elisha
knew how to work the political systems. Therefore, through political maneuvering
he would bring down the reign of King Ahab and wicked Queen Jezebel. “Life’s about changing, nothing ever stays the same.”
All of us are facing changes in our lives. Some
families are preparing for their children to go off to college this year, and they are facing that change with excitement
and anxiety.
Other families that have sons or daughters or spouses that are serving in the armed
forces of our country. These families are preparing for their family members to leave home in order to serve in one of the
combat zones in our world. They are facing that change with uncertainty about
the dangers their loved ones will meet.
Other families are facing the changes in the health of one of their family members—and
they are seeking to live with the frustrating limitations that those physical and emotional changes are bringing.
Other families are facing the forthcoming death of someone they love, and who they will
greatly miss—and still other families are seeking to learn how to fill the void that death has left in their lives.
Others are wondering if they will be able to afford to take retirement,
due to their loss of savings during the stock-market downturn last fall.
Finally, others are struggling to let go of the past and their continuing residual anger,
all in order that they might be able to welcome the gifts that God will be bringing them in the future. “Life’s about changing, nothing ever stays the same.”
One of the most profound books that I ever read was Michael Novak’s paperback
titled, ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN, FLIGHT OF THE DOVE. In that book, Novak compared life’s journey to that of climbing
a mountain. Every footstep, every toehold, every careful grip in the narrow crevices of the rock—all these daily efforts
offer us the possibility of climbing upwards to experience the fullness of life.
Therefore, we seek to climb onward and upwards, as we daily struggle to provide order,
purpose, and meaning for our lives—as we daily struggle to constructively
live with the challenges that life places before us—as we daily struggle to not slip and fall backwards into old self-destructive
patterns, self-destructive patterns that we know all too well. Most of the time, life can seem like a hard climb—somewhat
like climbing a mountain.
Then there are those rare moments in life. In those moments, unexpectedly we are swept
up and we experience new heights. We are swept up, somewhat like how a dove is swept up by the updrafts that sweep around
a mountain. In those moments, we are swept up by supportive winds that we cannot see, but we can only experience them beneath
us. These winds lift us to new heights and grant us new vistas of understanding and insight. They enable us to draw closer
in our relationships with others, perhaps even with those from whom we have been estranged. Moreover, those winds lift us
up to new vistas where we gain new inspirations for living.
When I was living in Chapel Hill, one day my barber told me of almost dying on the operating table. He told me that following that near-death
experience, he had gained a new awareness of God’s beautiful earth about him. He had come to enjoy the beauty of the
sky and the clouds, the warmth of the sun, the gentle cooling breeze upon his face, and the sound of the rain upon his roof
at night. My barber had been swept up by winds that he could only experience, winds that swept him up to new insights and
to a renewed appreciation of life. As a result, his life had been changed. My barber rejoiced that life is about changing—nothing
ever stays the same.
There is no way for us to cause those experiences to take place. I only know that through
life’s challenges, God sometimes gives us rare opportunities to see our lives as God sees our lives. At those rare and
unexpected moments when the Holy Spirit is lifting us up to new vistas—we can only stop, and listen, catch the vision
that lies before us, and be grateful for God’s wind beneath our wings. We are thankful for the changes that God has
brought into our lives.
