14. The sinner imagines that God and good people are his enemies, but he is his own great enemy.

15.

The law of retribution in the judgments of Providence is not limited to sacred history. Orestes recognized it when he said to Ægisthus,

"Go where thou slew'st my father,

That in the selfsame place thou too may'st die."

It may be read in every full and accurate history.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS.

A brief notice of the Intervening History.

The lesson may be taught by a series of pictures, as suggested by the headings in the notes above; or this plan may be combined with another, taking for its

SUBJECT, THE PROGRESS OF SIN.

I. COVETOUSNESS. As illustrated in Ahab's case. No amount of possessions can keep from the unjust desire for what others possess.

Illustration. Trying to satisfy thirst by drinking the salt waters of the sea, which only increase the thirst. Out of covetousness grow many sins and crimes.

Illustration. The water for cities is often drawn from some large reservoir, and distributed to all parts by means of iron pipes. If the reservoir be poisoned or polluted, then all the water drawn from the various faucets in the houses will be poisoned and polluted. If the heart is polluted with covetousness, the deeds from the hands and the words from the mouth will be evil.

Illustration. Lightning flashes are but the visible manifestation of far larger amounts of electricity in the air, almost imperceptible. Crimes are the visible flashes from a pervading state of the heart.

II. COVETOUSNESS LEADING TO DISCONTENTMENT (ver. 4). Kingly possessions and an ivory palace cannot bring contentment.

Illustration. The Greek story of Midas and the gold touch, best given for children in Hawthorne's "Tanglewood Tales."

III. DISCONTENT LEADING TO CONNIVANCE WITH CRIME (vers. 5-8). truth that "the partaker is as bad as the thief."

Enforce the

Illustration. (1) Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. (2) Pilate trying to avoid the guilt of crucifying Christ by throwing it upon the people. He washed his hands in vain.

IV. CONNIVANCE WITH CRIME LEADING TO LYING AND HYPOCRISY (vers. 9-13). V. LYING AND HYPOCRISY LEADING TO ROBBERY AND MURDER (vers. 13, 14). VI. ALL THESE CRIMES followed by retribution (vers. 15-19). Explain the after history; Ahab's sorrow, and God's forgiving love; the repentance proving false, and the retribution following.

Illustration. Robespierre beheaded by the same guillotine to which he had consigned so many in the French revolution.

Illustration. The French Catholics persecuted, martyred, and drove into exile the Huguenots, the Protestant Christians of France. When Germany, but a few years ago, conquered France, some seventy of the German officers were descendants of those exiled Huguenots. For practical at the close, review the lesson by dwelling on

ELIJAH TRANSLATED. 2 KINGS 2:1-15.

GOLDEN TEXT. -GEN. 5:24.

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

TIME. .-B.C. 896-890. The exact date is uncertain, but it is inferred from 2 Chron. 21: 12 that it was after the accession of Jehoram, in Judah, B.C. 897; and from 2 Kings 3: II that it was before the death of Jehoshaphat, B.C. 889. Smith places it about B.C. 896. PLACE. Elijah went from Gilgal in Ephraim, to Bethel and to Jericho, and then to the eastern shore of the Jordan, where he was translated.

ELISHA (God his salvation) was the son of Shaphat, and belonged in Abel-Meholah (1 Kings 19: 16), a place somewhere in the Jordan valley, between the Sea of Galilee and

the Dead Sea. Here Elijah, after his Horeb experience, and on his way to Damascus, found the young man plowing, and bade him become his attendant, and prepare to be a prophet. He went with Elijah for about eight years, till his translation, and after that became the great prophet of Israel. He exercised the prophetic office for 60 years, 896-838.-Schaff.

INTRODUCTION.

After his meeting with Ahab in Naboth's vineyard (B.C. 900), Elijah appears but twice in the history, before his ascent to heaven. Once he is sent with a message to the sick Ahaziah, son of Ahab; once he is mentioned as sending a letter of warning to Jehoram, king of Judah (2 Chron. 21: 12). Ahab died, as prophesied; his son Ahaziah succeeded to the throne, but lived only two years, when his brother Jehoram ascended the throne.

1. And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a 2 whirlwind, that Elijah went with 3 Elisha from Gilgal.

2. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, 5 As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el.

1 Malachi 4: 5.

? Job 38: 1. 41 John 13:1.

Ezek. 14. Zech. 9:14.
5 Judges 8:19. Ruth 3:13.

31 Kings 19: 19, 21. 2 Kings 3:11. 1 Sam. 1:26; 20: 3.

EXPLANATORY.

I. The Vigil. — Vers. 1-10. I. When the Lord would take up (when Jeho vah caused Elijah to go up, or ascend) Elijah. This anticipates the conclusion of the story. - Barry. Those long wanderings were now over. No more was that awful figure to be seen on Carmel, nor that stern voice heard in Jezreel. For the last time he surveyed, from the heights of the western Gilgal, the whole scene of his former career, - the Mediterranean Sea, Carmel, and the distant hills of Gilead, and went the round of the consecrated haunts of Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho. Stanley. When. His end was a plan of God, no less than his life had been, and his times were in God's hands. He went to meet it submissively, for he had fought a good fight, and kept the faith. Into heaven. That is, the sky, into which he was seen to enter: all beyond is the province of faith.- Smith. By a whirlwind. In a tempestuous storm, such as was frequently the herald of the divine self-revelations. - Keil. Elijah went with Elisha. (See Introduction.) One faithful disciple was with him, the son of Shaphat, whom he had first called on his way from Sinai to Damascus (1 Kings 19: 19–21), and who, after the manner of Eastern attendants, stood by him to pour water over his hands in his daily ablutions. - Stanley. From Gilgal. Not the famous place of this name near the Jordan, on the spot where the Israelites first pitched their camp on entering the land of Canaan (Josh 4: 19), but another place of the same name on the western slope of the Ephraim hills. A school of the prophets was located here as well as at Bethel and Jericho. It appears, from a comparison of this verse with 2 Kings 4: 38, that Elijah and Elisha had been for some time making their home at Gilgal. Todd. (See under ver. 31.)

2. Tarry here. As this mysterious change approached, he desired to end his life, as he had spent its greater portion, in solitude with God. Smith. He did not wish to have any one present to witness his glorification without being well assured that it was in accordance with the will of God. - Keil. It may be he would test Elisha's devotion, or he would escape the pain of parting. The Lord hath sent me. By an impulse received from the Spirit of God, he visited once more the schools of the prophets (see under ver. 3) which he had founded, to strengthen the disciples in their consecration to God, and to rouse them to the old fidelity from which the order was fast sinking. - Geikie. That which Elijah had labored at throughout his life, that he also pushed forward in his last hours.-Lange. This is one of the excellences of religious service, that the work gives abundant satisfaction to the end of life. Lowrie. As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth. An oath by the eternity of God and the immortality of the soul. It seems to connect the divine, eternal existence with the human existence as the joint ground of certainty: as much as to say, as sure as the one, as sure as the other, as sure as both in their inseparable conjunction, is the fact or the event thus attested.- Tayler Lewis. I will not leave thee. For once, he ventures to decline obedience to one whose wish had hitherto been a law to him. True love cannot forsake its object while neighborhood is possible. Geikie.

- Kitto. So they

1

3. And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; 3 hold ye your

peace.

4. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

5. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

6. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, 4 I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

2 Acts 22:3.

3 Job 13:5.

• Prov. 27: 10.

11 Sam. 10: 10; 19: 20. 2 Kings 4: 38. went down to Beth-el. Down 600 feet, 9 miles, in a south-east direction. Bethel is 12 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Here was a school of the prophets, perhaps to counteract the calf-worship of which Bethel was the chief seat.

3. The sons of the prophets. That is, the young men attending the theological seminaries first organized by Samuel for the preparation of religious teachers for the people. These ancient colleges were under the superintendence of a recognized prophet, who was called the father, while the students were styled his children or sons. They were places of retirement adapted for study and devotion. The students were permitted to marry. The subject of study at these institutions was the law of Moses. Attention was given to music and sacred poetry, while, alike for purposes of recreation and preparation for after usefulness, the young men were trained in various handicrafts.- Taylor. The "prophet communities," or so-called school of the prophets, came into existence for the first time, at the period of apostasy and idolatry under Ahab, and their founder was Elijah, who may, nevertheless, have had in mind certain free unions of prophets established by Samuel, for the purpose of concentrating religious life. Whether he were founder or restorer of these schools, they are an important testimony that Elijah not only zealously and heroically battled against idolatry, but also built up and laid foundations. - Lange. Came forth to Elisha, and said unto him. It is clear that a great day is come. Elijah's manner is more than usually solemn, his countenance and converse more heavenward. The young men fear to question him, but they whisper to Elisha the anxious inquiry.- Kitto. It is impossible to decide what or how Elisha and the other prophets knew of the impending change. Elijah may have told them outright, or his feebleness and demeanor may have conveyed the idea. Lange sees neither reason nor analogy for the hypothesis that a divine revelation had been given to different ones. Keil, on the contrary, assuming that this miraculous glorification was a testimony for the establishing of the faith, thinks that, unawares to Elijah, God had revealed it to them all. Said unto him. That their motives were not altogether good, or their manner altogether pleasant, appears from Elisha's rather short rebuke. The Lord will take away thy master from thy head. An allusion to disciples sitting at their mas ter's feet. The separation touched Elisha nearest of all. - Lange. To day. "Now," "at this time." Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. This was an event too sacred for words. Elisha could not talk of it with those who felt it less. Moreover, he knew his master's reticence and his own duty.-B. It was a subject too painful to both him and his master.- - Barry.

4. They came to Jericho. About 13 miles from Bethel, 1200 feet lower, through "the long defile" leading from Ai to Jericho, where also was one of the schools of the prophets.

5. See notes on ver. 3.

6. Tarry... here. Elijah wished to be alone on this last and most solemn day of his life, as of every life.- -H. and L. With that tenderness which is sometimes blended with the most rugged natures, at each successive halt the older prophet turned to his youthful companion, and entreated him to stay. Stanley. The Lord hath sent me to Jordan. There is nothing to forbid the supposition that the instrument which God used in communicating this his will, was Elijah's own desire to die in Gilead, - an old man's longing to end his life in

-

7. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

8. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and 2 they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

9. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, 3 before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of 5 thy spirit be upon me.

11 Sam. 28:14. 1 Kings 19: 19. 2 Ex. 14:16, 21. Matt. 77.
3 Eccl. 9:10.
Num. 11:25. Neh. 9:30.

+ Deut. 21:17. John 3:34.

his native country. Todd. He would go wherever he was sent. We shall all desire to be obedient some day. Are we so now? C. and D. I will not leave thee. Nothing could keep back a heart so true. Geikie. The band which bound him to Elijah was living faith in the living God. He honored and loved his father after the flesh (1 Kings 19: 20), but he left him; with his spiritual father he wished to remain unto the end. His love was not a mere passing, bubbling enthusiasm, but it was strong as death. - Lange. He resolved, certainly also from an inward impulse of the Spirit of God, to be an eye-witness of his glorification, that he might receive the spiritual inheritance of the first-born from his departing spiritual father. - Keil. And they two went on. They descended together the long, weary slopes that led from Jericho to the Jordan; "they two," and One, unseen by either, but served by both.-C. and D. The third test of Elisha's faithfulness and consequent fitness as his successor satisfied Elijah, who made no further objection.

Cowles.

7. And fifty men... went, and stood to view afar off. The abrupt heights behind the town commanded an extensive view of the river five miles away. Fifty. Probably only a portion of the school at Jericho. There was no effort to draw together a crowd of witnesses; nor, on the other hand, was there any special effort to exclude all witnesses. Stood by Jordan. Even an Elijah must cross the Jordan before he passes from the world, though it be not by the gates of death. Kitto. They stood by its rushing stream, but they were not to be detained by even this barrier. "The aged Gileadite cannot rest till he again sets foot on his own side of the river." He ungirded the rough mantle from around his shaggy frame; he "rolled it together," as if into a wonder-working staff; he "smote" the turbid river as though it were a living enemy, and the "waters divided hither and thither, and they two went over on dry ground." — Stanley.

8. And Elijah took his mantle. Of sheepskin. The cloak, that outward sign of the prophet's office, became the vehicle of the Spirit's power. - Keil. As once Moses, dividing the water with his staff, was accredited chief of the teachers, so Elijah, dividing the water with his mantle, was confirmed chief of the prophets. The miraculous power is no more attached, in any magical way, to the mantle than to the staff; but to the prophetical calling. Lange. And wrapped it together. "Rolled it up" like a rod, for convenience in handling. Smote the waters. As Moses " smote the River Nile (Ex. 7: 20), Aaron the dust (Ex. 8: 17), and Moses the rock (Num. 20: 11)-strongly, as one smites an enemy. - Cook. Because he knew that what he asked was in accordance with God's will, his faith was met by miracles, which, apart from these conditions, it had been presumption in him to demand. -Kitto. They two went over on dry ground. On the other side of the Jordan is the place of the glorification of the prophet. Between him and this spot there flows yet a broad and deep stream. Through this he must go, there is no bridge, no ferryman; but he does not despair. He knows: He who has called me to the other side will help me to the other side. No stream is so deep, and no flood of calamity so dangerous, that God could not lead through it unharmed. The prophet-mantle, which to-day as ever, when it falls upon any Jordan, divides its waves, is faith, strong, glad, living, rock-firm faith. Wirth.

...

9. And now they were on that farther shore, under the shade of those hills of Pisgah and of Gilead, where, in former times, a prophet greater even than Elijah had been withdrawn from the eyes of his people, whence, in his early youth, Elijah had himself descended on his august career. - Stanley. Ask what I shall do for thee. What last keepsake shall I give thee? - Cowles. As a dying father, he says, If thou hast yet any wish in thine heart, tell it to me. "The Lord not only listens to our desires, but demands them of us." It may be, that, if Elisha had not insisted upon accompanying his master, this

10. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

II. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and 2 talked, that, behold, there appeared 3 a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and 5 Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

opportunity would not have been offered him.

32 Kings 6: 17. Hab. 3: 8. Ps. 104:3 5 Ps. 104: 4.

Before I be taken away from
What Elisha has to ask must

thee. He does not ask a commission for the other world. be before Elijah departs. This passage cannot be cited in support of the Roman Catholic dogma of the effectual mediation of the saints in heaven.-Lange. Thy spirit. The spirit of prophecy possessed by Elijah. Let a double portion be upon me. "Let a first-born son's double portion (see Deut. 21: 17) of thy prophetic spirit descend to me." This view is preferable to the assumption that he asked to have twice as much of that spirit as Elijah had. To say nothing of the request being unbecoming, he would know that “a dying man cannot leave to his heir more than he has himself." In point of fact, the figure of Elisha is throughout Scripture quite subordinate to that of Elijah. While Elijah is mentioned in Chronicles, in Malachi, in every Gospel repeatedly, in the Epistle to the Romans, and in the Epistle of James, Elisha's name occurs-out of Kings-only in Luke 4: 27.— Cook.

IO. Thou hast asked a hard thing. The granting of this request was not in Elijah's gift, and he knew not yet if God meant to bestow it; yet he would seek it with the fervent prayer (James 5: 16, 17) that brought abundant showers from heaven (1 Kings 18: 42–45). If thou see me when I am taken from thee. The words "when I am are not in the original. Cook. If he was able to retain to the end the same devoted perseverance, and keep his eye set and steadfast on the departing prophet, the gift would be his. Stanley. See me. And so be in a waiting, expecting attitude of soul. — J., F. and B. It shall be so unto thee. The request was great, but even great prayers are permitted when they serve the ends of the kingdom of God. Cal. Bible.

II. They still went on, and talked. Was it upon those visions of glory then just ready to burst upon Elijah's eye? So did the two disciples on the way to Emmaus talk together. Much of the heavenly wisdom that has blessed the world can be traced back to communion with saintly men and women in the "border-land." There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire. As they went on, conversing of high things, suddenly a whirlwind reft Elijah from his companion, and he was borne aloft, like an exhalation, in "a chariot with horses of fire," or glowing like fire, to heaven, followed by the cry of the forsaken disciple as he rent his clothes. Kitto. In this inextricable interweaving of fact and figure, it is enough to mark how fitly such an act closes such a life. — Geikie.

SYMBOLS. The chariot and horses of fire were symbols of the divine presence and power. As the fire transforms the material into the invisible, so this fiery storm would manifest the power that transformed Elijah's physical body into the spiritual body fitted for its heavenly life.-P. It was also a symbol of the life thus ended. According to the Jewish legends, he was at his birth wrapped in swaddling bands of fire, and fed with flames. During the whole of his course "he rose up as a fire, and his word blazed as a torch." And as in its fiery force and energy, so in its mystery, the end corresponded to the beginning. Dean Stanley. This ascension of Elijah was to give a visible proof that life does not end with this world, but that there is an existence beyond.

And parted them both asunder. By carrying Elijah up to heaven. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Went up in this fiery storm into the sky, and out of sight. Many writers hold that Elijah really rode into heaven, as indeed we find it often represented in pictures. This conception of the event has struck such deep root that people scarcely inquire whether the text really justifies it or not. But there is no assertion of this fact. Lange. But the fact that it was the chariot and horses of fire which separated them implies that the whirlwind took chariot and Elijah both up in one fiery storm. So Keil says, "The storm was accompanied by a fiery phenomenon, which appeared to the eyes of Elisha as a chariot of fire with horses of fire, in which Elijah rode to heaven."