King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2026
Chapters: II Kings 1-3
Lesson: II Kings: Elijah And Elisha
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today this passage came to mind, [Matthew 20:20-23 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.]
The Book of II Kings contains twenty-five chapters, the author is Jeremiah and it was written to Israel. The timeline for these events took place approximately between 896 BC to 588 BC. The purpose of the book was to record how God dealt with Israel before the coming of Christ. What we are to learn from the book is that God is sovereign ruler of all nations, blessing the obedient, punishing the disobedient, and is merciful to those who love Him, [II Kings 17:36 But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.]
So many people want the protections, provisions, and power of the supernatural, but unless they are seeking the Almighty and only living God, through His Son Jesus Christ, then every other being is of the devil himself. And there will be consequences for following him, especially for those who know God yet deny Him. God’s relationship with Israel was interesting, to say the least. They could turn away from Him in a heartbeat whenever hardship struck, yet He never abandons them completely. As we begin reading II Kings we learn that Moab rebel against Israel just as they learned of Ahab’s death, just as Ahaziah becomes deathly ill.
[II Kings 1:1-4 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.]
It is no wonder why God said what He said, Baal-zebub, means the fly-god, or master of flies, a protective charm used to drive away swarms of flies. Over time, the name evolved in meaning and Baal‑zebub became known as a powerful and respected demonic figure. In the New Testament, Beelzebub is presented not merely as a demon but the devil himself. Jesus, was actually the one accused of being the son of the devil.
[Matthew 12:22-25 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:]
This is actually God’s prophecy beginning to come to pass concerning Ahab’s family being destroyed after his wife arranged Naboth’s death so Ahab could seize his vineyard. When Ahaziah’s messengers returned and repeated Elijah’s words, the king demanded to know who had spoken them. They did not know his name, but once they described what he looked like, Ahaziah recognized Elijah immediately. Instead of heeding the warning, he sent soldiers to seize the prophet, an attempt that went disastrously for the men he sent.
[II Kings 1:9-12 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.]
No one stands out more than faithful, God fearing, saved, born again Christians. They know us by name just by our description. And for that reason that makes us makes us the most wanted, especially when they discover that we have a direct connection with Christ Himself. Nevertheless, God, being a consuming fire, will protect His faithful. Ahaziah, actually sent for Elijah, not to kill him, but to find out if what he said was true, but he would not let up until Elijah went with them. However, the third group were so afraid that they got down on their knees.
[II Kings 1:13-15 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. 15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.]
The angel of the LORD, Jesus Christ Himself, was right there with Elijah the whole time. He settled Elijah’s fear and told him that it was okay to visit with the king. Jesus, is always with us, especially when we are afraid. Why did the other men lose their lives first? They had no faith. God, always responds to faith, [Hebrews 10:38-39 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.]
Ahaziah, finally got his meeting with Elijah only to learn that it was the same message, [II Kings 1:16-17 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.]
Think about how many times stubborn people have to hear the Gospel before they understand that God’s judgments are true. The majority of the time it will be in hell when it will be too late. We know this from the parable that Jesus spoke about Lazarus and the rich man who ended up in hell, [Luke 16:23,27-31 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.]
Our faith unto salvation has to do with our faith in God period, and there is no second chances on this, unless one repents and seeks Christ while they are still breathing, there is no salvation. Now, if we need some kind of proof that believers will end up in heaven, there is no greater proof than Elijah’s testimony of when God had taken him up. Remember, when Elijah went to Obadiah to tell Ahab to meet with him? He said this to him, [1 Kings 18:12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.] This was now about to happen. Elijah, receives the call from God that it was time for his departure. And right behind him, refusing to leave his side, is Elisha.
[II Kings 2:1-4 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with 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, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el. 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; 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.]
The sons of the prophets were living in a seminary, learning the Word of God and how to minister to the people. They all knew that Elijah would be carried up in the heavens, but for some reason they kept discouraging Elisha from following him. This went on several times and Elisha had the same response, when they finally reached the Jordan River, Elijah took off his mantle, which is a coat, wrapped it up and touched the water, and it split in half. Now, before God had taken him up, Elijah asks Elisha what he was expecting by witnessing all this.
[II Kings 2:8-11 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and 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, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me. 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. 11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.]
This must have been an incredible sight. Elisha, knew that he would be the one to succeed Elijah as the prophet of God in the Northern Kingdom. Knowing that it was going to be a huge task he asks not only for the power of the Holy Spirit upon his life, he wants a double portion of it. We should all be so inclined to seek not only the bare minimum of what we are given through our faith in Christ, but to ask for the Holy Spirit to move through us in a way that others will see Christ through us, [I Corinthians 2:9-10 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.]
We must remember that Elijah was not sinless, yet his departure reveals two powerful truths. First, when God calls us home, we take nothing with us. And second, the reception Elijah received foreshadows what awaits all of Christ’s saints. No, we will not be carried into heaven by a whirlwind but those who are alive when Christ returns will ascend just as Jesus did after His resurrection, including those in their graves, [I Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.]
This was in a sense, Elisha dedicating himself to the LORD. The moment we dedicate our lives to Christ, our hearts should burn with a desire to serve Him. Yet we must also remain patient and mindful of those who are still unlearned or hesitant in their faith. After Elisha’s brief “I cannot believe what I just witnessed” moment, he picked up Elijah’s mantle and immediately stepped up.
[II Kings 2:12-15 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The Spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.]
While all the prophets and well as their sons and daughters all knew that Elijah would be carried up into the heavens they did not really believe it. The reason we learn this is their reaction after they saw Elijah taken up, [II Kings 2:16-18 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?]
Do you see why God only entrusts His double portion to a select few? These were sons of the prophets that were training to serve God and they had doubts that God had taken Elijah up into heaven. Sadly, these men were no different than the men who were consumed by the fire that came down from heaven. They insisted he was lying in a ditch somewhere and even talked Elisha into letting them go search for him. God, responds to faith, anyone can say they believe in Him, but He only reveals Himself to true believers, [Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.]
When Elisha asked for a double portion of the Spirit and he got it not only to show the believers, that God was with him, but the world as well. God, did not waste any time using him to show the king of Israel and two other kings that He is merciful to His faithful. After Ahaziah died his brother Jehoram reigned because Ahaziah had no sons, Moab, comes against them and he enlists the help of Jehoshaphat in Judah and the king of Edom.
[II Kings 3:1-3,7 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. 7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.]
It looks like Jehoshaphat did not learn his lesson from the last time he helped Israel. This was Jehoshaphat’s biggest downfall and one that I possess, it is that he tried to see the good in everyone and had hope that he could steer them in the right direction toward God. This has caused me more problems than I care to admit. Nevertheless, God, has taught me a thing or two about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer at times, [Luke 16:9-11 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?]
Jehoram, immediately thought that their having no water was an act of God. Of course, he did not want to follow Him, but He did want His protections and just knew that God was sending judgment on them. Jehoshaphat, being the Godly man that he was, decided that they needed answers from God, so he asks for a man of God and that is whey someone pointed them to Elisha.
[II Kings 3:9-11 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab! 11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.]
If it were not for Jehoshaphat being there Elisha would not have given them the time of day. Jehoshaphat, though erring, was still God’s child, and deliverance came to him, [II Kings 3:13-14 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 14 And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.]
Believe it or not, the only reason why our nations are as blessed as they are with all the evil taken place right now is because of God-fearing Christians that are still present, [II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.]
Elisha, did have a strange request before he would ask God what they ought to do. He asked them to bring his guitar, and once he started playing it, God, told him what they needed to do, [II Kings 3:15-18 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. 17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.]
“Ditches? We are digging our own graves!” I am sure thoughts like these were racing through the minds of these kings as they were digging holes in the ground. Nevertheless, they did, and the next morning they were filled with water to sustain them and their cattle. Interestingly enough, when Moab looked down into the valley that water looked like blood, they thought that the kings killed each other, and when they went down to take the army, Israel defeated them.
[II Kings 3:20-22,24 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border. 22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: 24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.]
In an interesting contrast, do you know what God sees when He looks at His people? He sees the blood of His Son upon their souls. How awesome is it that we have the all powerful, all mighty God to defend and protect us? How incredible is it that we get to speak to Him and talk with Him, and He listens to us? I think we ought to feel pretty blessed right now, [Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Not by our righteousness do we know You, but by our faith and acceptance in what Your Son did on the cross. I belong to You solely upon my faith in Christ, and for that I know that I have Your Spirit in me and one day I will ascend up to the heavens. Lord, lead me and guide me, I too want a double portion of Your Spirit upon me so that I can fulfill whatever it is that You call me to do. I love You and need You in all that I do, give me Your mercy, grace, and strength to be Your faithful servant. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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