Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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2 Kings
Book: 2 Kings
Chapter: 2
Overview:
Elijah divides
Jordan.
(1-8) Elijah is taken up into
Heaven.
(9-12) Elisha is manifested to be
Elijah's successor.
(13-18)
Elisha heals the waters of
Jericho, Those that mocked
Elisha
destroyed.
(19-25)
1-8 The
Lord had let
Elijah know that his time was at
Hand. He
therefore went to the different
Schools of the Prophets to give
them his last exhortations and blessing. The removal of
Elijah
was a
Type and figure of the
Ascension of
Christ, and the
opening of the kingdom of
Heaven to all believers.
Elisha had
long followed
Elijah, and he would not leave him now when he
hoped for the parting blessing. Let not those who follow
Christ
come short
By tiring at last. The waters of
Jordan, of old,
yielded to the
Ark; now, to the
Prophet's
Mantle, as a token of
God's presence. When
God will take up his
Faithful ones to
Heaven,
Death is the
Jordan which they must pass through, and
they find a way through it. The
Death of
Christ has divided
those waters, that the ransomed of the
Lord may pass over. O
Death, where is thy sting, thy hurt, thy terror!
9-12 That
Fulness, from whence prophets and apostles had all
their supply, still exists as of old, and we are told to ask
large supplies from it. Diligent attendance upon
Elijah,
particularly in his last hours, would be proper means for
Elisha
to obtain much of his
Spirit. The comforts of departing saints,
and their experiences, help both to gild our comforts and to
strengthen our resolutions.
Elijah is carried to
Heaven in a
fiery
Chariot. Many questions might be asked about this, which
could not be answered. Let it suffice that we are told, what his
Lord, when he came, found him doing. He was engaged in serious
discourse, encouraging and directing
Elisha about the kingdom of
God among men. We mistake, if we think preparation for
Heaven is
carried
On only
By contemplation and
Acts of devotion. The
Chariot and horses appeared like
Fire, something very glorious,
not for burning, but brightness.
By the manner in which
Elijah
and
Enoch were taken from this world,
God gave a glimpse of the
eternal
Life brought to
Light By the
Gospel, of the
Glory
reserved for the bodies of the saints, and of the opening of the
kingdom of
Heaven to all believers. It was also a figure of
Christ's
Ascension. Though
Elijah was gone triumphantly to
Heaven, yet this world could ill spare him. Surely their hearts
are hard, who feel not, when
God,
By taking away
Faithful,
useful men, calls for weeping and mourning.
Elijah was to
Israel,
By his counsels, reproofs, and prayers, better than the
strongest force of
Chariot and
Horse, and kept off the judgments
of
God.
Christ bequeathed to his disciples his precious
Gospel,
like
Elijah's
Mantle; the token of the Divine power being
exerted to overturn the empire of
Satan, and to set up the
Kingdom of God in the world. The same
Gospel remains with us,
though the miraculous powers are withdrawn, and it has Divine
strength for the
Conversion and
Salvation of sinners.
13-18 Elijah left his
Mantle to
Elisha; as a token of the
descent of the
Spirit upon him; it was more than if he had left
him
Thousands of
Gold and
Silver.
Elisha took it up, not as a
sacred relic to be worshipped, but as a significant garment to
be worn. Now that
Elijah was taken to
Heaven,
Elisha inquired,
1. After
God; when our
Creature-comforts are removed, we have a
God to go to, who lives for ever. 2. After the
God that
Elijah
served, and honoured, and pleaded for. The
Lord God of the holy
prophets is the same yesterday, to-
Day, and for ever; but what
will it avail us to have the mantles of those that are gone,
their places, their books, if we have not their
Spirit, their
God? See
Elisha's dividing the
River;
God's people need not fear
at last passing through the
Jordan of
Death as
On dry ground.
The sons of the prophets made a needless search for
Elijah.
Wise
men may yield to that, for the sake of peace, and the good
opinion of others, which yet their
Judgment is against, as
needless and fruitless. Traversing hills and valleys will never
bring us to
Elijah, but following the
Example of his holy
Faith
and zeal will, in due time.
19-25 Observe the
Miracle of healing the waters. Prophets
should make every place to which they come better for them,
endeavouring to sweeten
Bitter spirits, and to make
Barren souls
fruitful,
By the
Word of God, which is like the
Salt cast into
the water
By Elisha. It was an apt emblem of the effect produced
By the
Grace of
God On the sinful
Heart of
Man. Whole families,
towns, and cities, sometimes have a new appearance through the
preaching of the
Gospel; wickedness and evil have been changed
into fruitfulness in the
Works of
Righteousness, which are,
through
Christ, to the praise and
Glory of
God. Here is a
Curse
On the youths of
Bethel, enough to destroy them; it was not a
Curse causeless, for it was
Elisha's character, as
God's
Prophet, that they abused. They bade him "go up," reflecting
On
the taking up of
Elijah into
Heaven. The
Prophet acted
By Divine
impulse. If the Holy
Spirit had not directed
Elisha's solemn
Curse, the
Providence of
God would not have followed it with
Judgment. The
Lord must be glorified as a righteous
God who
hates
Sin, and will reckon for it. Let young persons be afraid
of speaking wicked words, for
God notices what they say. Let
them not mock at any for defects in mind or body; especially it
is at their peril, if they scoff at any for
Well doing. Let
parents that would have comfort in their children, train them up
Well, and do their utmost betimes to drive out the foolishness
that is bound up in their hearts. And what will be the anguish
of those parents, at the
Day of
Judgment, who
Witness the
Everlasting condemnation of their offspring, occasioned
By their
own bad
Example, carelessness, or wicked teaching!