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Elijah #8

 [Elijah] HEAVEN WITHOUT DYING_ 

2 Kings 2:1-14_ 

 

There’s an old saying that rings true... “It’s not how you start that counts, it’s how you finish.” 

 
[Group discussion] What do you want people to remember about you when you leave a job or move out of your neighbourhood or even come to the end of your life? 

 

No one could accuse Elijah of “coasting” at the end of his life. 
He served the Lord faithfully and actively right up to the point when he was swept away! 

 

[Read 2 Kings 2:1-14] 

 

Who would you rather be from this part of the story... Elijah, who comes to the glorious end of a faithful life or Elisha, who receives the mantle of leadership for a new generation? 
Explain your answer. 

 

 

Elijah and Elisha revived an ancient tradition in Israel. They gathered committed students together into “companies of prophets”. Why would visiting these groups of students encourage Elijah? 

 

 

Thinking back to what we’ve already seen in these studies, what might Elijah have said to these prophets-in-training? 

 

 

Elijah repeatedly asks Elisha to stay behind, and each time Elisha refuses. 
What does that tell you about the relationship between these men? 

 

 

Looking over your life and your circumstances... 

Who is your “Elijah” - the person mentoring or training you? 

Who is your “company” of fellow learners? 

Who is your “Elisha” - the person into whose life you are building? 

 

What can you do to build and strengthen your relationships with these key people? 

 

If God’s prophet asked you what he could do for you (verse 9), how would you respond? 

 

God’s law required that a double portion of a father’s inheritance be given to the oldest heir. As Elijah’s oldest “son” in the faith, Elisha asks for a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit. Why did Elisha sense the need for a greater measure of Elijah’s power and authority as he faced the next stage of his life? 

 

As you reflect back over this whole study of this prophet, what big idea has stood out to you or what has convicted or challenged you the most? 

 

[Activity] In Luke 9:28-36, Elijah and Moses appear on a mountain and talk with Jesus. 
Think about Elijah’s three mountain-top experiences: on Mount Carmel, on Mount Horeb, and on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus. 
What did Elijah learn in each place about how God works in our lives? 

Which ‘mountain’ are you on?  

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