2Ki 2:11 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.
2Ki 2:12 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.
2Ki 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2Ki 2:14 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.
2Ki 2:15 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.
2Ki 2:16 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.
2Ki 2:17 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.
2Ki 2:18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
2Ki 2:19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
2Ki 2:20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
2Ki 2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
2Ki 2:22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
2Ki 2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2Ki 2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
2Ki 2:25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
Each joint of Christ’s body is contributing in love to the labor He has called us unto, of seeing every part of His bride come into the unity of the faith “and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). He leads us into paths of righteousness for His name’s sake that restore us (1Co 15:58, 1Ti 6:6-8, Psa 23:1-4), and we are being persuaded through that relationship of obedience to His word “for his name’s sake” (Rom 8:38), that it is Christ who is doing that labor within us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure which is to give us the kingdom, a kingdom within, now (Luk 17:21). This is understood by knowing God and His son (Joh 17:3) in a relationship that we’ve been promised that none can separate us from if we are His (Php 2:13, Luk 12:32, Joh 17:12), and these truths are really at the heart of what Elijah and Elisha’s journeys will mean to God’s elect who are being led by the spirit of God today (Rom 8:14-16).
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [Php 2:12], forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord [Php 2:13].
1Ti 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out [1Co 15:50].
1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content [the food and the raiment symbolize what we labor for with a hunger and thirst God gives us for His righteousness (Mat 5:6), a desire that God abundantly satiates as we seek the kingdom of God first and see all our needs met in Him (Mat 6:33-34)].
Last week’s study pointed to the transition of power that would be given to Elisha after Elijah went away, and it is a typical story written for the elect’s sake (1Co 10:11, 1Pe 1:12) of how the holy spirit would be sent to the church who were tarrying in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. They were told to wait on the Lord and the Lord, who does not change (Mal 3:6), will always be faithful to send the comforter to us as we learn to wait on Him, possessing our souls patiently (Luk 21:19) in Jerusalem above where we have been raised (Luk 24:49, Joh 16:7, Psa 27:14, Eph 2:6, Eph 3:10).
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: [“but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem“]
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, [“but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem” (Heb 10:25)]
This section of the book of Kings typifies for us how we can work out our own salvation with fear and trembling as a result of having His life within us (Php 2:12, Col 1:27, Rom 8:9). With that life of Christ within us we can “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Pe 3:18) and learn to rightly divide God’s word through a lifelong process of “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” within us that is needful if we are going to be able to try the spirits outside ourselves (2Co 10:5, 1Jn 4:1). These heavenly endeavors spoken of in 2Corinthians 10:5 describe our spiritual wrestling match in this life, which is not against flesh and blood and is carried out in weak and contemptible earthen vessels that must die daily, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Eph 6:12, Rom 8:13).
It is in Christ’s body, the church (Col 1:24, Eph 5:30), where we learn of ‘the principalities and powers in heaven‘ that we can rule over through Christ who is far higher than all those principalities and powers (Eph 1:21, Eph 2:6, Eph 3:10, Rom 8:37).
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
At this stage in Elisha’s journey, he is being separated from Elijah where great miracles are manifesting outwardly, as they did for Paul on the road to Damascus and the early church on Pentecost. When we no longer know Christ after the flesh, typified by Elisha not seeing Elijah after he departed in a whirlwind, then we begin to believe that Christ is abiding within us, and with that belief we can now do the work of God, works that will be typified by the actions of Elisha that we will be looking at in this study (Joh 6:28-29).
Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
2Ki 2:11 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.
The first thing we notice is that when we know Christ after the flesh and then don’t know Him in that regard, it takes great spiritual forces to separate us from that immature initial way of knowing Christ, and this separation is typified by this moment when Elijah and Elisha are still walking together both in their flesh and then “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven“. The chariot represents Christ who is the vessel of honor God gave to the church so He can increase and mature within us as a result of having our senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Heb 5:14). The discerning does not come about except there is power from God being given to help us through the process of having our senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Christ is that power in our heavens who makes this possible along with His word and His life within us, represented by “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire” that give us the ability to part way with our corrupt flesh, forsaking ungodliness and worldly lust (Tit 2:12).
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Christ is the one represented by Elijah who has the preeminence in all things (Col 1:18) as Elijah, in type and shadow, was the first one to go on to perfection, which was typified by this separation from Elisha. The “chariot of fire, and horses of fire” represent the power of God’s word that separates us from our fleshly thinking via the judgment of God that is progressively explained in the four horses spoken of in the book of revelation (Rev 6:1). These “horses of fire” are a precursor to the horses talked about in Zechariah 6:1-5 and then later in Revelation 6:1 and reveal a progression of judgment that matures the body of Christ.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Zec 6:1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
Zec 6:2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
Zec 6:3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.
Zec 6:4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
Zec 6:5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
[It will be the matured resurrected first fruits of God having had the experience of “These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth” accomplished in their heavens that will instruct others as to what these things mean saying, “Come and see.“]
2Ki 2:12 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.
Elijah told Elisha “if thou see me when I am taken from thee” then what you have asked me regarding receiving the double portion of spirit will happen (2Ki 2:10). In order to see Christ in whom we are hidden from the world (Col 3:3), we must have God’s spirit within us typified by the double portion that was given to Elisha, and so Elijah being taken away represents our now knowing or seeing Christ in the spirit, no longer needing to have signs of any nature (Joh 20:29) to convince us of our relationship with our Father and Christ and each other which now manifests within us (Joh 14:10, Joh 14:20) and brings forth the fruit of love that witnesses to this outward relationship (Luk 6:43-46, Luk 17:20-21).
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Luk 6:43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Luk 6:44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart [Col 1:27, Mat 13:46, Mat 6:21] bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you [Joh 20:29].
This section of scripture where Elisha says “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof” is also typical of this section of scripture in Acts 1:9-11, and the last part of the verse which reads “And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces” is a type and shadow of the veil of the temple being rent, which temple we are (1Co 3:16) and can only be rent by Christ within us who gives us power over our flesh (Heb 10:20), or former conversation represented by Elisha’s old clothes that must be rent. The renting represents our putting off our flesh through Christ who is the faithful witness who makes this possible, and so it is in “two pieces” (Mar 15:38, Joh 8:36, Rev 3:14, Php 1:6).
Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.Mar 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: [Heb 12:2]
2Ki 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2Ki 2:14 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.
After our flesh is rent, our own righteousness represented by the garment of Elisha (Isa 4:1), we are found in this ‘abased’ position represented by standing “by the bank of Jordan”H3383 and begin to do the work of God symbolized by taking “up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him“. That it “fell from” Elijah is symbolic language of how the comforter is sent to us coming from heaven, from above (Joh 14:26, Jas 1:17)
Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
It is with “the mantle of Elijah that fell from him“, representing the righteousness of Christ, that we can be given power to continue to search for the Lord with all our hearts (Isa 61:10, Rev 19:8, Jer 29:13).
Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
We rightly divide God’s word like Elisha used this mantle of clothing to part the waters when he “smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” Smiting the waters is akin to these statements the apostle Paul made in 2 Timothy 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 9:27.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
The water can represent our flesh or the word of God that must be tried within us through affliction, persecution, tribulation, and suffering, in order for these symbolic words to become a reality in our lives: “and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over“. The parting “hither and thither” is a witness to that symbolic language telling us that the word of God must be rightly divided in order for us to be baptized into Christ’s death (Rom 6:3) which baptism was also typified in the Red Sea when Israel crossed over (1Co 10:2, 1Co 10:11, 1Pe 3:21).
Christ is found in our lives by our being received of him through chastening and scourging that is represented by the smiting of the waters in this story (Heb 12:6). It is only when we cease from sinning as a result of suffering (2Ti 2:12) that we can go forward in our walk, and this increase is a gift from God who provides the water and the seed of which He gives increase (1Co 3:6). Notice that Elisha does what Elijah did first (2Ki 2:8, 2Ki 2:14) reminding us that Christ like us was tempted in all diverse manner and had to overcome all the pulls of His flesh and the powers and principalities in heavenly places as His body the church is able to do now through Him (Heb 4:14-16, Rom 5:10). With this gift from God we are becoming as Christ is (1Jn 4:17), and with the mind of Christ we can live to the will of God (1Pe 4:1-2) as this story typifies.
2Ki 2:8 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.
2Ki 2:14 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.
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
2Ki 2:15 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.
2Ki 2:16 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.
2Ki 2:17 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.
2Ki 2:18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at JerichoH3405) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
The sons of the prophets see Elisha now at JerichoH3405 which is a symbolic name that reveals that Elisha is now reflecting the light of Christ in type and shadow. The prophets saw him and said “The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha“. It rests on the prophets of old but it abides within God’s elect today (Rom 9:8). These prophets have been given a spirit of discernment and believe that Elisha is anointed and so “they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him“. What they’ve come to ask of Elisha however represents the idol of their own hearts and is not what Elisha wants to do. Elisha is told “there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master” which is a shadow of how we seek after the Lord with our own strength and not by being led by the holy spirit (Rom 8:14-16).
H3405 yerı̂ychô yerêchô yerı̂ychôh yer-ee-kho’, yer-ay-kho’, yer-ee-kho’
Perhaps from H3394; its month; or else from H7306; fragrant; Jericho or Jerecho, a place in Palestine: – Jericho.
H3394 yârêach yaw-ray’-akh From the same as H3391; the moon: – moon.
H7306 rûach roo’-akh A primitive root; properly to blow, that is, breathe; only (literally) to smell or (by implication perceive (figuratively to anticipate, enjoy): – accept, smell, X touch, make of quick understanding.
These fifty prophets represent the way we can falsely apply grace in our search for Christ and reveal how we will not find him even as these prophets will not find Elijah who typifies Christ. God therefore answers us according to the idol of our heart with all such endeavors as Elisha did with these prophets who continued to urge him to let them go search for Elijah by their own efforts (Eze 14:4). These words of the prophets, “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” reminds us of the persistent spirit in Babylon to follow a man after the flesh (2Co 5:16, Heb 12:14). Matthew 24:26 also mirrors this spirit shown to us by these prophets in regard to how the world says where Christ is, “Peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley.“
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Mat 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
They were truly persistent and, trying to convince Elisha against his own will, the end result of that persistence is: “they sought three days, but found him not.” The fruit of that search yielded nothing; no stay of bread or water was found, represented by Elijah who is a type of Christ who they did not find. It also took three days to come to that conclusion as these actions represent judgment that was upon these ever-searching-but-never-able-to-come-to-the-knowledge-of-the-Lord prophets (2Ti 3:7).
When the search was over Elisha says, “And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?” But we do go, and all of our searching in Babylon is needful to create contrast for when we are given to find the pearl of great price, Jesus Christ (Mat 13:46). Then we can look back and clearly see the vanity of all our efforts of trying to only know Christ after the flesh.
Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
2Ki 2:19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
2Ki 2:20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
The prophets reporting on the real condition of the city is a confession of sorts that the outside of the sepulcher is white, “the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth“, but the inside is dry and full of dead men’s bones: “but the water is naught, and the ground barren” (Mat 23:27-28).
Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
The new cruse with salt put therein that Elisha asked them to bring to him represents the new vessel God is making that was initially marred in the hand of the Potter (Jer 18:4), and the salt in the vessel is a symbol of the covenant of the Lord that He will heal the land so that it will become spiritually abundant in time. The salt also represents the fiery trials that must come upon the land in order to rid it of all impurities so that it can bring forth much fruit (Amo 3:6). Every sacrifice was salted with fire in other words (Num 18:19, Mat 5:13, Mar 9:49-50).
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Amo 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Num 18:19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Mar 9:49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
Mar 9:50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
2Ki 2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
2Ki 2:22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
The waters being healed from that day forward “according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” is a reminder of what Christ has done for humanity, and how God “calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Rom 4:17). Christ’s life was sacrificed for us, and He represents these new living waters that were made possible by his presenting himself a living sacrifice to God which we now do through him (Rom 12:1-2). Christ is the salt of the earth within his people (Mat 5:13, 1Jn 4:17) and the words “I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.” spoken after Elisha “went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there“ is also expressed with these verses (Joh 6:55-56, Joh 4:10-11, 2Pe 1:8).
Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed [Eph 5:30].
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is “according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” which symbolizes God’s word being sent forth to heal all the nations, first within the body of Christ upon whom His judgments are (1Pe 4:17), and then the rest of humanity in the great white throne judgment (1Pe 4:18, Rev 20:11-12) that this healing will be accomplished: “So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake“. It takes God’s judgments in our earth (Isa 26:9) in order for us to be healed which is what these symbolic actions of Elisha typify for us.
2Ki 2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2Ki 2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
It was as Elisha was heading up to Bethel, which means “house of God“, that God inspired these circumstances (2Ki 2:23-25) to demonstrate to us what happens when His judgments are in our earth. In the preceding verses we are told, “So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” and this healed water, which represents the undefiled word of God, was made so by the salt being put into “the spring of the waters“.
Then we are shown another outward example through Elisha who is a type of the elect of what God’s word can accomplish within us and how increase comes in our life through the destruction of false doctrines represented by these “little children out of the city” who “mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head”.
First, let’s establish this point that ‘children’ represent ‘doctrine’ in God’s word. In Luke 8:11 we learn “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God“, and the opposite of the “good seed” are “tares”, referring to doctrine in this parable in Matthew 13:38.
Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
These little children who come out of the city to mock Elisha in this story are a witness to the whole of Babylon that mocks us with their false doctrine, 4 being the whole and 2 representing the witness to the fact that there is no stay of bread or water in Babylon (42 children – Isa 3:1). It also shows us the utter carnality of Babylon as Mike describes in this FAQ:
Getting back to the story of Elisha and the children and the two bears, the number ‘forty two’ is closely associated with the works of the flesh. It is a multiple of six which is the number God has given to man, who was created on the sixth day along with the lion and the bear. The fact that 42 is 7 sixes witnesses to the total carnality of these teenagers who were mocking the prophet of God. (Excerpt from Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word » Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty » The Two Female Bears and Forty Two Children (iswasandwillbe.com))
Elisha “turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD” which is what we can do when we submit to God and resist the devil (Jas 4:7) and repent of all the lies of Babylon, all the leaven of the Pharisees which is their doctrine (Mat 16:12) that tries to contaminate our spiritual house (Gal 5:9). We discern their falsehood by trying their spirits (1Jn 4:1) symbolized by Elisha who “looked on them” and then cursed them “in the name of the Lord” (Zec 3:2, Jud 1:9).
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Zec 3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Jud 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
The healing of the waters in our life through Christ is connected to this death of the forty-two children as they represent tares or false doctrine that must be plucked up and burned, and the means by which this is done in this story is by “two she bears out of the wood“. The woods are symbolic of the wilderness of Babylon, and the “two she bears” are a witness of Satan’s influence in the churches of Babylon [two she bears]. The power that God has over all such powers and principalities [two she bears] is demonstrated by the destruction of all these children. God uses the devil in other words as His sword (Psa 17:13) which is what happens here when Elisha “cursed them in the name of the LORD“.
All of this death happened because of the mocking that occurred to Elisha, and God tells us that this will happen to His elect as it did to Christ (Joh 15:20, Luk 23:31). The most noted case of mocking that comes to mind in God’s word was when Christ was mocked on the cross (Luk 23:36) as we are mocked and hated by all men for not running to the same excess of this world (1Pe 4:4) as we die daily and mortify the deeds of our flesh (Rom 8:13) being crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20).
The specific way that the children mocked Elisha was cruel and the insults were directed at his head saying “Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head“, so they were in type and shadow mockings that were directed at Christ his head. Elisha simply “cursed them in the name of the LORD” and the prophet of God knew this was not going to end well for these children (Amo 3:6-7). The obvious lesson is to honour your head (1Co 11:3), which we do when we don’t think above what is written (1Co 4:6) and cast “down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2Co 10:4-5).
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
That he was bald can also signify both mourning and a new start on our road to Christ (Isa 22:12, Jer 48:37, Lev 13:40, Act 21:24)
Isa 22:12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
Jer 48:37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
Lev 13:40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.
[http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-two-female-bears-and-forty-two-children/]
[http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/book-of-jeremiah-jer-471-7-the-day-cometh-to-spoil-all-the-philistines/]
2Ki 2:25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
After this destructive event of these children that represents the death of our old man and his false doctrines or tares, we are shown that Elisha’s life typifies the elect seed or vessel of honor that is dying to self and going to bring forth much fruit as a result of this process of dying daily (Joh 12:24).
The place that Elisha goes to now, after these events, will symbolize bringing forth much fruit in his life “mount Carmel”H3760 and then after that he goes to “Samaria”H8111 H8104 to continue to be the watchman of God’s word that he represents.
H3760 karmel kar-mel’
The same as H3759; Karmel, the name of a hill and of a town in Palestine: – Carmel, fruitful (plentiful) field, (place).
H8111shômerôn sho-mer-one’
From the active participle of H8104; watch station; Shomeron, a place in Palestine: – Samaria.
H8104 shâmar shaw-mar’
A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: – beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).
"His Branch" 