07.30.07
“WHO’S CLOAK?”
II Kings 2:13-14
“He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. ’Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.”
I want to quickly dispell any notions that the cloak, or mantle, as it appears the King James Translation, had any magical qualities. That is not the way the Lord works. He is the one who dispenses His power for the purpose He determines is needed at just the right moment. All the same, there is a blessing which can be passed from one saint to another.
Who are our heroes? How committed are we in doing what God has challenged us to do? What will we leave behind us as a legacy for those who follow us?
There are many similar type questions we could add to these three, but you get the general drift. The bottom line is— how dedicated are we to fulfill the “Great Commission” of making disciples all over the world? By the way, the world begins right in front of your nose and leads to where God takes you.
Let me set the stage a little bit on this passage of Scripture from II Kings. Elijah was a mighty prophet of God who had been used to do supernatural things. He had proclaimed that the skies would yield no rain until he commanded it. For some three years there was no rain in the land. (Please, I beg you to turn to the book of I Kings and read chapters 17-18). You will see the powerful prophet he was.
His assistant was Elisha. In II Kings we read about how the mantle of power and ministry passed from the master, Elijah, to his assistant, Elisha. The requirement for Elisha to receive the dynamic authority of the prophet was for him to be present when Elijah was taken.
Elijah did not make it easy on Elisha. He repeatedly told Elisha to stay here or there rather than follow him. Elisha knew that his ultimate responsibility was to be beside his master until the very end. The chariot of fire appeared—Elijah was caught up into heaven and the cloak was now Elisha’s. He was now God’s prophet to serve in Elijah’s place.
It is a sad commentary in our world that we make heroes of people who are so shallow and godless. Their lifestyles are often an affront to public decency, much less spirituality. Just because a person makes millions and has public prominence should not make them a hero.
My own personal desire is to emulate those saints of God who prayerfully call upon the Lord for His touch and direction. I want to receive the cloak of those who love the precious Word of God and obey it explicitly. I want to receive the cloak of those who have a burning concern for the lost sinners around them and watch for every opportunity in which they can share the plan of salvation.
When their cloak falls, I hope I will be following so closely to them that I will be able to pick it up and carry on with their ministry. I want to so live and behave, that when the time arrives for me to leave this world, I will have someone walking beside me to take my cloak of ministry and continue God’s work. The sad thought is that we come to the end and have no ministry or cloak to pass into the hands of another.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing.
- - - Pastor Cecil