After a review of 2 Kings 2:2-8 (in the previous two articles) described how Elisha and Elijah got to a location where God was about to do something miraculous, we find the two prophets by themselves. They might still have been in view of others watching from the west side of the Jordan River, but those waters had probably resumed flowing (after being parted for the two prophets).
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
2 Kings 2:9-10 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2ki.2.9-10.NIV
As the two prepared to be separated, Elijah asked Elisha for any last requests, and Elisha asked for a “double portion of your spirit”. Now, this “spirit” that Elisha was asking for doesn’t seem to be Elijah’s soul. That wouldn’t make much sense. Instead, it seems to me that this spirit – of which Elisha was requesting “extra” – is the Spirit of God. We know that the Holy Spirit of God can both speak and act in our lives, and both God’s Word and God’s power would be critical to Elijah’s success in being a prophet to God’s people.
Whether or not that’s what Elisha meant, throughout the era of the church (including the present), now that Jesus has given the Holy Spirit to His disciples, we have access to that same word and that same power. We don’t “wield” this power as something to be used at our whim, but we get to live in God’s power, when and how He determines it should be used.
However, and perhaps more importantly, like Elisha asked for “extra” of Elijah’s spirit, I think that we can ask for God’s Word, and we can ask for God’s power to be applied in our lives and in the world around us. For followers of Jesus who live in obedience to Him, the Holy Spirit is right there within us, so we can – and should – talk with Him, asking for direction and provision.
However, I do think that we should ask. Yes, the Holy Spirit is all knowing, all wise, and all powerful, and He can work when He chooses to. Yet prayer is expected from followers of Jesus, and even though God already knows our hearts, we are expected to talk with Him and ask Him for what is on our hearts.
In addition [per Long, p.290], a double portion was typically allocated to the firstborn heir in an inheritance, so this might also just be Elisha emphasizing his desire to succeed his master Elijah as a prophet to Israel. While Jesus is the “firstborn among” us (see Romans 8:29), and the “firstborn over all creation” (see Colossians 1:15), He still has His church carry on His mission. We don’t save people in the way that He does, but we do have the role of spreading the good news about salvation to a lost world.
I’m not sure where Elijah got the information for his reply, but he acknowledged that this was a “big ask”, and provided a way for Elisha to know whether or not his request would be answered.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for June 1, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1 & 2 Kings, by Jesse C. Long, Jr. © 2002 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 