Finishing Well, part 4

There is nothing easy about finishing well. Those who do finish well typically have paid quite a price in life. Finishing well has to do with hanging in there even in the midst of conflict. 

Broom Brush

Elijah is eventually exhausted from fleeing Jezebel and falls asleep in the desert by a lone Broom Brush. The prophet does not even have a home. When he wakes up, he finds that God prepared a meal for him. 1 Kings 19:8-9 “He got up, ate and drank his fill, and set out. Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and nights, all the way to the mountain of God, to Horeb. When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep.” After he eats one meal he walks for 40 days and nights just to get to a mountain, not a Motel, not a Bed and Breakfast, but a cave. And yet, he finishes his life well. He didn’t use hardships as an excuse to disobey. He crawled into a cave and went to sleep. 

I would imagine if any of us had met Elijah along the way, we would have considered him to be way out there. He was described as a hairy man who slept in caves. (It seems that most of today’s prophets profit from being a prophet and live in the lap of luxury. If we asked them to give up their profits they’d probably cave.)
 

So, now we come to the end of Elijah’s life, and as we read a couple of moments ago, he is taken up in a chariot of fire into the Lord’s presence. However, before he goes, we find him walking along with Elisha, the one on whom the mantle of Elijah falls. 

2 Kings 2:1-6 “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.” 4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.”
 

Isn’t that interesting that there was this group of Prophets who knew what was about to happen. I wonder how it made Elijah feel, knowing that in a few moments he would be taken up to heaven. But the other thing to consider is, Elisha would not leave him. Three different times, Elijah told Elisha to stay behind but he refused to do so.
 

After this Elijah parts a river and they cross it. 2 Kings 2:9-10 “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. 10 “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.” Now we begin to see how Elisha benefits by refusing to stay behind. Elijah said, “If you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours.” When Elisha said he wanted a double portion of his anointing Elijah said, “You have asked a difficult thing.” It was difficult to grant such a petition because it was not in Elijah’s own power to do so, but in God’s only.

To me, this is the key to finishing well. Finishing well has nothing to do with living a perfect life, it has nothing to do with living a temptation free life, and it has nothing to do with never ever committing another sin: but it does have everything to do with being where God wants you to be.

Continued tomorrow