2 Kings 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. 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 Elijah was taken away, Elisha took up his fallen mantle, struck the waters of the Jordan, called out for the Lord God of Elijah, and crossed over on dry ground when the waters divided to either side. His cry was an appeal to the God who had guided Elijah, seeking the Lord's help as he took up the work Elijah had carried. The parting of the waters confirmed that Elijah's spirit rested upon Elisha and that the prophetic work and authority had passed to him and would continue through him, as the sons of the prophets recognized. He received a double portion of the spirit that had rested upon Elijah, joined with gentleness, mercy, and tender compassion. His faithful service through humble, ordinary duties had prepared him to be faithful in greater responsibility and larger work for God.
Succession at the Jordan
After Elijah was taken away, Elisha picked up Elijah's fallen mantle, struck the waters of the Jordan with it, cried out, Where is the LORD God of Elijah, and crossed over on dry ground when the waters parted hither and thither. The taking up of the mantle and the smiting of the river belong together as one act of succession, with the dividing of the water opening the way for Elisha to go over. In that moment he stood in Elijah's place and entered upon the work Elijah had done.
His cry was a calling upon the Lord as the God who had guided Elijah, seeking the Lord's own help for the task now laid upon him. The answer came in the parted waters, which were the mark of the Lord's help as Elisha took up Elijah's work. The dividing of the Jordan confirmed that Elijah's spirit rested on Elisha and that the prophetic work and authority had passed to him and would continue through him. This was recognized by the onlooking prophets, the sons of the prophets, who discerned that the spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha.
What rested upon him was a double portion of the spirit that had rested on Elijah, joined with gentleness and mercy and tender compassion. The transfer took place in a time of idolatry and widespread wickedness, when God chose prophets to carry His warnings and to serve as instruments of divine wisdom. Elijah's own labor in that age had been that of a preacher of righteousness, accomplished under God's direction by the Holy Spirit, and it was that God-directed work which now passed forward.
Prepared for Greater Work
Elisha had left a wealthy, beloved home to attach himself to Elijah, serving him faithfully through their final journey together once he learned that Elijah was to be taken away, accepting even the humblest duties and relying on God through trials, and that steadfast service revealed in him qualities that could endure testing. His faithfulness in smaller, ordinary duties was the preparation that made him faithful in greater responsibility and fitted him for larger work for God. Elijah had given him opportunity to learn at his side, and in that pattern experienced ministers are to train younger workers by showing them how to teach the truth to others.
The taking up of the fallen mantle and the smiting of the Jordan so that its waters parted mark the younger worker's readiness, after being thus educated, to continue the work entrusted to him. Elisha's gentler, lamb-like kindness was what the work of that time needed, showing that the Lord knows what the situation requires and provides the right person when workers are ready for change.