The Berean Pursuit
Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal, and Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel."
But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you."
So they went down to Bethel.
Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?"
"Yes, I know," he replied. "Do not speak of it."
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho."
But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you."
So they went to Jericho.
Then the sons of the prophets at Jericho came up to Elisha and said, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?"
"Yes, I know," he replied. "Do not speak of it."
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan."
But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you."
So the two of them went on.
Then a company of fifty of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing Elijah and Elisha as the two of them stood by the Jordan. And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?"
"Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
"You have requested a difficult thing," said Elijah. "Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so."
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
As Elisha watched, he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.
Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked.
And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.
When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
"Look now," they said to Elisha, "we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys."
"Do not send them," Elisha replied.
But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, "Send them."
And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"
Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Please note, our lord, that the city's location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful."
"Bring me a new bowl," he replied, "and put some salt in it."
So they brought it to him, and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, "This is what the LORD says: 'I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.'"
And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"
Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD.
Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat's reign over Judah, Jehoram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. But after the death of Ahab, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. So at that time King Jehoram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. And he sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?"
"I will go," replied Jehoshaphat. "I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses." Then he asked, "Which way shall we go up?"
"By way of the Desert of Edom," replied Joram.
So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals.
"Alas," said the king of Israel, "for the LORD has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!"
But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him."
And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."
Jehoshaphat affirmed, "The word of the LORD is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
Elisha, however, said to the king of Israel, "What have we to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and of your mother!"
"No," replied the king of Israel, "for it is the LORD who has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab."
Then Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not for my regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or acknowledge you. But now, bring me a harpist."
And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha and he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Dig this valley full of ditches.' For the LORD says, 'You will not see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water, and you will drink-you and your cattle and your animals.' This is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD, and He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones."
The next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of Edom and filled the land.
Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, young and old, were summoned and stationed at the border. When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moabites across the way.
"This is blood!" they exclaimed. "The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!"
But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites. They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.
When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail. So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall.
And there was great fury against the Israelites, so they withdrew and returned to their own land.
A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
Great is the LORD,
and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God,
His holy mountain.
Beautiful in loftiness,
the joy of all the earth,
like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the great King.
God is in her citadels;
He has shown Himself to be a fortress.
For behold, the kings assembled;
they all advanced together.
They saw and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
Trembling seized them there,
anguish like a woman in labor.
With a wind from the east
You wrecked the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of the LORD of Hosts,
in the city of our God:
God will establish her forever.
Selah
Within Your temple, O God,
we contemplate Your loving devotion.
Your name, O God, like Your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
Mount Zion is glad,
the daughters of Judah rejoice,
on account of Your judgments.
March around Zion, encircle her,
count her towers,
consider her ramparts, tour her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation.
For this God is our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide even till death.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.
The tempter came to Him and said, "If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
But Jesus answered, "It is written:
'Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. "If You are the Son of God," he said, "throw Yourself down. For it is written:
'He will command His angels concerning You,
and they will lift You up in their hands,
so that You will not strike Your foot
against a stone.'"
Jesus replied, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. "All this I will give You," he said, "if You will fall down and worship me."
"Away from Me, Satan!" Jesus declared. "For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'"
Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.
When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
"Land of Zebulun
and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles-
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death,
a light has dawned."
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." And at once they left their nets and followed Him.
Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed-and He healed them.
The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.