Command the Raven

2 Kings 2 [show/hide]2 Kings 2 Elijah Taken to Heaven [2:1]Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. [2]And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. [3]And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?" And he said, "Yes, I know it; keep quiet." [4]Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. [5]The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know it; keep quiet." [6]Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. [7]Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. [8]Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. [9]When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me." [10]And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so." [11]And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. [12]And Elisha saw it and he cried, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. [13]And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. [14]Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. Elisha Succeeds Elijah [15]Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. [16]And they said to him, "Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send." [17]But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him. [18]And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?" [19]Now the men of the city said to Elisha, "Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful." [20]He said, "Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him. [21]Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, "Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it." [22]So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke. [23]He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!" [24]And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. [25]From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. (ESV)
: 9-10
And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. [Dake]

A double portion, proving that there are different measures of the Holy Spirit and power which men have received.

It is a fact that men have done things in a miraculous way according to the measure of the Spirit they have received. It is also a fact, that to claim any one of these measures without power to do the things intended to accomplished by such a measure is stating an untruth and making a false claim.

If one has any degree of power or any gift of the Spirit he will be able to do at all times what the power or gift is designed for and given to accomplish.

[v 10] Heb. Qashah, hard; severe; tough; difficult. It is translated ‘hard labor [Gen. 35:16-17 [show/hide]Genesis 35:16-17 The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac [16]Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. [17]And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, "Do not fear, for you have another son." (ESV)
]; hard causes in the sense of being difficult [Dt. 1:17; 15:18]. The true idea here is a difficult thing for me to grant and it was. How could a man impart twice as much as he, himself had? How could he give something that he did not have? The answer is by faith and Jehovah honoring him in requesting a double portion for Elisha. Some would have been jealous of a successor receiving more with which to do more than they, themselves did in life, but not so with anyone filled with God in any special sense.

It was so, for the record shows that Elijah experienced 16 miracles besides the translation and Elisha experienced 32 – double the number, and some twice as great [p.394]. For instance, Elijah shut the heavens for 3 ½ years; [Jas. 5:17] and Elisha shut them for 7 years [8:1].

John 3:34 [show/hide]John 3:34 [34]For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. (ESV)

For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him. [Dake]

Different measures of the Spirit:

1 – Mosaic portion [Num. 11:17, 25 [show/hide]Numbers 11:17 [17]And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. (ESV)
].
2 – Mosaic portion divided into 71 portions [Num. 11:16-17, 25-29 [show/hide]Numbers 11:16-17 Elders Appointed to Aid Moses [16]Then the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. [17]And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. (ESV)
]
3 – Elijah portion [2 Ki. 2:9].
4 – Double portion [2 Ki. 2:9-10]
5 – Elijah portion on John the Baptist [Lk. 1:15-17 [show/hide]Luke 1:15-17 [15]for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. [16]And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, [17]and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." (ESV)
].
6 – Earnest of the Spirit [2 Cor. 1:22 [show/hide]2 Corinthians 1:22 [22]and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (ESV)
; 5:5; 1 Jn. 4:13 [show/hide]1 John 4:13 [13]By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (ESV)
; Phil. 1:19 [show/hide]Philippians 1:19 [19]for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, (ESV)
].
7 – The Spirit “without measure” [Jn. 3:34 [show/hide]John 3:34 [34]For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. (ESV)
; Isa. 11:2 [show/hide]Isaiah 11:2 [2]And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
; 42:1; 61:1; Lk. 4:16-21 [show/hide]Luke 4:16-21 Jesus Rejected at Nazareth [16]And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. [17]And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, [18]"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, [19]to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." [20]And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. [21]And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (ESV)
Acts 10:38 [show/hide]Acts 10:38 [38]how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (ESV)
]; Spirit baptism or baptismal measure [Mt. 3:11; 20:22-23; Lk. 3:16 [show/hide]Luke 3:16 [16]John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (ESV)
; Jn. 1:31-34 [show/hide]John 1:31-34 [31]I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." [32]And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. [33]I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' [34]And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." (ESV)
; Acts 1:4-8 [show/hide]Acts 1:4-8 [4]And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; [5]for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." The Ascension [6]So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" [7]He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. [8]But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (ESV)
; 2:1-21; 8:15-24; 10:44-48; 11:14-18; 15:7-11; 19:1-7; Gal. 3:14 [show/hide]Galatians 3:14 [14]so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)
; the fullness of God [Eph. 3:19 [show/hide]Ephesians 3:19 [19]and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (ESV)
; Rom. 15:29 [show/hide]Romans 15:29 [29]I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. (ESV)
]; the rivers of living water [Jn. 7:37-39 [show/hide]John 7:37-39 Rivers of Living Water [37]On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. [38]Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" [39]Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (ESV)
]; and the full anointing of the Spirit and enduement of power from on high [Lk. 24:49 [show/hide]Luke 24:49 [49]And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (ESV)
; Jn. 14:12-15 [show/hide]John 14:12-15 [12]"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. [13]Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14]If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit [15]"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (ESV)
].