2 Kings 2:15-22 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah does rest on Elisha… And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho, etc. The "sons of the prophets were theological students, and they here manifest a spirit which may be considered alike becoming and necessary in all those who are set apart to study the revelations of God. I. Here is a SPIRIT OF REVERENCE. "And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him." Being convinced by the fact that Elisha had performed the same marvel that Elijah had - divided the waters of Jordan - that he was a Divine prophet, they bowed in reverence before him. Though, perhaps, they knew that Elisha was taken from the plough, the manifestation of the Divine in him inspired them with solemn awe. He who has in him most of the Divine should be the most reverenced. Reverence is an essential qualification for a student. The volatile and the frivolous, however superior in intellect, and however persistent their investigations, will never reach a true knowledge of God. Nothing is more incongruous, nothing more distressing to the eye of earnest men, than the spirit of irreverence in theological halls. Biblical students should see in their tutors so much of the Divine as to cause them to bow in reverence before them. True reverence is neither superstition nor sadness. II. Here is a SPIRIT OF INQUIRY. These students earnestly desired to know what had become of Elijah, and they urged Elisha to send out fifty strong men in quest of him. No man will ever get true knowledge unless he has in him the spirit of earnest inquiry. The deepest cry of the student's soul should be, "Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" This spirit was strong in these "sons of the prophets' on this occasion. They so "urged" Elisha to send forth in quest of Elijah that, we are told, Elisha was "ashamed" to refuse them. But although the spirit of inquiry is essential to a student, and its earnestness is to be commended, it is often, alas! defective. It was so now. 1. It was wrongly directed. They had a wrong apprehension; they imagined that the body of Elijah had been borne up to "some mountain," or "cast into some valley." Perhaps all science begins with an hypothesis, but the hypothesis is vain unless it have some foundation. There was no foundation for the supposition of these "sons of the prophets." Inquiry should start from facts. 2. It was unsuccessful. The fifty men went forth according to the students' request, and searched for "three days, but found him not" It is useless to search for subjects beyond our reach. You cannot find in the Bible what is not there, such as scientific systems. - D.T. Parallel Verses KJV: And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. |
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