Jordan - the place of new beginning and new anointing

Elijah and Elisha had travelled a long way together. And even on their final journey that we read about in 2 Kings chapter 2, they've gone all the way from Gilgal to Bethel and down to Jericho. Elisha has hung in there, right to the end of the journey, even though it would probably have been easier to opt out when he had the opportunity. Now the two men head down towards the River Jordan, and when they get there (vs 8) the older prophet folds his cloak and strikes the water with it. The river divides and the two men walk across on dry ground.

It must have been a memorable moment, calling to mind the previous times that God had parted the water like this for His people: first of all at the crossing of the Red Sea, and then forty years later at this very same Jordan river where they now walked.

We read about it in Joshua chapter 3. After years of wandering in the wilderness, the people of Israel found the Jordan to be the place of new beginning and the place of new anointing. A new beginning for all the people because, as they courageously stepped into that flooding river, they were about to enter their Promised Land. God told them, "You have never been this way before," because that generation had never known a land of their own. It truly was a brand new beginning.

And for Joshua, the Jordan was also a place of new anointing and spiritual authority. We read (Josh 3: 7) that God told Joshua He would "begin" to make him a great leader from that point forward. It was to be a new beginning with new anointing and authority.

Now Elijah and Elisha have just walked across that very same river, also on dry land. The time has come to say goodbye, and this is the moment where Elisha speaks out his heart's desire to have the double portion anointing. He has persevered at each stage of the journey and now, as the story unfolds, he sees Elijah being taken from him into heaven.

Elisha is left alone, and now the moment of truth has come. He picks up Elijah's cloak and strikes the water with it, just as he had seen his mentor do. As the Jordan waters part, Elisha walks through to a new beginning, and a new and double anointing.

Note: although the double portion is not primarily about quantity of ministry or number of miracles, it's kind of interesting that in the following chapters of 2 Kings, we'll read about twice as many miracles in Elisha's life as we read of in the life of Elijah.