The first return is a trip into the fog. They do not know exactly what will greet them. They do not fully know the condition of the land. The journey of hundreds of miles will take them weeks to complete. Yet they go because they have a higher purpose in mind. They go to rebuild God’s holy temple and to reestablish the true worship of God in God’s chosen city of Jerusalem. They go also to replant the land given to their father Abraham.
God gave His word to man in perfect form. If this was important to Him, He must also be concerned about passing that word to later generations in identically perfect form.
An outline that deals with Genesis 1:1 in great detail.
We enter into a time of confusion in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Because of their sins, God had judged them with defeat at the hand of the Syrians and famine in the land. Yet, they did not return to the Lord. However, in the restoration of land to the woman whose son was restored to life, we see that God continues to watch over those who are faithful to Him. May the Lord help us to be found faithful in these last days.
This passage tells of the translation of Elijah to heaven, but the real story is about Elisha. He is determined to follow his master to the end and he desires a double portion of Elijah’s blessing. We see that he gets the blessing and begins to perform some of the miracles for which he is known. O, that we might follow hard after God (Psalm 63:8) as Elisha followed hard after the spirit of Elijah!
