E412 Navigating the Bible: 2 Kings

“Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground. When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.” - 2 Kings 2:7-9 The book of 2 Kings picks up right where 1 Kings left off. The kingdom of Israel is divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, and the prospects for God’s people seem to wax and wane on the different leaders to come to power in each of these regions. Let’s be clear, most of the leaders are, to put it mildly, not good. But there are a few bright spots too. In 2 Kings we also see Elijah taken to heaven and ascension of Elisha as we heard in the passage I read at the beginning of this episode. Trust me, you’ll want to stay tuned later in the episode when we talk about Elisha – he’s such a fun, interesting figure in the Bible. 2 Kings is fascinating because it toggles back and forth from Israel to Judah and back, all the while pointing us to a God who remains sovereign even when the kings of this earth turn away from him. To help us navigate the book of 2 Kings is Dr. Philip Ryken. Dr. Ryken is the president of Wheaton College and author of a commentary on the book of 2 Kings. Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback). Resources Related to This Episode: https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Reformed-Expository-Commentary-Commentaries/dp/1629954462 Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/p