Can You See
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:14 KJV
Elijah, a prophet of the Old Testament (OT), was frequently referenced in the New Testament (NT) more than any other prophet. Yet, by NT standards, he was a man as described in Hebrews 5:14, “…as one aged enough to digest strong meat.” Even the Levites referenced Elijah when they questioned John the Baptist in John 1:25, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” Actually, the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:2 referred to one of Elijah’s plea in the OT to illustrate his argument that God had not cast away his people. Yet, the Apostle James reminded us that Elijah was a man just like us, while illustrating the power of prayer. If one will analyze Elijah’s transition from life in the OT, a lesson will unfold that answers many questions that disturb our nation as we deal with a bias society.
As recorded in 2 Kings 2:1-12, Elijah and 50 other prophets, including his successor, Elisha, knew his life was ending. During this pivotal time, Elijah inquired with Elisha, “What may I do for you, before I am taking away from you.” Elisha answered without hesitation, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” In Jewish custom, this request for a double portion was actually an entitlement as noted in Deuteronomy 21:17, designed for the first born male child. The first born received a double share of his father’s estate while the other sons receive a single share. This double portion will enable the first born to maintain the fiscal responsibilities of the family as well as the widow, his mother. Mainly, this request signified that Elisha wanted to become the lead prophet of the school of prophets instead of requesting twice the power of his predecessor. Yet, the key point in this request is that Elijah acknowledged that only God can grant such a request. So the granting of this request will unfold only if God allows Elisha to SEE Elijah transitioning.
Overall, this task seems simple. The setting consisted of only two men walking side by side, and if Elisha stayed alert he will see the transitioning of Elijah. Earlier, the prophets knew that the prophet Elijah was to ascend into heaven in a whirlwind. Yet, when the time came Elisha witnessed more than a whirlwind, he actually saw suddenly and unexpectedly a chariot of fire with horses of fire. This awesome scene separated him from Elijah, and he shouted, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” (2 Kings 2:12)
Now if you look closer at the series of events, what God actually granted Elisha was the ability to SEE with his spiritual eyes. An individual cannot see this chariot of fire with his natural eyes. God must intervene to allow you to see the spiritual realm. Later, Elisha prayed that God will grant his servant the ability to see beyond the natural that there were more for us than against us in 2 Kings 6:17. When his servant opened his eyes, he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire.
Seeing with spiritual eyes allows you to grasp God’s purpose surrounding your life as well as the events unfolding in the world around us. Seeing with your spiritual eyes allows you to seek God’s purpose instead of your selfish intent. Seeing with your spiritual eyes allows you to understand that God will never forsake you nor His people. Seeing with your spiritual eyes allows you to overlook the personal bias of others by treating them with love. When you exercise that double portion of entitlement, you will begin to eat meat instead of drinking the milk for babes. Meat will sustain you when you face bias considerations. Instead of privilege, God will use experiences to create opportunities to SEE with your spiritual eyes. Instead of looking at bias events in our society, exercise your spiritual discernment to SEE what God actually want you to see. Remember your spiritual eyes will always reveal the unforeseen, like chariots and horses of fire, to navigate you toward God's purpose.
I think Stevie Wonder uses his spiritual eyes to see the challenges that we are facing even today when he wrote the lyric to “Love’s in Need of Love Today.”