Lesson 11 - The Double-portion Anoiting I

LESSON 11

The DoublePortion Anointing, Part 1 nd it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

A

LESSON 11

48

O P E R AT I N G I N T H E A N O I N T I N G

He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. (2 Kings 2:1-14) GILGAL, BETHEL, JERICHO, AND THE JORDAN Elijah led Elisha to three different locations where he was tested before being given the double portion. Gilgal (see 2 Kings 2:1; Joshua 5:9). This is the place where Joshua brought the children of Israel after their journey through the wilderness. It was there that the manna ceased; it was there that the cloud by day and the fire by night departed. Elijah took Elisha there and told him to remain, but Elisha refused. There are times when the Lord will take you to places to test you, but it is not His will for you to stay there, for He desires for you to go to higher grounds. It is only the beginning of locations. Gilgal is also a place of the rolling away of the past and a place of new beginnings. Gilgal is where Egypt is forgotten; your old life is erased. God will meet you there. It is a place of comfort, corn, and fruit. In Gilgal, you sow your own seed and reap your own harvest. Gilgal is where the walk of faith begins. Israel had walked by sight for forty years. Now, at Gilgal, they began to walk by faith. Bethel. This is the place of surrender, the place where the flesh must be crucified, for it was there that Jacob met God on the way to Laban’s house. It was there that he made the vow that he would serve the Lord. The passage of 2 Kings 2:2 tells us: “And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.” Bethel means “House of God.” It is the place of total surrender. Bethel is a place of yielding. Once you say yes at Bethel, God leads you to these places: Jericho. Jericho is the place of warfare. Once you surrender at Bethel, you will be given the privilege of Jericho—victories in God. It is at Jericho that the battle will be won and the enemy defeated. We read in 2 Kings 2:4 that “Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee;

LESSON 11

/

T H E D O U B L E - P O RT I O N A N O I N T I N G , PA RT 1

for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.” Joshua met the captain of the host at Jericho: “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” ( Joshua 5:13). In Gilgal we learned how to live by faith, depend on God, and eat the corn (the word) of the land. At Bethel we learned how to die, to surrender, and to yield to the Lord. It is a place of sacrifice. At Jericho we are equipped for war. The armor does not belong to self but to the surrendered soul. The armor is only for people of the Spirit. At Gilgal, God wrestles for us. At Bethel, God wrestles with us. At Jericho God wrestles through us. Once you face the enemy and understand that through battle we possess what is ours, God leads you to these places: Jordan River. We learn in 2 Kings 2:6 that “Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.” The Jordan is the place of the double portion: “But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his” (Deuteronomy 21:17). The double portion is the right of the firstborn. The Jordan is the place of spiritual vision and perception. At the Jordan, John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit. Similarly, “Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over” (2 Kings 2:12-14). Spiritual vision disrobes you of the old man and puts on the new man, causing the anointing to rest upon your life.

49