The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel

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2 Kings 2:12-13 “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more.”

As Elijah went up into the sky, Elisha cried out “My Father, my Father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel”. At first reading, you would think that Elisha is saying “Elijah, look at that! Check out the chariots and the horses coming down in the sky!” But Elisha wasn’t pointing out anything to Elijah. He was saying that Elijah was the strength of Israel. He was their chariots, he was their horses. Israel’s strength as a nation was found in the person of Elijah because God’s Spirit and power dwell in him.

The saying “My father, my father, the chariots of God and its horseman” was a phrase known in Israel that use to refer to God’s prophet. And it wasn’t just limited to Elijah. One day, it would be said about Elisha himself. If you have a look at 2 Kings 13:14, you will see that as Elisha was dying, the king of Israel used this exact same phrase about Elisha himself for he knew that Elisha was the strength of Israel just as Elijah had been before him. But in all of this, we must remember that it is not Elisha’s nor Elijah’s own strength. It is the strength of God that dwells in them.