“Should I Stay, or Should I Go?”

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Do you know that almost four million Americans, excluding military and government personnel, live overseas? Most of these expatriates are in Canada or Mexico, but a significant percentage live in Europe, Australia or even Asia’s Far East.

After the move at some point, these people asked themselves, “Do we stay here, or do we go back to the good old US of A?

It’s surprising how often this question pops up in our everyday lives. In our text this morning, the prophet Elijah repeatedly tells his acolyte Elisha to “Stay.” He sounds like he’s talking to a disobedient dog. “STAY, Elisha, stay!” But Elisha doesn’t stay; he goes.

2 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. ⁷ Fifty men of the company of prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸ Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” ¹⁰ He responded, “You have asked a hard thing, yet if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” ¹¹ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

¹³ He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water. He said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? Where is he?” He struck the water again, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha crossed over.

Seems to me that we Americans tend to get restless. We have LinkedIn pages, we’re on recruiting boards, and we’re always open for a change of scenery. In the 1950s, people flocked to California. Now they’re leaving California, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Michigan, seeking their fortunes elsewhere. In 2024, approximately 26 million Americans moved. Some relocated across state lines to escape a high cost of living, high taxes, high crime or congestion. Others moved to take a new job, be closer to family or settle into retirement.

These people with itchy feet also asked the question: “Should we stay, or should we go?” It reminds me of “The Clash” song, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

Darling, you got to let me know—should I stay or should I go?

If you say that you are mine—I’ll be here ’til the end of time

So, you got to let me know—Should I stay or should I go?

Elisha’s dilemma is not about a moral choice, or ethical application. In his case, Elisha gets an explicit command — not just from any source, but from the holiest prophet in Israel’s history. “STAY!” So, what’s the problem? The easy response would be, “Yes teacher, I’ll stay.” But not for Elisha. He clings to Elijah like a fly on molasses. Elisha goes.

Elijah tells Elisha to stay behind as he journeys to his final destination. “Stay here,” Elijah says, as they travel from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho and finally to the Jordan River. It’s almost like Elijah is giving Elisha permission to take the easy way out. And in many ways, staying would have been easier.

But Elisha does something remarkable. He chooses to go — following Elijah all the way to the end. Notice how Elisha’s “followership” is instructive for us today.

Sometimes — even usually — God’s command to “stay” or “go” is not about physical location but about our commitment to a higher calling or a deeper commitment. Like Elisha, as Christians we are essentially followers. We follow Jesus. But as the Lord himself noted, not everyone buys into this. Many are simply curious but not committed.

When the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers to go 12-1 a few seasons back, a commentator noted that the guys in the Detroit Lions’ locker room would go to hell and back for coach Dan Campbell. They had total buy-in to the culture Campbell had created. He was Churchill proclaiming, “We shall fight on the beaches.” He was the Packers’ Vince Lombardi, encouraging his players when they fought the Cowboys during the “Ice Bowl” on a barren field, frozen with snow, as game-time temperatures were at minus 13. He was Herb Brooks, coach of the USA “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team, who fostered an intense culture of hard work and belief in achieving the impossible — beating the indomitable Russians. Christians follow Jesus, even when he asks them to deny themselves and pick up a cross. The “stay” or “go” options are irrelevant if we’re not totally buying into the culture Jesus offers.

Perhaps the prophet is testing Elisha’s resolve. Why did Elijah repeatedly tell Elisha to stay, only for Elisha to insist on going? Was it a test? How far was Elisha willing to go? Would he stay when things got hard, “Okay boss, I’ll sit this one out.” Or would he go with Elijah to the very end?

Spiritual journeys are dynamic, as the word “journey” suggests. To stay would have been to opt out. Our own spiritual journeys often mirror this. We face moments when we feel called to stay in comfort or go into what is sure to be uncomfortable. Following God means pushing beyond the easy, familiar and safe. It means taking the hard road at times, just as Elisha did, because we believe that God has something greater in store.

We receive something greater than we ever imagined when we go where God calls us. When we risk, God is faithful to equip us for the next part of the journey. We’re like those servants in Jesus’ parable who were given some money from the owner to invest while he was out of the country for a while. The most lavish praise, as you may recall, was heaped upon that servant who risked it all. Note that in the story before us, Elisha receives not only Elijah’s mantle but also a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.

This business of hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit can be quite helpful. Go figure. It allows us to take decisive action because we’re convinced God is directly communicating with us and therefore leading us to make astonishing and swift decisions. But it can also be very dodgy, as murky as the Mississippi during the rainy season.

According to a Barna Group poll, about 75% of Americans say that Jesus speaks directly to them. Our heroes of the faith learned to be discerning about how God was speaking. They had a sense that God was doing something, but it wasn’t obvious. These people of faith were skilled at interpreting the message. There’s an entire chapter devoted to them in the book of Hebrews.

For example, when God told Abraham to take his son Issac up the mountain to sacrifice him as a lamb, he could have disobeyed, yet he trusted that something was afoot about which he was completely ignorant. “God … will provide,” he said. And God did.

Moses initially resisted the voice of God when told to initiate a coup that would release the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” But he went anyway, sensing that God had a plan and that he, Moses, was clearly involved only on a “need-to-know” basis.

But, absent that level of discernment, it’s a muddy, murky, dubious — and frankly, daring — business to go hot on, “God told me to …” People will smile at you like you have early onset dementia, and then say to you as they do down south, “Well, bless your heart...”

But wait! There are times when we can say with absolute confidence, “God told me.” There are many decisions and actions when the will of God is plain, and we can honestly claim to be in the center of God’s will. We know the spiritual “rules of engagement” that give us incredible latitude in our daily interactions with others. We know what is permitted and what is not. There is no need to consult in prayer every time we’re faced with some decision. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light and intentionally, ‘yield to the Spirit,’ we can have confidence that God is working out all things together for our good.

Notice that there’s no record of Elisha consulting with God as to whether he should obey the senior prophet’s directive to stay put, or defy him and stalk him for the last few days of his life. He just did it.

Perhaps, Elisha understood that there’s a wideness in God’s providence. We might even say that there’s a wideness in God’s freedom.

Here’s the deal: Whether to buy a refrigerator or relocate to Peoria are questions we shouldn’t need to ask of the Lord. But if, after consulting with a spouse, extended family, colleagues, friends or a combination thereof; if, after doing some work on the cost-of-living differential and other financial considerations; if, after all of that careful work, you still feel as though the Lord needs to be brought into the conversation, then you should probably stay, or decline to move forward.

Maybe our view of God needs to be something other than a micromanaging, helicopter God who’s ready to intervene at the slightest danger or criticize our every move. Perhaps it’s a God of breadth, latitude and mercy who’s pleased to let us function within the rules of engagement we already have, which makes our lives a whole lot easier to live. And with this new understanding comes peace and joy.

Sometimes we overthink things. As far as we know, Elisha didn’t pray about his decision. He didn’t consult the company of the prophets, or talk to friends. When Elijah said, “STAY,” his mentee Elisha refused to comply, and instead got up and followed the prophet to his next stop. He was all over him, and without apology. Elisha was a man who could interpret the mind of God, who “got it.” And he would himself become one of Israel’s great prophets.

What if Elisha had stayed behind? What if he had taken the easier path? He would have missed out on a double portion of God’s spirit. He would have missed his calling. We should assume that we are attuned enough to the character and will of God that we need not belabor our decisions by over-praying things. In the end, we can say to God, “Here’s my flight plan. Please keep me advised as to weather conditions ahead and, if necessary, delay the flight or ground me altogether.”

You’ve got to love Scripture. This is a fascinating look in decision-making, loyalty, we have in Elisha, who showed us what it means to be committed to his calling no matter what the cost! As God did with Elisha, God will also give us the strength to stay when we need to stay, and the courage to go when called into the unknown.

I think we’re all familiar with this wisdom from Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”

We’ll know whether to, should I stay or should I go.

This is the word of the Lord for the day.

Amen.