Much has been said and written and preached about the double portion anointing. Much of it is good and accurate, however I believe it has led to a erroneous mindset within the kingdom of God. In 2 Kings 2: 7-15 we read about the double portion anointing.
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. 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. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Here we see that Elisha requested that he receive a double portion of the anointing that was on Elijah, and we also see that he received it. However, what does that mean? Often times we think of the double portion as Elisha having twice as much anointing as Elijah; two times more power. However is this accurate?
To understand this concept of double portion we must first realize that it is a concept born from the tribal system of inheritance. When a father, having more than one child (especially male children), was ready to divide to those children his possessions as an inheritance to them, he would divide it in this manner. If he had two children, the possessions would be divided into three. If he had five children, the possessions would be divided into six. If he had twelve children, the possessions would be divided into thirteen. The reason for this is because the firstborn son was to receive twice as much as the others. He would receive two portions, and everyone else would receive a one portion. He did not receive twice as much as the father had, only twice as much as his brothers and sisters. Nonetheless, the brothers and sisters did receive a single portion. They were not left without. They were not neglected. They were given an inheritance.
So I ask, “What about the single portion anointing?” In 2 Kings 2 we see that after Elisha picks up the mantle and strikes the water, that the “sons of the prophets” recognized the spirit of Elijah resting on Elisha. But they failed to recognize the spirit of Elijah that rested on them. Instead of operating in their single portion anointing, they bowed down to Elisha.
I see this as a picture of today’s church. We have so focused on those that have received a double portion, that we fail to acknowledge what we have received. We fail to realize that we too have an anointing, we too have power, we too have the Spirit of God resting on our lives. And instead of operating in that anointing, we instead bow down to others. We watch in awe at the preachers and ministers. We run from prayer line to prayer line trying to get deliverance from the one with the double portion. Do we not realize that the same Spirit rests on us? When Jesus spoke in John 14:12, he did not say that those with the double portion would do greater works. Paul did not say in 1 Corinthians 12 that the diversities of gifts were dependant on your portion of anointing. Instead he pointed out that is was by the “Same Spirit”. A single portion anointing does not mean you are inferior. It does not make you an also ran. It is confirmation of your status as a child within the family.
The fact that Elisha did twice as many miracles had nothing to do with his double portion, but rather what he chose to do with his portion. Elisha invested the anointing he had; he put it to use, and by doing so he increased his anointing. The others who failed to recognize their anointing did little if anything. In the parable of the talents Jesus speaks on this principle. It doesn’t matter if you receive five, two or only one the expectation is that you will invest it and gain more. The reward or punishment did not come because of what they were given, but because of what was done with what they were given.
Are you a child of God? Are you a Christian? If the answer is yes then you have been given an inheritance. The same Spirit that abode in Christ now abides in you. It may only be a single portion, but it is an anointing none the less. God who gave it to you, now expects you to increase that anointing by investing it into the service of the kingdom, so that you will have an inheritance to leave to your sons and daughters.
