ELIJAH:
The Mantel
The
churches of
Christ Greet You (Romans
1 Kings
Introduction
After the reign of Solomon the
In the midst of the degenerate and idolatrous northern kingdom ruled by
vicious
and cruel kings, the Lord called two men, one the successor of the
other. These
two prophets stood as the heralds of God and His Word. They were also
leaders
for a school of prophets who actually served in both the northern and
southern
kingdoms.
Elijah's ministry does not end with the call of Elisha who became
Elijah's
attendant and student. Instead, it continued for several years as the
mentor of
Elisha. After his renewal by the Lord on
Actually, the ministry here was dual. Not only did Elijah minister to
Elisha,
but undoubtedly, Elisha became a great comfort and encouragement to
Elijah. At
one time, Elijah thought he alone was left to carry on the work of God,
but he
was informed this was not the case at all. In fact, there were 7,000
who had
not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings
The Call of Elisha (
“So he departed thence, and found Elisha…” Here we find Elijah moving
out of
the place of loneliness and discouragement. The Lord had sought him
while he
was in that condition and revitalized and restored him to his ministry
through
the spiritual insight he received from the Angel of the Lord. Restored
with new
understanding about the way God works, the prophet left the mountain
and found
Elisha. The anointing of the kings mentioned in First Kings 19:15-16
would come
later. The first priority was to find Elisha.
This illustrates how God's word works to restore and renew our lives.
Graciously He works to put us either on track or back on track to make
us
fruitful (cf. John 15:1-2). Like Elijah, we too can easily find
ourselves down,
lonely, and discouraged, but the Lord is the God of all comfort (2 Cor.
1:3)
and He has committed Himself to our renewal and restoration. What a
loving and
gracious Lord, but we need to make ourselves available to God's
resources for
renewal – i.e., the word (Rom. 15:4) and other Christians encouraging
each
other (2 Cor. 1:4; 1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 3:13). Thus, Elijah first went
to find
Elisha who became an encouragement to the prophet.
Elijah found Elisha "while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen
before
him, and he with the twelfth." This seems to indicate that Elisha
belonged
to a family of considerable wealth. To obey the prophetic call would
mean doing
so at a considerable personal loss, financially speaking. It would mean
counting the costs. It meant counting his financial security as loss
and
becoming a soldier of the Lord in the trenches of a tremendous
spiritual
conflict. But Elisha's responses in verses 20 and 21 show us he was a
man of
faith who was willing to do just that.
Elisha had developed biblical values, priorities and eternal
perspectives that
had captured his heart which then controlled what he did with his life.
As a
result, he acted on his faith by following God's call. He was willing
to be
uprooted from his quiet, peaceful, and rural life with its financial
security
to follow the Lord. Obviously he knew what his nation needed was the
Word of
the Lord. Like the sons of Issachar, he understood the times and knew
what he
must do (1 Chron.
But we think it is also important to note where Elisha was when Elijah
found
him. Though he belonged to a prominent family, he was at work in the
field with
the rest of the field hands. Though wealthy, he was not irresponsible
or lazy.
This didn't make him a leader, but it certainly demonstrated he had
already
developed the kind of character needed for leadership. Not only did
hard work
build character, it gave him a testimony to those around him.
It is interesting to note how many great men of the Bible were called
into some
special ministry after they had already demonstrated ability and a
willingness
to work and where they had also shown faithfulness and loyalty. Illustrations:
(1) Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law. (2)
David was
tending sheep for his father. (3) Peter was a fisherman. (4) Paul had a
trade
making tents. (5) And the Lord Himself was a carpenter by trade who was
trained
by Joseph.
Many young people go through college or preaching school. Upon
graduation they
seek a full-time ministry without the beneficial experience of having
worked in
the work place, been in the military, or learned a trade. Then we
wonder why
they have problems in the ministry when faced with its rigid demands.
Well,
this can be one of the causes. Unless they worked their way through
school,
many do not really know what it is like to face the trials of the work
place,
nor have they developed the discipline of work. Furthermore, if for
whatever
reason they must leave full-time ministry and work in a secular job,
they have
difficulty in supporting themselves and their families because they
never
learned a trade. When support for his ministry was lacking, the apostle
Paul
always turned to his trade as a tent maker.
As parents, we need to teach our children to work, first at home around
the
house and then encourage learning a trade as a part of their education.
Learning to work helps to develop character, faithfulness,
resourcefulness, and
responsibility.
"And Elijah passed over to him (Elisha) and threw his mantle on
him" (vs. 19).
Let's notice three
things:
1. This mantle was the official garment of a prophet. There were three
types of
mantles worn in biblical times (cf. a rug - Judges
2. Throwing it over the shoulders of Elisha was a symbolic act denoting
his
summons to the office of prophet, but it was also a sure sign of God's
gift
that enabled him to fulfill the prophetic office and ministry. This act
by
Elijah was a prophetic announcement that the gift of prophecy had been
given
(or would come) to Elisha. It was immediately understood by Elisha even
without
words.
3. While some will disagree, we do not believe God calls believers in
the same
way today. Today, God calls by the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Thess.
Understanding that all
Christians
have been given a job to perform (cf. 1 Cor.
One's greatest ability
may be in
showing mercy. If so, that is where God wants to use you. First Peter
Perhaps you know of some
whom have found ways to reduce
their workload and time in their business or profession in order to
increase
their capacity for other kinds of ministry. In some cases it meant
reduced
income, but they did so to invest more time with their families and in
ministry. In some cases, God even blessed their occupation more. Their
giving
was not their lack. This, however, is not to suggest one's secular work
is not
a form of ministry. We believe it is and not just as a platform for the
gospel.
The Response of Elisha (
“He left the oxen, and ran after Elijah.” Elisha's response was
immediate.
There was no hesitation or riding the fence. As we will see, his
request
regarding his father and mother was not an act of hesitation. Rather,
Elisha
was decisive, which undoubtedly indicated the previous work of God in
his life
and the perfect timing of this event. For Elisha (and so it should be
for all
of us), there was no decision to make. The fact of God's call
automatically
made that decision for him. Any other decision would only lead to
futility,
unhappiness and a lack of purpose in life; a chasing after the wind.
Let's say, for the sake of illustration, someone has the ability of
teaching.
God's mantle or call on their life is to get involved to some degree
and in
some manner with the development and use of that gift. They do not have
to ask,
"Lord, should I develop this talent and seek a place of ministry to use
it?" To think and pray like that is equivalent to asking the Lord if
they
should use their feet and legs for walking. Of course there are other
factors
involved for which we should seek wisdom and pray such as: what are my
gifts
and what training do I need to prepare for the opportunity and the
specific
place where the Lord wants me to serve? But we do not have to ask if we
should
use our abilities. Our gifts are non-miraculous (unlike some of the
first
century). Still, our God given talents are to be used in love, serving
others
by the strength which God supplies and for the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor.
12:7; 1
Peter 4:10-11; Romans 12:4f).
His Request to Honor
His
Parents (19:20b)
Elisha requested that he might go back to "kiss my father and my
mother, then I will follow you." This was not an attempt to put off his
call. Neither was it an act of hesitation. Some have wrongly related
this to
Luke 9:57-62. The Lord knew the heart of the men in Luke 9 and saw that
for
what it was, a lack of commitment and an attempt to avoid His call. It
was a
failure to deny themselves, etc.
But with Elisha, the case was entirely different. Elisha's request was
prompted
by two things: (1) It was an act of genuine respect and honor for his
parents,
and (2) it was a desire to celebrate his entrance into this ministry
and to
declare and confirm his commitment to follow the Lord before friends
and
family. We will see this in 1 Kings 19:21.
Elijah's Response to His Request (19:20c)
Elijah allowed Elisha's request. He said, "Go back again . . ." Then
he added a word of caution and said, "For what have I done to you?"
This statement seems to be an idiom that sounds rather abrupt or even
meaningless to us. According to the idiom, we might translate it
something
like, "go back and bid farewell, for I have done something very
important
to you, but think carefully on what I have done to you, for your call
is not
from me, but from God!" The idea is that Elisha was accountable to God
for
what he did, not to Elijah. What Elijah had done was to express God's
call.
Elijah would become Elisha's spiritual leader and mentor, but Elisha
must
understand that ultimately, he was accountable to God, not to a man.
Application: As the servants of God, we must ever remember that
we are
ultimately accountable to the Lord for what we do with our lives. God
uses men
and women in our lives to reach us, to train us, to challenge us, etc.,
but
they are only instruments God uses to point or guide us in the right
direction.
We are accountable to one another to some degree, but our ultimate or
primary
accountability is to the Lord (Rom.
Principle: One of
the goals
of leadership, as with parenthood, is to help people learn to become
accountable to God (Heb.
The Celebration of Elijah's Call and Commitment (19:21a)
Elijah “took a yoke of oxen and slew them…” The oxen and the
implements, the
wooden plow with the yokes, represented the tools of his trade and the
means
and basis of his past life. Verse 21, then, is basically Elisha's
declaration
of his commitment to follow the Lord. In essence, he was burning his
bridges
and counting his past as loss for the Lord that he might gain and
attain the
new life and ministry that God had for him as a prophet (cf. Phil.
3:7f).
Elisha was showing family and friends that he had new goals, aims,
aspirations;
new commitments, values, and priorities. It showed his determination to
never
look back, seek to go back, or leave the calling of God no matter how
tough it
might get. This is a must for Christians and especially spiritual
leaders (cf.
1 Cor.
The Preparation of Elisha (19:21b)
“Then he arose and went after Elijah…” Elisha became the attendant, the
servant
of Elijah (cf. 2 Kings
Conclusion
God has placed a mantle, a call, upon every believer in Jesus Christ (1
Pet.
4:10-11; cf.
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