Elisha - Pt 1

And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. (1 Kings 19:15-21 ESV). Today we begin a short series dealing with the prophet Elisha. The cycle of stories dedicated to the prophet Elisha in the opening chapters of 2 Kings is fascinating. Every story is full of meaning, nuance, and paradox; each one reveals something profound about God’s power, purposes, and presence in this world he so deeply loves. The cycle, taken as a whole, stands as a testimony to the truth that Abraham Joshua Heschel declares in his landmark study The Prophets. He wrote: “There is a living God who cares.” In the story immediately preceding today’s reading we find Elijah depressed and despondent, on the run, and complaining to God. It was a quick descent from the heights he experienced 40 days earlier when he defeated and destroyed the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. But here, on the mountain with God, Elijah thinks he’s the only prophet left, the only Israelite still faithful to God. God is patient in dealing with him. He takes him to the “cleft of the rock” and shows him the incredible grace and mercy that only comes from a God who delivers his only begotten Son to redeem man. God has a way of breaking through Elijah’s false pride and narrow sense of reality. God reminds Elijah that he is not alone and that God’s purposes are larger than Elijah’s life and ministry. Anoint Elisha in your place. The prophetic work will not cease with Elijah but will continue on in the ministry of Elisha. Over the next few days we will look closely and carefully at Elisha’s ministry. We will discover that the God who revealed himself through Elisha is the same God who is at work in and through us today. Please be encouraged that regardless of where you find yourself in your journey, God has not forgotten or forsaken you. He has provided you with great grace that only leads to victory.