Fully Devoted: Israel, Act 2Sample

Elijah to Elisha

After the miraculous revelation of God to the nation of Israel and their subsequent uprising against the prophets of Baal, Queen Jezebel is furious. This is the woman who was leading the idolatrous rebellion in Israel and she’s just been humiliated. She swears, by her freshly deposed gods, to have Elijah killed—and she’s no stranger to taking out messengers of God.

So Elijah flees to another region well outside of Jezebel’s reach. But why does he run? This guy has just watched God show up in a powerful way in response to his prayer! Is he just freaked out or is something else going on? 

The first Hebrew verb used in 1 Kings 19:3 can, in fact, be translated “to fear,” but it can also mean “to see.” What would Elijah have seen to cause him to run? Consider, again, that God had just shown Himself in a miraculous way. 

The people respond to the whole fire-from-heaven incident by apprehending the prophets of Baal, but they do not depose King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. They do not take down the temple of Baal or the high places of idol worship. And Elijah is incredibly frustrated. Confronted with the seeming futility of his efforts, he leaves the area and tells God he’s had enough. 

God deals with him patiently and graciously, the same way He’s been dealing with people from the very beginning. He sends provisions to strengthen Elijah’s body. He approaches with questions to get to his heart. He speaks to him in a whisper to refresh his spirit. And He gives him an assignment to renew Elijah’s purpose. 

That assignment? Go and anoint a new king and a new prophet. Elisha was the man God had designated to learn from Elijah and succeed him as God’s prophet. Here’s the scene: 

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 1 Kings 19:19 NIV

A couple things to note: 

1. Elijah finds Elisha working. Plowing the fields was no easy task! It required stamina and demonstrated Elisha’s faithfulness. These are qualities that God looks for in His messengers.  
2. Elijah threw his cloak on Elisha. While it seems weird, Elisha would have understood what this meant. This moment had big ramifications for Elisha’s life, but also for ours. He’s being called to follow Elijah, to learn from him, to apprentice under him, and eventually take up his calling. And it’s no mere coincidence that the transfer of the prophet’s mantle looks a lot like the adoption process. It foreshadows God’s intention to both call us to follow Him and adopt us into His family through Jesus.

Finally, we watch Elisha’s response. He gives up everything about his old life to pursue this calling. The mention of the 12 yokes of oxen indicated that his family was wealthy. He gave all that up, ensuring that he would not even be tempted to return. 

Jesus, when calling His disciples, encourages them to count the cost too. As we’ve been learning, half-hearted commitment is not going to cut it. God is asking us to trust Him and go all in. And this is exactly what Elisha did. 

For the next several years, Elisha served under Elijah. Much like David, he did not step into his new calling right away—there was a demonstration period he had to walk through. 

Elisha demonstrated his worthiness to be a prophet, not by displays of might and power, but by consistent service and loyalty. For at least eight years, he stayed committed to Elijah, patient with the process, and approached his calling with a heart of service.

There are many parallels that can be drawn from Elisha’s life to ours, but as we trust God and seek to step into His calling for our lives, I wonder how many of us are found working, willing to give up everything, and serving those around us in the waiting?  

Journaling Questions 

• Write down a verse (or verses) from today’s reading. What stands out to you about that verse?  
• How can you serve faithfully where you are right now? How can you stay committed to God’s call on your life even when it doesn’t happen right away? 
• Describe how you think you would react if you were in Elisha’s shoes. What can you learn from his response?

Memory Verse

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Romans 6:16 NLT