Elisha

by R. Armstrong, London, Ontario | Category: Profiles Of The Prophets | Apr 1978

His Times

Elisha was called to his prophetic ministry about 900 B.C. and succeeded Elijah at a time when Israel was steeped in idolatry. Truth and error existed in the same country and both were talked about in the same domestic circles. The prophet laboured in the northern kingdom of Israel, which, seventy-five years before had rebelled against the house of David under Jeroboam who was crowned king by the rebel faction in the nation (1 Kin. 12). To discourage the people from going to Jerusalem to worship, he set up two golden calves, one in Bethel (south), and the other in Dan (north). These became the objects of national worship.

Evil in any dimension, whether spiritual or moral, often commences imperceptibly, and rationalizes in such terms as, "there is no harm". The playful kitten of permissiveness grows into a killer. Error is so skilful at imitating the truth. A watchful eye, and a mind taught by the Spirit of truth are very necessary. One evil made way for another in Israel, and the

days of Elisha saw another system of idolatry entrenched in the nation, that of Baal-worship. An unequal yoke in the marriage of Ahab to Jezebel of Phoenicia had brought this idol into the country (1 Kin. 16:29-33). King Ahab was a weak, despicable individual, unable to make a right decision: "There was none like Ahab who did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up" (1 Kin. 21:25). Baal was the male consort of Ashtoreth, the female goddess of fertility, and together they were worshipped with lewd rites and human sacrifices.

The prophets were familiar with the political and religious currents of their times. They knew and loved the law of God, and their manner of life, often involving obscurity, made them sensitive to the mind of God. Their lives were a rebuke to the godlessness around them, and their predictions of judgement were fulfilled with amazing accuracy. Their messages were black and white, and struck terror into the hearts of all who were named in their prophecies. The man of faith walks at ease with God, and in the quiet confidence that he is right because he is on God's side, and knows God is on his. Such a man was Elisha, upon whom the mantle of Elijah fell.

His Call

Elisha, whose name means "God is Salvation", was the man God had ready to succeed Elijah in prophetic ministry to Israel. According to Bible chronology Elisha's ministry lasted about seventy years, compared to Elijah's twenty years, approximately. The sovereignty of God seems the only answer to this apparent imbalance. The emotional breakdown of Elijah after the Carmel victory, and his flight from Jezebel are given by some as the reasons for his removal from the prophetic office. If God did this in every spiritual lapse of His people, not many of us would be in the service of God. His period of human weakness, an inexplicable let-down after victory such as we have all known at some time, did not take God by surprise. God did not say, "Because you have been a failure at the end of your life, you are being replaced". There is no word of censure or condemnation throughout the entire transition of prophetic office from Elijah to Elisha. There are never any emergency situations in the purposes of God: Divine sovereignty always governs what He plans. Elijah's ministry of judgement, and Elisha's ministry of blessing and healing typify the dual ministries of the promised Messiah and Prophet. One man is never a complete type of Christ.

It is evident from 2 Kings chapter 2 that there were schools of the prophets. Probably Elisha came from one of these, and was well-known

to Elijah. Elisha's occupation of ploughing and sowing on the family homestead provided valuable days for preparation and meditation. He saw the value of the yoke as he turned each gleaming furrow. He knew the disciplines of sowing and harvest as part of the daily task. There is a restlessness in our generation which is affecting the disciplines so necessary to spiritual growth. Neglect of the out-of-sight roots that can only flourish through the ministry of the Spirit may be the reason that the ranks of anointed men are getting thin. Faith, prayer, reading, meditation and the pursuit of holiness are all marks of men who are taught of the Spirit. There are no short cuts or easy courses to divine anointing for the service of God. Only a renewed hunger for God and holy living can produce a revival ministry in our hearts and assemblies.

Elijah's crossing the field to meet Elisha, and casting his mantle over him was an unforgettable moment for the young prophet. His excitement to follow Elijah overlooked other higher priorities by his request that he might run and kiss his father and mother goodbye. What about the plough in the half-turned field? Should there not be some tangible evidence of renouncing the old life? Renunciation comes before consecration. Elisha understood Elijah's advice to "go back again", and on sober reflection took a yoke of his own oxen, and the ploughing instruments, tokens of his livelihood, and through fire and sacrifice provided food for the people. These alphabet blocks of his first lesson taught him the truth of renunciation. As a priority he must be prepared, as we all must be, for a drastic shift from enjoying creature comforts to helping meet the need of others. Do not most of us have this problem in our Christian experience? The prophet's mantle was only a sign of his appointment. It was his total commitment as a bondslave of the Lord that would mark him out as God's man for the times. True discipleship is not wearing a badge, but rather carrying a cross. To be a disciple in name is one thing, but to be a disciple indeed involves following hard after Christ.

Who answers Christ's insistent call,

Must give himself, his life, his all

Without one backward look.

Who sets his hand upon the plough,

And glances back with anxious brow,

His calling hath mistook;

Christ claims him wholly for His own,

He must be Christ's, and Christ's alone.

The call of God has no options, and leaves no room for human opinion. A bondslave turns everything over to the will of another, and has no secret compartments in his life. The Lord Jesus knew this in the will of

His Father. Paul knew it as a bondslave of Jesus Christ, and so on down the long line of anointed witnesses for God.

Elisha's simple act of slaying and burning for the blessing of others is an eloquent lesson of the place of self-sacrifice in the service of God. Here he must learn the truth of death to self and the world. It is at the cross we all must learn the truth that kills, before we learn the truth that makes alive, in resurrection. This was Elisha's Calvary. Dead to self and alive to God, he arose and followed. To renounce all that is sinful in our lives, and put it to death, is a requirement, the neglect of which, in our theology and practical Christian lines, lies at the root of barrenness (Col. 3:5).

His Commission

Before the mantle fell on Elisha, The Lord sent Elijah to Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan, no doubt scenes of his earlier prophetic labours. His request for the young prophet to wait until he returned was a test of what he had said at the plough, "I will follow thee". Three times he asked him to wait, and as many times the answer came back, "As the LORD live(h, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee". The first stop at Bethel would stir many memories of Jacob's night on the stony pillow, and the vision of the house of God. How unlike the house of God the place of that early revelation had become, for Jeroboam's golden calf was there. The idol was a visual lesson for Elisha that one of his tasks was to restore the people to the worship of the true God of Israel. Jericho would recall the conquest for God of that city by Joshua. The destruction of the city which represented the idols of the Canaanites was another sign that God wanted all those nations destroyed. The visit to Jordan reminded the two prophets of the crossing by the nation more than 500 years before, and what it meant in terms of the reproach of Egypt being tolled away and the new life in the land.

Standing on the hallowed ground of these experiences would give Elisha a deep sense of the reality of his ministry as he prepared to call the nation back to God. Finally, his request for a double portion of Elijah's spirit was granted by God, for he saw his spiritual father swept up by a whirlwind into heaven. The rich endowment of the Spirit of God was like Elisha's Pentecost, and during sixty years of his ministry God worked at least eleven signs of various kinds, so that none could deny that the source of his power was the God of Israel. The areas of power were, four times over water, once over oil, twice over death, once over food, twice over disease, and once over eyesight. These are found in 2 Kings 2 through to 2 Kings 13.

Miracles in any age were never given by God to be sensational, or to satisfy man's craving for signs and wonders. Elisha's miracles were acts of divine sovereignty by which God spoke to His wayward people, to bring them back to Himself. Over Elisha's ministry could be written the words of a later prophet, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of Hosts" (Zech. 4:6).

The fulness of the Holy Spirit is clearly taught in the New Testament for disciples of the Lord. It is not optional. It is a command of the Lord in Ephesians 5:18, and is not related to either miracles or tongues, but to praise, thanksgiving and submission to one another. The indwelling of the Spirit is historical and permanent, and His infilling is His complete control of those He indwells. It is not that we should seek more of the Holy Spirit, but that we should yield ourselves to Him. It is right that we should obey the Lord in seeking a sound Bible-based spiritual experience of the fulness of the Spirit in our lives for His glory.

Elisha's Message

The prophet's message to Israel was backed by one of the few brief periods in its long history when God intervened with miraculous signs. The fragmented worship of the nation no longer held any consistent pattern. Polytheism had completely broken down separation from the nations around. Except for a few godly amongst them the people were insensitive to the frightful apostasy into which they had plunged. "Thou shalt have no other gods before (literally, in front of, or above) Me" (Exod. 20:3) had long since lost its place in the hearts of an apostate nation. Children grew up to know nothing but idol worship.

Some of the choice words of Elisha that brought blessing to many are selected. To the widow of a prophet he said, "Go borrow thee vessels... not a few", The sequel, her debt was paid. When he cast meal into the poisonous pot of stew, and assured, "Pour out... there was no harm in the pot". The beloved story of Naaman the Syrian general, with its powerful gospel base, "Go and wash in Jordan seven times". To his fearful servant who, in the day of battle did not see the surrounding host of the Lord, "LORD, I pray Thee, open his eyes".

In profile, Elisha was a man of no compromise with evil or wicked men, sought no honour for himself, dispensed much blessing, and had this rare testimony from king Jehoshaphat of Judah, "The word of the LORD is with him" (2 Kin. 3:12).

R. Armstrong, London, Ontario | Apr 1978
Profiles Of The Prophets