Passing the Mantle of Leadership

The LORD said to him, "Go...anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu..." (1 Kings 19:15-17, NIV)

When God chooses someone be a leader of His people, He expects that leader to be a follower.  Specifically, a great leader must be committed to following the will of God no matter the cost.  In reality, all are called to be followers for that is how our LORD Jesus Christ described the Christian life: "Follow Me" (Matt. 4:19, NIV).  Our Scripture passage begins the amazing story of God's prophet, Elisha, as he became the new leader in the nation of Israel. Though Elisha had to follow in the footsteps of a great prophet, Elijah, he committed himself fully to following the LORD God.

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. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.         (1 Kings 19:15-17,19-21, NIV)

Thus we see the call of Elisha as God's prophet to the divided nations of Israel and Judah. Elisha, though he requested that he go back and kiss his mother and father good-bye, burned all bridges behind him (literally). He took his plowing equipment and the animals and made a burnt offering to the Lord and before his friends and coworkers. As Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Elisha spent a brief time with his friends as he consecrated his work to the Lord. Then he put his hand to the Lord's plow.

As the Proverb goes: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed" (16:3, NIV). Has there been a time in your life when you committed your heart to God, only to later fall back into the ways of the world? Can you stand before the Lord today and honestly say you've given it all to Him, to the Author of Life and perfector of your faith?

When Elijah's final hours as a prophet were near, he set about to test Elisha to see if he was ready. As we read:

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ... Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on. Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan.        ( 2 Kings 2:1,6-7, NIV)

In public view, in front of all his coworkers, Elisha walked with Elijah. He walked before the Lord, doing His bidding, and learning from the prophet Elijah as he served the aging prophet. Elijah even commanded Elisha to stay, but Elisha knew that his time was short and he needed to be with Elijah to the very end. When he witnessed Elijah being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11-15), Elisha was sure of his calling as the next prophet of Israel. He wasted no time in performing his first miracle through the power of the Holy Spirit; he parted the waters of the Jordan and crossed over, as did Joshua as he led the Israelites into the Promised Land, and thus convinced the company of the prophets that he was God's chosen servant. Let us each daily live out our faith in Christ in the spirit of this great prophet, Elisha.