ELISHA

Introduction

II Kings 2:11 "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold,there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

In this chapter, we see Elijah’s ministry comes to a fruitful end and Elisha starts his ministry. When we talk about Elisha, we can learn from a lot of experiences that he faced in his ministry. Both Elijah and Elisha’s ministries were completely distinctive in nature. The Prophet Elisha’s ministry focused more on normal people around him. We can say that his ministry was more peaceful and calm when compared to Elijah’s ministry. Today, as a part of our meditation, let us learn about the ministry of Elisha.

VISION

II Kings 2:1-2 "And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel."

In this chapter we see the last journey of Elijah with Elisha. In I Kings 19:20 ‘And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?’ We see the vision that Elisha had, leads him to follow Elijah the prophet.

When we read in II Kings 2:2,4,6 ‘And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, andas thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and asthy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.’ In these passages we see, Elijah asks Elisha to wait for him and not to come to a place. But Elisha refuses to stay as he follows his vision. This is the reason why he was blessed double-fold. Also when we read II Kings 2:3,5 ‘And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I knowit; hold ye your peace. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.’ Over here, we see people indirectly say that Elisha will not be blessed double-fold as Elijah is going to be taken by the Lord God on that day. Even in our lives, we see there might be a lot of people who speak contrary on the visions that we received from our Lord God. As the children of God, we should never forget that our Lord who gave us the vision will be faithful enough to bless us like Elisha.

CALLING

II Kings 19:20 "And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?"

When we read the 19th verse in this chapter, we can see that the mantle of Elijah falls on Elisha. This divine act records the ultimate calling that Elisha had concerning the ministry of God. Even in our lives, we the children of God are chosen and we have a divine calling to carry the ministry of God. In II Kings 2:9 ‘And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.’ It is indeed a blessed moment where Elisha asks for a double fold blessing from Elijah when he departs in the whirlwind.

When we read in I Kings 19:4 ‘But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.’ Here we see, Elijah the fiery prophet prays to God to put an end to his ministry. The prophet Elijah was exhausted and he does not want to take things further. But our Lord God did not listen to his prayers. Our Lord gives him a vision that he will be taken alive in a whirlwind with a fiery chariot. We see our Lord God ensures that the calling is served according to its purpose. As the Lord blessed Elisha in a double fold way, even we the children of God will be blessed abundantly. Therefore, may the Lord God give us grace to stand firm in the calling of the Lord.

TRUST

II Kings 2:13-14 "And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I,even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

Soon after Elijah is taken in the whirlwind, we see Elisha gets into a temptation. We see Elisha smites the river Jordan and it paves way for him. When Elijah left the ministry of the Lord, we see Elisha was given a huge responsibility, and at the same time this increased the faith that Elisha had on the Lord God. All these while Elijah was shadowed by Elijah in all his ways but this time he faces the situation all by himself. The divine power of the Lord God gave him trust and strength on the name of the Lord.

Therefore, we the children of the Lord should beseech for his grace to give us all the experiences that Elisha had in doing the ministry of our Lord God. Amen! God bless you!