The Bible story of Elijah and Elisha can be found in both of the Old Testament's books of Kings. They are two of the most notable prophets in the Bible, assisting in the restoration of Israel during a period of wicked rulers. In 1 Kings chapter 17, Elijah is introduced as the seer who predicted a three-year drought in Israel.
At the time, Israel was ruled by corrupted kings whose evil ways brought God's drought upon the land. Elijah, who is living in the desert, is saved by God when ravens bring him food in the midst of the drought that he predicted. Then Elijah goes to the home of a widow and her son, where God has promised to provide food until the drought is over.
The story continues as Elijah confronts the evil king, Ahab, about being the source of Israel's problems. At Mount Carmel, Elijah challenges Ahab to a battle between his deity, Baal, and the God of Elijah. The challenge is to offer sacrifices to their respective deities and see who can start a fire to demonstrate their divinity. Ahab's prophets pray to Baal for hours, but nothing happens. When it is Elijah's turn, he boldly soaks the sacrament in water to demonstrate his supreme trust in God to start a fire, despite the fact that he is wet.
The drought ended after Elijah's victory over the prophets of Baal, when he called down fire from heaven. Rain fell, and Elijah fled the evil queen Jezebel, who had vowed to kill him. 1 Kings chapter 19. When Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb, he heard God's voice telling him to anoint two kings and Elisha as a prophet.
Elisha quickly joined him after he did this. 1 Kings chapter 19 verses 19 through 21. So he departed thence and found Elisha the son of Shaphat. who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him. And he went with the twelfth, and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 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? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen. and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. In 2 Kings chapter 1, Elijah summoned fire from heaven to slay two groups of fifty men dispatched by king.
The third group of men was led by a commander who begged for mercy and was spared vengeance. Elijah went and predicted that the king would die from his illness, a prediction that was soon fulfilled. In 2 Kings chapter 2, Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan River on dry land, and Elisha, knowing that Elijah would soon die, asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit.
Elijah was then carried straight into heaven in a fiery chariot. Elisha took up Elijah's mantle and used it to cross the Jordan on dry land for the second time. He was given the double portion he had requested and performed numerous miracles in Israel.
Elisha's miracles included turning bad water into clean water, 2 Kings 2, verses 19-22, multiplying a widow's oil to fill many jars, 2 Kings 4, verses 1-7, and even raising a dead boy, 2 Kings 4, verses 32-37, 2 Kings 2, verses 19-22. And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee. The situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord seeth. But the water is not, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruise, and put salt therein.
And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters. There shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day. according to the saying of Elisha, which he spoke.
2 Kings chapter 4 verses 1 through 7 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant, my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord. And the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee?
Tell me, what hast thou in thy house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels, borrow not a few.
And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her two sons, who brought the vessels to her. And she poured out, and it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. 2 Kings chapter 4 verses 32 through 37. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain.
and prayed unto the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands. And he stretched himself upon the child, and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
Then he returned, and walked into the house to and fro, and went up, and stretched himself upon him. And the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her, and when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
Elijah and Elisha were both very regarded by those in the school of prophets, 2 Kings 4, verses 38-41, as well as by the rulers of their country, 2 Kings 4, verses 38-41. And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land. And the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage, for they knew them not.
So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot, and they could not eat thereof. But he said, Then bring meal.
And he cast it into the pot, and he said, Pour out for the people that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot. During a dark period in Israel's history, their influence sparked an awakening among some Israelis. During the corrupt reigns of Ahab and Haziah, God entrusted the charge for righteousness to Elijah and Elisha.
The story of Elijah and Elisha may be the most obvious example of mentorship in the Bible. It reveals a lot about the roles of the protege and mentor. In his first meeting with Elijah, Elisha is willing to give up his job, his family, and the life he has built so far in order to follow after a man who offers him mentorship.
He slaughtered his oxen and destroyed the yoke. donating the proceeds to his community. This is akin to selling a business and throwing a party with the proceeds.
The first lesson. Before qualifying for their own assignment, a protege must be willing to devote time to focusing on the mentor's assignment. Observing another person's life can teach us so much.
We can learn from their habits and disciplines, their interactions with others, and even their flaws. If he hadn't first offered himself as a servant to Elijah, he would have remained a farmer and never performed the amazing miracles that blessed so many others'lives. And Elijah said unto him, Terry, I pray thee here, for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan.
And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they too went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off. And they too stood by Jordan.
2 Kings 2, verses 6-7 According to Bible scholars, Elisha served Elijah for six years before Elijah was ushered into heaven. An intriguing test was placed in front of Elisha at this time. The prophets of the time were well aware that Elijah's time had arrived. Elijah told Elisha three times to stay behind, but his assistant refused each time. Others were looking on from afar, but Elisha wanted a close-up and personal look at what God was about to do in Elijah's life.
Only the one who had persevered was left with the double portion, not those watching from afar. Protégé must be willing to stick close to a mentor even when it is difficult to do so. And Elijah said unto him, Terry, I pray thee here, for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan.
And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And the two went on. 2 Kings 2.6 When they first met, Elijah draped his cloak over Elisha's shoulders, but it wasn't yet time for him to assume the mantle of the prophet. However, after Elisha had proven himself to be a faithful assistant, Elijah left him his cloak as a symbol that it was now time for the younger man to fulfill the plans God had for him.
Rather than rejoicing that his time had come, Elisha was heartbroken to see his mentor depart, demonstrating that he wasn't serving Elijah solely to advance his own career. He picked up the cloak that Elijah had left for him after he had mourned. A protege must patiently await the appointed time to take up the mantle left by others. We are often led to believe that it is the mentor's responsibility to pursue the protege. But this biblical account reveals that Elisha's success was found in the protege's relentless pursuit of his mentor.
It can be difficult to be under the tutelage of another. We are sometimes asked to do difficult things. Perhaps our perception of the mentor is challenged. when we learn about the humanity of someone we admire.
However, the reward is great for those protégés who persevere through these difficulties until the day comes when the baton is clearly passed on to them. The good news is that Elijah appointed Elisha as his successor. The bad news is that nothing significant has happened in the last ten years. Elisha went from being the son of a wealthy farmer to serving as a servant to an itinerant. prophet.
He transitioned from a season of sowing in the field to a season of sowing in his spirit. You, like Elisha, must deal with both good and bad news. The good news is that you have the potential to be a leader. The bad news is that it will not happen overnight.
Leadership necessitates patience and perseverance, as well as serving and seasoning. When you receive a call from God, you may be eager to get started right away. However, God may first call you into obscurity or to seasons of learning during which you feel insignificant, overlooked, and underappreciated.
What do you do when you're caught in the middle of expectation and reality? Elisha's example should inspire you to do the following. First, give your all wherever God places you. Second, prioritize God's purpose over your own. Third, until God gives you a vision, assist another leader in carrying out his or her vision.
If you're in a season where you're feeling a disconnect between God's call on your life and your current reality, consider Elisha's 10 years of quiet preparation. When you continue to serve with a faithfulness, humility, and good intentions, you make room in your life for God to fulfill his purposes in you when the time is right.