Oh friends.  I love the Word of God SO much!  Ahhhhh.  I was invited to join a few women tonight who had been in the middle of studying scripture — breaking down the scriptures into the original context (Hebrew and Greek).  Now, you want to talk about a passion of mine!!!  That is one group I’d love to join!  Thumbs up to my Sister Jan for leading women deeper into the Word of God!  Woo hoo!


This morning I read in the books of 1st and 2nd Kings.  After a message preached by Andres Bisonni on Friday night, I decided to read about Elijah and Elisha again.  May I just share a few points with you?

God instructed the Prophet Elijah to anoint Elisha as a prophet.  

1 Kings 19:19-21
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him.

And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”

And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”
 
So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

Now think about this scene.  Elijah placed his mantle over Elisha.  What did Elisha FEEL that made him leave everything he knew to be Elijah’s servant?  It must have been a powerful experience!


Elisha was hungry for God!  Elijah even told him to stay behind several times, but Elisha wouldn’t take “NO” for an answer.


In 2 Kings 2, Elijah followed the leading of the Lord to go from Gilgal to Bethel.  From Bethel to Jericho.  Then from Jericho to the Jordan river.  Each time, Elijah asked Elisha to stay and not follow him, but Elisha refused and said he WOULD NOT leave him.

When Elijah and Elisha reached the Jordan river, this is what happened:

2 Kings 2:8-14
Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”
Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”  Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.  He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.  Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 

There are so many different lessons in this portion of scripture!  We should hunger for the things of the Spirit like this!  Elisha was determined.  He was changed from the moment he experienced the anointing from Elijah’s mantle!  

Elijah and Elisha MOVED.  They followed the Lord’s voice.  We are to follow His voice and leading as well.  Are we willing to leave all things familiar to follow His voice?  We should never stay in the same place.  We should always be moving and growing in the our walk with the Lord.

Ok, so Elisha received a DOUBLE portion of the anointing that was on Elijah!  If you aren’t familiar with what Elijah did for the Lord — read 1 Kings.  For whatever reason, God chose to take Elijah out of this world without him tasting death.  The entire story makes me sit back and say, “Wow.”  

Here is something Andres Bisonni pointed out to us that I have never noticed before.  

No person followed Elisha desiring his mantle.  So what happened?  The mantle was buried with Elisha.  The anointing was still with him even in the grave.  

2 Kings 13:21
So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

I knew that this had happened with the dead man and Elisha’s bones, but I never thought about it as his mantle resting in the tomb with him.  It wasn’t passed along to another hungry lover of God!

I could go on and on with this, but I hope it is enough to wet your appetite and spur you to read 1st and 2nd Kings.  

I pray your hunger for God and His Word will increase each day!