The Call of Elisha
God had bidden Elijah anoint another to be prophet in his
stead. “Elisha the son of Shaphat ... shalt thou anoint to be prophet in
thy room” (1 Kings 19:16), He had said; and in obedience to the command,
Elijah went to find Elisha. As he journeyed northward, how changed was the scene from
what it had been only a short while before! Then the ground was parched, the
farming districts unworked, for neither dew nor rain had fallen for three and
a half years. Now on every hand vegetation was springing up as if to redeem the
time of drought and famine. Elisha’s father was a wealthy farmer, a man whose
household were among the number that in a time of almost universal apostasy had
not bowed the knee to Baal. Theirs was a home where God was honored and where
allegiance to the faith of ancient Israel was the rule of daily life. In such
surroundings the early years of Elisha were passed. In the quietude of country life,
under the teaching of God and nature and the discipline of useful work, he
received the training in habits of simplicity and of obedience to his parents and to God that
helped to fit him for the high position he was afterward to occupy. The prophetic call came to Elisha while, with his father’s
servants, he was plowing in the field. He had taken up the work that lay
nearest. He possessed both the capabilities of a leader among men and the
meekness of one who is ready to serve. Of a quiet and gentle spirit, he was nevertheless
energetic and steadfast. Integrity, fidelity, and the love and fear of God were his,
and in the humble round of daily toil he gained strength of purpose and nobleness
of character, constantly increasing in grace and knowledge. While co operating with
his father in the home-life duties, he was learning to co-operate with God.
By faithfulness in little things, Elisha was preparing for
weightier trusts. Day by day, through practical experience, he gained a fitness
for a broader, higher work. He learned to serve; and in learning this, he learned
also how to instruct and lead. The lesson is for all. None can know what may be
God’s purpose in his discipline; but all may be certain that faithfulness in
little things is the evidence of fitness for greater responsibilities. Every act of life
is a revelation of character, and he only who in small duties proves himself “a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed” can be honored by God with higher service. 2
Timothy 2:15. He who feels that it is of no consequence how he performs
the smaller tasks proves himself unfit for a more honored position. He may
think himself fully competent to take up the larger duties; but God looks
deeper than the surface. After test and trial, there is written against him the
sentence, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” his unfaithfulness
reacts upon himself. He fails of gaining the grace, the power, the force of
character, which is received through unreserved surrender. Because they are not connected with some directly religious
work, many feel that their lives are useless, that they are doing
nothing for the advancement of God’s kingdom. If they could do some great thing how
gladly they would undertake it! But because they can serve only in little
things, they think themselves justified in doing nothing. In this they err. A
man may be in the active service of God while engaged in the ordinary,
everyday duties—while felling trees, clearing the ground, or following the plow.
The mother who trains her children for Christ is as truly working for God as is
the minister in the pulpit. Many long for special talent with which to do a wonderful
work, while the duties lying close at hand, the performance of which would
make the life fragrant, are lost sight of. Let such ones take up the duties lying
directly in their pathway. Success depends not so much on talent as on energy and
willingness. It is not the possession of splendid talents that enables us to render
acceptable service, but the conscientious performance of daily duties, the contented
spirit, the unaffected, sincere interest in the welfare of others. In the
humblest lot true excellence may be found. The commonest tasks, wrought with
loving faithfulness, are beautiful in God’s sight. As Elijah, divinely directed
in seeking a successor, passed the field in which Elisha was plowing, he cast
upon the young man’s shoulders the mantle of consecration. During the famine
the family of Shaphat had become familiar with the work and mission of Elijah,
and now the Spirit of God impressed Elisha’s heart as to the meaning of the
prophet’s act. To him it was the signal that God had called him to be the
successor of Elijah. “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.” “Go
back again,” was Elijah’s answer, “for what have I done to thee?” This was
not a repulse, but a test of faith. Elisha must count the cost—decide for
himself to accept or reject the call. If his desires clung to his home and its
advantages, he was at liberty to remain there. But Elisha understood the meaning of the
call. He knew it was from God, and he did not hesitate to obey. Not for any
worldly advantage would he forgo the opportunity of becoming God’s messenger or
sacrifice the privilege of association with his servant. He “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.” 1 Kings 19:20, 21. Without hesitation he left a home where he
was beloved, to attend the prophet in his uncertain life. Had Elisha asked
Elijah what was expected of him,—what would be his work,—he would have been
answered: God knows; He will make it known to you. If you wait upon the Lord,
He will answer your every question. You may come with me if you have evidence
that God has called you. Know for yourself that God stands back of me, and that it is his voice you
hear. If you can count everything but dross that you may win the favor of God,
come. Similar to the call that came to Elisha was the answer
given by Christ to the young ruler who asked him the question, “What good thing
shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” “If thou wilt be perfect,” Christ
replied, “go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven: and come and follow Me.” Matthew 19:16, 21. Elisha accepted the call to service, casting no backward
glance at the pleasures and comforts he was leaving. The young ruler,
when he heard the Saviour’s words, “went away sorrowful: for he had great
possessions.” Verse 22. He was not willing to make the sacrifice. His love for his
possessions was greater than his love for God. By his refusal to renounce all for
Christ, he proved himself unworthy of a place in the Master’s service. The call to place all on the altar of service comes to each
one. We are not all asked to serve as Elisha served, nor are we all bidden
to sell everything we have; but God asks us to give his service the first place
in our lives, to allow no day to pass without doing something to advance his work in
the earth. He does not expect from all the same kind of service. One may be called
to ministry in a foreign land; another may be asked to give of his means for
the support of gospel work. God accepts the offering of each. It is the
consecration of the life and all its interests, that is necessary. Those who make this
consecration will hear and obey the call of Heaven. To everyone who becomes a partaker
of his grace, the Lord appoints a work for others. Individually we are to stand
in our lot, saying, “Here am I; send me.” Whether a man be a minister of
theWord or a physician, whether he be merchant or farmer, professional man or
mechanic, the responsibility rests upon him. It is his work to reveal to others the gospel of their
salvation. Every enterprise in which he engages should be a means to this end. It was no great work that was at first required of Elisha;
commonplace duties still constituted his discipline. He is spoken of as
pouring water on the hands of Elijah, his master. He was willing to do anything that
the Lord directed, and at every step he learned lessons of humility and
service. As the prophet’s personal attendant, he continued to prove faithful in
little things, while with daily strengthening purpose he devoted himself to the mission
appointed him by God. Elisha’s life after uniting with Elijah was not without
temptations. Trials he had in abundance; but in every emergency he relied on God.
He was tempted to think of the home that he had left, but to this temptation
he gave no heed. Having put his hand to the plow, he was resolved not to turn back,
and through test and trial he proved true to his trust. Ministry comprehends far more than preaching the word. It
means training young men as Elijah trained Elisha, taking them from their
ordinary duties, and giving them responsibilities to bear in God’s work—small
responsibilities at first, and larger ones as they gain strength and experience. There
are in the ministry men of faith and prayer, men who can say, “That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled, of the Word of life; ... that which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you.” 1 John 1:1-3. Young, inexperienced workers should be trained
by actual labor in connection with these experienced servants of God. Thus
they will learn how to bear burdens. Those who undertake this training of young workers are
doing noble service. The Lord himself co-operates with their efforts. And the
young men to whom the word of consecration has been spoken, whose privilege
it is to be brought into close association with earnest, godly workers, should
make the most of their opportunity. God has honored them by choosing them
for his service and by placing them where they can gain greater fitness for it,
and they should be humble, faithful, obedient, and willing to sacrifice. If
they submit to God’s discipline, carrying out his directions and choosing
his servants as their counselors, they will develop into righteous,
high-principled, steadfast men, whom God can entrust with responsibilities. As the gospel is proclaimed in its purity, men will be
called from the plow and from the common commercial business vocations that largely
occupy the mind and will be educated in connection with men of experience.
As they learn to labor effectively, they will proclaim the truth with power.
Through most wonderful workings of divine providence, mountains of difficulty will
be removed and cast into the sea. The message that means so much to the
dwellers upon the earth will be heard and understood. Men will know what is truth. Onward and still onward the work will
advance until the whole earth shall have been warned, and then shall the end
come. For several years after the call of Elisha, Elijah and
Elisha labored together, the younger man daily gaining greater preparedness for his
work. Elijah had been God’s instrument for the overthrow of gigantic evils.
The idolatry which, supported by Ahab and the heathen Jezebel, had seduced the
nation, had been given a decided check. Baal’s prophets had been slain. The
whole people of Israel had been deeply stirred, and many were returning to
the worship of God. As Elijah’s successor, Elisha, by careful, patient
instruction, must endeavor to guide Israel in safe paths. His association with Elijah,
the greatest prophet since the days of Moses, prepared him for the work that he was
soon to take up alone. During these years of united ministry, Elijah from time to
time was called upon to meet flagrant evils with stern rebuke. When wicked
Ahab seized Naboth’s vineyard, it was the voice of Elijah that
prophesied his doom and the doom of all his house. And when Ahaziah, after the death of
his father Ahab, turned from the living God to Baal-zebub, the God of Ekron,
it was Elijah’s voice that was heard once more in earnest protest. The schools of the prophets, established by Samuel, had
fallen into decay during the years of Israel’s apostasy. Elijah
re-established these schools, making provision for young men to gain an education that would
lead them to magnify the law and make it honorable. Three of these schools, one
at Gilgal, one at Bethel, and one at Jericho, are mentioned in the record.
Just before Elijah was taken to heaven, he and Elisha visited these centers of
training. The lessons that the prophet of God had given them on former visits,
he now repeated. Especially did he instruct them concerning their high
privilege of loyally maintaining their allegiance to the God of heaven. He also
impressed upon their minds the importance of letting simplicity mark every feature of their education. Only in this way could
they receive the mold of heaven and go forth to work in the ways of the Lord. The
heart of Elijah was cheered as he saw what was being accomplished by means of
these schools. The work of reformation was not complete, but he could see
throughout the kingdom a verification of the word of the Lord, “Yet I have left
Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal.” 1
Kings 19:18. As Elisha accompanied the prophet on his round of service from
school to school, his faith and resolution were once more tested. At Gilgal,
and again at Bethel and Jericho, he was invited by the prophet to turn back. “Tarry
here, I pray thee,” Elijah said; “for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.” But in
his early labor of guiding the plow, Elisha had learned not to fail or to
become discouraged, and now that he had set his hand to the plow in another line of
duty he would not be diverted from his purpose. He would not be parted from
his master, so long as opportunity remained for gaining a further fitting up
for service. Unknown to Elijah, the revelation that he was to be translated had
been made known to his disciples in the schools of the prophets, and in particular
to Elisha. And now the tried servant of the man of God kept close beside him. As often
as the invitation to turn back was given, his answer was, “As the Lord liveth, and
as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.” “And they two went on.... And they
two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters,
and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry
ground. 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.” Elisha asked not
for worldly honor, or for a high place among the great men of earth. That which
he craved was a large measure of the Spirit that God had bestowed so freely
upon the one about to be honored with translation. He knew that nothing but the
Spirit which had rested upon Elijah could fit him to fill the place in Israel
to which God had called him, and so he asked, “I pray thee, let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me.” In response
to this request, Elijah said, “Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if
thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it
shall not be so. 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.” See 2 Kings 2:1-11.
Elijah was a type of the saints who will be living on the earth at the time of
then second advent of Christ and who will be “changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump,” without tasting of death. 1
Corinthians 15:51, 52. It was as a representative of those who shall be thus
translated that Elijah, near the close of Christ’s earthly ministry, was
permitted to stand with Moses by the side of the Saviour on the mount of
transfiguration. In these glorified ones, the disciples saw in miniature a
representation of the kingdom of the redeemed. They beheld Jesus clothed with
the light of heaven; they heard the “voice out of the cloud” (Luke 9:35),
acknowledging him as the Son of God; they saw Moses, representing those who
will be raised from the dead at the time of the second advent; and there also
stood Elijah, representing those who at the close of earth’s history will be
changed from mortal to immortal and be translated to heaven without seeing
death. In the desert, in loneliness and
discouragement, Elijah had said that he had had enough of life and had prayed
that he might die. But the Lord in his mercy had not taken him at his word.
There was yet a great work for Elijah to do; and when his work was done, he was
not to perish in discouragement and solitude. Not for him the descent into the
tomb, but the ascent with God’s angels to the presence of his glory. “And
Elisha saw it, and he cried, my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and
the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own
clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that
fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the
mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the
waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons
of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The Spirit of
Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to
the ground before him.” 2 Kings 2:12-15. When the Lord in his providence sees fit to remove from his
work those to whom He has given wisdom, He helps and strengthens their
successors, if they will look to him for aid and will walk in his ways. They
may be even wiser than their predecessors; for they may profit by their
experience and learn wisdom from their mistakes. Henceforth Elisha stood in
Elijah’s place. He who had been faithful in that which was least was to prove
himself faithful also in much.
WRITTEN
BY
Ellen
G. White
Prophets
and Kings
1917
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