Dead Cows & Burned Plows

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1 Kings 19:19–21 NLT

19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.” 21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.

Introduction:

In our text Elijah fled in fear from the face of Jezebel after the episode of fire on the altar at Mount Carmel. Yet, the Lord ministered to him, and he journeyed with God. His first stop was in a field where Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. Elisha was to be the successor of Elijah, and Elijah cast the mantle on him representing this truth. Elisha killed the cows, burnt the plow stocks, and kissed his family goodbye as he journeyed on according to God’s will for his life. I want to speak this morning on “DEAD COWS AND BURNT PLOWS”.

When Elisha left his old life, he destroyed all the remnants of his old life and totally surrendered to God. Let me give you a couple of examples from other passages, and we will return to our text to close out the sermon.

Body:

I. SAUL DEFEATED BUT DID NOT DESTROY:

1 Samuel 15:9 NLT

9 Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.

God commanded Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites. He was to kill all the people, the cattle, the beasts, and leave nothing. Amalek had mistreated the people of Israel for years, and this was the judgment of God on them. And Saul did defeat them, but he did not destroy them.

Amalek is a type of the flesh. Notice Saul treated them the way many Christians treat the flesh:

A. HE TOOK THE KING ALIVE TO BRAG ABOUT IT. Many Christians want to tell everybody what great victory that they have. Be very cautious about bragging about your battle over the flesh.

B. HE KEPT THE BEST AND MOST VALUABLE THINGS FROM AMALEK. We have a tendency to get victory over the flesh but not want to discard things that are of value.

C. HE DESTROYED THE REFUSE UTTERLY. We want victory ultimately over the adverse consequences of sin, but if we keep the king and the other valuables from the flesh around, it will not be long until we will have the adverse consequences all over again.

Application: BECAUSE HE REFUSED TO DO THE WILL OF GOD, GOD REJECTED HIM FROM BEING KING. YOU CAN LOSE YOUR BLESSINGS AND POSITION BECAUSE OF SIN.

II. PETER DEPARTED BUT DID NOT DESTROY:

Matthew 19:27 NLT

27 Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”

Matthew 4:19 NLT

19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

A. In Matthew 19:27 Peter said, “We have forsaken all, and followed thee.” and Matthew 4:19 says that he and Andrew did leave their nets to follow Jesus.

B. Yet, after the resurrection of Christ in John 21, Peter decided to go fishing, and they did not have to get a boat ready before leaving! Peter departed the shores, dropped the nets, left the boat, but he did not destroy it.

C. When doubt, discouragement, and trouble set in, he knew where to find his old life and he returned to it! He found, however, that he was not the fisherman that he was before!

Illustration:

"If you want to take the island, burn the boats" - origin is from Caesar more than 2,000 years ago

Caesar had ventured out to conquer England; which was a great distance from Rome. Caesar had taken a considerably sized naval fleet with him though their numbers still pale in comparison to the Celts who were immensely skillful & formidable warriors. As the Roman armada drew near the coast, the Celtic enemy could be seen lining on the Cliffs of Dover, their violent shadows drawing fear even in the hearts of the valiant Roman soldiers. In the event that Caesar and his soldiers decided to retreat, they would have to sail back across the channel. There would be no help from any quarter, nor any supplies. More importantly, the senate at Rome was full of political antagonists who wouldn't ignore this opportunity to spare Caesar.

Caesar saw his Generals directing the ships away from the cliffs. In no time, his men established a beachhead. To Caesar, it looked like the army had secured their ships in such a way that if they were to beat a hasty retreat they would be able to do so quite successfully. Ever the unpredictable General that he was, Caesar made up his mind in one instant. He ordered his men to burn the ships.

The Romans burnt every single ship they had sailed in even as the Celts watched horrified at the insane men who had come to fight them. With that one move, Caesar had sent a strong message to both, his own men as well as the enemy. He did not intend to sail away from the island without conquering the land. And if his men and he were unable to do so, they would rather die there than go back. The burning of the ships clearly suggested that he had left himself and his men no option but to give all they had to move forward. As long as the Roman fleet stayed in sight, there would be moments of weakness when the men might think of retreat. With the ships burnt, there was no option but to fight their way through the heart of enemy territory. Being pushed back into the raging sea meant certain death. Caesar had ensured that both he and his men would operate at 100% commitment. The enemy knew this too now, and they shivered as the "insane" Roman advanced with his men.

It is also known:

In 1519, when a Spanish expedition led by Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico, his crew was already exhausted after the long sea journey, but he had to motivate them to succeed in the new land. So he ordered the scuttling of the ships they arrived in. The ships burned. No turning back now.

If the ships had been in sight, available for a hasty retreat, they would be the easy choice once the going got tough. Cortés destroyed the safety net and secured his crew’s motivation, dedication, and teamwork. Because they each had a vested interest in succeeding, they ultimately achieved their mission.

Sometimes when we make changes in our lives, we leave the safety net up…just in case. We give ourselves the option to go backward, to lose the ground we’ve made. I’d encourage you to consider if there are any ships you need to burn.

Success is not something we achieve once; it must be chosen every day. And moving forward, not backward, is a lot easier when it’s the only choice we give ourselves.

Application: If we leave anything behind, we will be tempted to go back to it when we get discouraged, doubt, trials, etc and fail to move forward in what God is calling us.

III. ELISHA DESTROYED AND BECAME A DISCIPLE: our text. Notice:

1 Kings 19:19–21 NLT

19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.” 21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.

A. Elisha Was a Man of Wealth in Land: v. 19, He had twelve yoke of oxen plowing; this indicates a considerable estate.

B. Elisha Was a Man of Work in the Field: v. 19, He was plowing with the twelfth of the yokes personally, and servants or kinsman were plowing with the remainder. He got personally involved in the work.

C. Elisha Was a Man Willing to Serve: v. 20, Without hesitation he followed after Elijah knowing what this casting of the mantle signified. His only request was that he would get to kiss his family goodbye. Elijah reminds Elisha that the call was from God and he was responsible to God how he responds to it! Ultimately, we all are responsible to God for what we do with his call and the work of his Spirit in our lives.

D. Elisha Was a Man Waving Farewell: v. 21, Farewell:

1. To Family

2. To Friends

3. To Familiarity/comfort

4. To Financial Security

5. Finally, killed the oxen and burnt the plow stocks representing that the old life was dead and destroyed that he would never return again.

Application: We need to make sure we are not putting anything before being a disciple of Christ!

Conclusion:

Have you said your final farewell to sin?

Have you killed your sacred cows and burnt the instruments?

Have you utterly destroyed that fleshly desire? Have you burned those instruments of iniquity that rest in your past?

Will you say a final farewell to that pet sin that too long has held you back?