The Faith of Elisha

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.

Elisha was not a man of status, he came from humble beginnings and almost certainly would have seemed very ordinary and unremarkable to most people. But while man looks at the outward appearance, God looks upon the heart.

When God sent Samuel to anoint the young David, God said to Samuel:

1 Sam 16

1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

These three verses in give us an insight as to why the Lord singled out Elisha and sent the prophet Elijah to him.

Question: Looking at , what insights to we get into Elisha’s relationship with God and why were these traits important to the Lord?

Answers:

Elisha was quick to seize the opportunity God had given him

By killing the oxon Elisha had nothing to remain for. He demonstrated his faith in God by eliminating any possible back-up plan or route back home.

Elisha regarded the will of God as greater value than his own comfort. He chose to abandon his possessions and livelihood to become a servant of God.

Elisha could have sold the oxon and his farming equipment. But instead we are told that he lit a fire with the equipment then slaughtered and cooked the oxon on the fire he lit. Then distributing the meat to the people in the town. By doing this he was throwing himself entirely upon the mercy of God and showing generosity at the same time.

2: Elisha begins his ministry

After leaving his home and shadowing the prophet Elijah for some time, the Lord determined to take Elijah, and for Elisha to continue the work.

2 Kings 2:9–14 NKJV

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.

2 Kings 2:9

Firstly we should take note of how Elisha’s faith makes him quick to seize opportunity.

Jesus says to us in Matthew 7...

James 4:2 NKJV

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

Matthew 7:7–11 NKJV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Elisha could have asked for anything, Elijah never stipulated what kind of thing he had to ask for. But the primary desire of Elisha’s heart was to see the Lord glorified in his life.

Question: In we read that faith without works is dead. In this passage () how do we see Elisha putting the principle of into practice?

Answer:

Elisha did not waste any time, as soon as he saw Elijah head off into the sky he tore his own clothes and put on the mantle that had fallen from Elijah. Signifying how he was done with the old and stepping into the new things that God had for him. Then he immediately went over to the Jordan river and struck the water, crying out “where is the God of Elijah”. As he did this the waters parted and he crossed to the other side.

By swiftly going to the Jordan and performing this miracle Elisha was immediately putting his faith to work and demonstrating his assurance, that he had indeed received what had been promised to him.

Question: Can you think of a time when you had to step out in faith regarding something that you had asked God for?

Can you think of a time when you had to step out in faith regarding something that you had asked God for?

3: Elisha and the armies of heaven

Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians to walk by faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

3: Elisha and the armies of heaven

Later in the book of 2 Kings we read about how Elisha was so steadfastly looking to God that he understood how it is better to trust in God even over our own understanding.

2 Kings 6:8–17 NKJV

Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.” Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Brief summary: The king of Syria could not understand how Israel knew their strategic battle plans. The king concluded that there must be a spy in their midst but the servant of the king assured him that there was no spy but that there was a prophet in Israel who was so in touch with God that the prophet was able to discern what the king was saying in private.

On learning this the king of Syria dispatched his armies to seize Elisha, knowing that until he stopped the man of God he could never prevail.

Hundreds of soldiers and chariots trapped Elisha and his servant. As they saw this the servant went into despair but Elisha was not worried at all. So Elisha prays that the servant’s eyes may be opened and as God answers his prayer the servant see’s that actually it is the Syrian army that is greatly outnumbered and that the angelic armies of heaven are protecting the two men.

Notice how Elisha did not pray that the situation change, only that the servant would perceive the reality of what was already there.

Question: How does this passage speak to you personally? And if we could see beyond the physical realm like Elisha’s servant, how do think it would affect our attitudes to situations in our lives (would it cause us to view things differently, pray differently etc)?

Pray:

Maybe spend some time as a group praying about our perception of circumstances around us. Pray that God would open our eyes to the spiritual reality of His power working both in our lives and also in our town.

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