Reading Portion: 2 Kings 2:2-6
Elijah knew that Elisha was appointed as his servant by the LORD. But he still checked Elisha’s devotion towards GOD and his call, and how excited he was about the unusual departure of Elijah. Did he really have the vision about being his successor or was he just following him as he is a well-known prophet of Israel? Our devotion to the LORD must never be a product of our admiration for a person, or the miracles done by others in the name of the LORD. It should purely be based on how we have tasted Him through our lives and through the call by which He has called us. The flip side of this event is that, Elijah once wanted to die alone in the wilderness, with none to care and support him. But here, he is accompanied by his own successor who will proclaim about the precious departure of Prophet Elijah. GOD will honor us even in death if we are ready to stand for Him when nobody dares to stand.
They started their journey from Gilgal, and they passed through Bethel, Jericho and finally crossed the River Jordan. There were a bunch of people who demotivated Elisha throughout his journey. For them Elisha was just a servant to Elijah. They hadn’t seen the call of GOD on Elisha. Sometimes we may be ridiculed by others as they don’t see the value that GOD has given to us; instead they measure us based on the little knowledge they have. As a man of GOD, we should not judge others based on how we see them. Respect everyone as they are of value declared by the LORD. We may not know how differently GOD is going to use that person. Also, never judge a person based on the impossibilities they are facing now. Elisha was following Elijah to a ‘point of no return’. Elisha had no way to come back to what he was leaving behind.
The responses of Elisha to the questions of Elijah and the sons of the prophets is different:
- Response to Elijah:
“As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
Elisha wanted to stay close to his mentor. He had one desire – to be a prophet like his mentor or to be more powerful than him. His desire for the ministry made him stay close to his mentor and to earn the best blessing from him.
- Response to the sons of the prophets:
“Yes, I know, so be quiet.”
As Elisha progressed on the journey with Elijah his mentor, the sons of the prophets were all discouraging him. However, Elisha rebuked the discouraging people which shows that that he was determined.
Learn to speak with wisdom by discerning people’s hearts. In the final moments of Elijah’s life, we can see Elijah giving priority to his servant than to himself. Elijah was a true leader, who motivated and checked the devotion of Elisha each moment. Have mentors who motivate us to press on to the call of the LORD.
