Sermon Tone Analysis

Elijah and Elisha 10.

As good Christians we don’t tell lies, do we?

But sometimes we can be less than honest.

And we can do it in the finest Christian way.

For example: say the elders come up to you and ask you to go on the cleaning roster – what is your response?

“Oh, that is not my ministry.”

– we have forgotten that “ministry” just means service; or we may say: “I don’t feel called to do that.”

What we really mean is: “I don’t want to!”

Why can’t we just say that?!

But today I want to talk about service/ministry and the call of God.

[P] You recall that we left Elijah on Mount Horeb, where he met with יהוה, heard His audible voice.

He was told to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha as prophet in his place, or under him.

Some say, that Elijah at Mount Horeb was burned out, spiritually depressed and discouraged: “I am the only one left.”

Was it all over for Elijah?

The very next thing he does is commission Elisha.

Is he packing it all in?

However, there is yet more to the life of Elijah yet.

So, picking up the story: [P] [1 Kings 19:19–21 So he departed from there (from where?

From Mount Horeb; [P] so Elijah went from the very south, south of Judah, beyond the Negev into the Sinai peninsular, through Judah, into Israel, right by the Jordan) and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was ploughing [P] with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth.

And Elijah passed over to him [P] and threw his mantle on him.

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

And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” So, he returned from following him, [P] and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate.

[P] Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.]

[P] The call is of God: Elijah found Elisha son of Shaphat; Shaphat means “judgement”.

Am I reading things into names?

Well, look at [1 Kings 19:17 “It shall come about …. that the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.]

יהוה’s role for Elisha was to be an instrument of judgement.

Why did Elijah go to Elisha? – because that is who יהוה had chosen – the call comes from God.

It is not something that we initiate because we want to.

“Elijah” means: “יהוה is God”.

That was the message of Elijah.

[1 Kings 18:21 If יהוה is God, follow Him; 1 Kings 18:37 “Answer me, O יהוה, answer me, that this people may know that You, O יהוה, are God, 1 Kings 18:39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “יהוה, He is God; יהוה, He is God.”].

That was John the Baptist, preparing the way, calling people back to יהוה, back to the true and only God.

After Him came Jesus, which means “יהוה saves”.

After Elijah came Elisha which means “God is my Saviour”.

See how John and Jesus mirror Elijah and Elisha.

But Elisha was appointed to judge – so too is Jesus: although He said that He didn’t come to judge the world, judgement was given to Him: [John 5:27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

Acts 17:31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”].

God saves; but carrying out judgement?

– doesn’t it seem a little contradictory?

But salvation is only needed if there is danger.

You are saved from something!

Salvation only makes sense in the context of judgement.

Elisha was called of God for judgement, then salvation.

Elisha wasn’t in the prophets’ school, glory-seeking.

Who knew him to be a prophet?

But יהוה saw him, knew Him by name, knew where he was (v.16), told Elijah where to find him; although no one else recognized him.

It is יהוה who chooses, appoints and exalts.

We are encouraged to dream a dream for God, aspire to noble office.

But it is not for us to appoint ourself prophet by enrolling in the prophets’ school – the prophet is the one to whom God gives His message; and He gives it to the one He chooses.

Our role is to take the humble place and get on with the job before us with all we’ve got: [1 Peter 5:5–6 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,] Our place isn’t to choose a calling for ourselves that we desire; but rather, to serve; because Elisha was [P] Called from service: He was going about his daily task – he was a servant – that is what he was doing when he was called and that is what he did after he was called.

He ministered, i.e. he served.

People have some exalted concepts of the call of God; and it is indeed a great privilege and honour to be called of God; but it is a call to service.

So, if you want to get in practice; try serving!

Some people are super-spiritual waiting for the call of God to do some great spiritual task.

If you want to hear the call of God; you will find it in the place of service.

Some want to be an evangelist, a preacher a healer, an elder a spiritual leader, a giant for God – but where are they when there is church cleaning or gardening to be done?

If you show that you are responsible and faithful in the service of the little tasks; perhaps you will be entrusted with the bigger things.

[1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.]

Elisha is a beautiful picture of how we should be: not being "super-spiritual" but getting on with the job before him.

He did so "all out": he ploughed with 24 oxen!

That took skill to control – he was intent on getting the job done, efficient; none of this one yoke ploughing for him!

And there he was with the twelfth pair – giving attention to the backward, wayward ones, difficult to control.

The leaders were up the front, but the toey ones at the back.

Elisha was faithfully serving in the humble place, giving attention to the difficult and mundane task.

Good preparation stuff for God’s chosen prophet.

I recall back in the Elim church I went to a homegroup that was run by an elder; and he was fairly old, and stuffy and not a little pompous.

He used to tell this story, an illustration about a farmer in the depression who wanted to hire a worker.

With a lot of people out of work, he had a lot of applicants.

When somebody turned up he would take them to a farm gate and tell them to open and shut it, and keep on doing that.

Then he would walk off and leave them to it.

Of course, they soon got sick of it, it was so pointless, that they soon stopped.

But one guy just kept opening and shutting the gate; the farmer came back hours later, there he was still opening and shutting the gate and that is the one the farmer gave the job to.

It is a corny illustration of faithful service; and I certainly thought so.

But if that guy told that story once, he must have told it a dozen times.

I thought it was pretty feeble the first time, but when he got to double figures I was cringing.

Then one day it struck me: that guy is an elder, my spiritual leader; I should be paying attention to what he is teaching.

Perhaps it wasn’t a corny illustration, perhaps God was wanting to speak to me! Jesus said: [Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.]

If you prove faithful in service in small things; then God will entrust you with greater things.

[Matthew 25:23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave.

You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.]

But don’t expect the call of God if you aren’t a faithful servant.

[P] Passing on the mantle: Elijah threw his mantle on him – it has become a saying: “pass on the mantle” – you are passing your office and position, your authority onto another.

That was what Elijah was saying by this action: “You are to be prophet after me.

My office as prophet I am passing on to you”.

יהוה told Elijah to commissioned Elisha to be prophet after him.

He passed on his mantle, his authority, his office, his power, his glory.

The word [P] “mantle” (אַדֶּ֫רֶת) occurs 12 times in the Bible (that is how it is translated in the NASB); 5 of those times in relation to the story of Elijah.

It is not the word in (Ruth 3:9).

A couple of times it is in reference to the clothing that Achan plundered from Jericho – glorious robes.

The first use is in relation to Esau, when he was born came out like a “hairy garment” But it has the connotation of glory; that which is superior to something else, and, therefore, that which is majestic.

You recall on Mount Horeb: [1 Kings 19:13 When Elijah heard it, (the gentle wind) he wrapped his face in his mantle.]

Some people claim that Elijah’s mantle was a prayer shawl (what the Jews call: “טַלִּית”; a word that doesn’t actually occur in the Bible); to justify covering of head in prayer but [1 Corinthians 11:4 Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head.]

so forget all these videos of Jesus with a prayer shawl on; it is a later Jewish tradition.

[P] This mantle was not a prayer shawl, it was the sign of his office as prophet; now Elijah was passing this office, this honour, this majestic position on to Elisha.

Not that this happened for some time.

Elijah continued to minister; he trained up a school of prophets; he confronted Ahab over stealing Naboth’s vineyard.

Ahab went to war against Aram three times; Ahab died; another king, Ahaziah took his place and Elijah confronted him – it is not until 5 chapters later that Elijah goes up to heaven and Elisha actually takes over.

Don’t let anyone tell you that יהוה was finished with Elijah after that encounter on Mount Horeb; or that Elijah was burnt out – it is just not true.