1 Reis 19

1 Reis 19

Clarke - “Elisha must have had a considerable estate, when he kept twelve yoke of oxen to till the ground. If, therefore, he obeyed the prophetic call, he did it to considerable secular loss.” Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him - "Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his assistant." (NET) Rod Mattoon - Elisha will spend ten years under the tutelage of Elijah. Elisha will serve the Lord at least 64 years. • He was anointed five years before Ahab dies. • He serves through Ahaziah's 2- year reign. (1 Kings 22:51) • He serves through Jehoram's 12-year reign. (2 Kings 3:1) • He serves through Jehu's 28- year reign. (2 Kings 10:36) • He serves through Jehoahaz 17- year reign. (2 Kings 13:1) • He serves through Joash 16- years. He dies during the reign of Joash. (2 Kings 13:9-20) ILLUSTRATION OF BURNING THE BRIDGES - One of the men I discipled became so zealous for the Word of God that he felt led by the Spirit to sell his successful home inspection business in Austin, Texas in preparation for going to Africa, with no plans for he and his wife to ever return to America. They literally sold everything they owned and departed to Africa to teach hungry souls how to study the Bible inductively. That was almost 10 years ago and the stories I get from him about the reception for of hungry souls for the pure milk of the Word are absolutely amazing and challenging to my faith. Greg Laurie - THE COST OF COMMITMENT Because... - Page 134 “So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. … Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” (1 Kings 19:21) When Elijah threw his mantle, or his outer garment, on Elisha, it was a symbolic gesture that said, “I’m passing on my calling to you.” From the account we find in 1 Kings 19, we discover a few things about Elisha. First, we know that he was a relatively wealthy man and came from an affluent home. How do we know that? Because the Bible says that he had twelve yoke of oxen. Back in those days, owning one pair of oxen meant that you were pretty well off. To have twelve would mean that you had a considerable acreage. So, for Elisha to follow Elijah was not an easy life. Elijah’s invitation was not to a leisurely life on easy street. Elijah’s life was a hard one. He had many enemies. He had people that hated him, most notably, Queen Jezebel. For Elisha to follow Elijah would mean that he would have the same enemies. The same people that hated Elijah would now hate him. Many people are surprised to find that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground. The day that you decide to follow Jesus Christ, you begin to face opposition from the devil. He doesn’t want you to grow spiritually. He doesn’t to you to move forward. So, he will use every trick up his sleeve to try and pull you back. We must recognize that to follow Christ means there is a price to pay. We may lose some friends. We may have to give up a few things. It may be difficult at times. But certainly, it is worth it.