By Roy E. Ciampa, Ph.D., S. Louis and Ann W. Armstrong
Professor of Religion, Samford University
LEAD OTHERS TO SERVE
1 Kings 19:19–21; 2 Kings 2:6–14
Like Elijah, we need to encourage others to follow so they might eventually lead.
Lead others to follow and serve God. (19:19–21)
A frequently neglected area of Christian ministry is the preparation of successors. Whole generations may struggle with weak leadership because people liked their leader and never identified and prepared gifted leadership for the following generation. Gifted people who could be effective leaders get neglected and never fulfill their ministry potential. We need God to help us discern and prepare those He is calling to lead the coming generation.
God had already told Elijah that Elisha would be his successor (1 Kings 19:15–16). But Elijah still had to go and inform him of that calling, just as many young people today need help to recognize their ministry gifts and calling.
Elisha was going about life as normal, plowing a field with a team of oxen, when Elijah came and threw his mantle over him, to symbolize the transfer of his prophetic authority to his successor. He said his goodbyes, destroyed his equipment and turned his oxen into a community meal as a parting gift. These steps made it clear that there would be no turning back, like an expeditionary force that burns its boats once it arrives.
In verses 20–21, “following” is stressed (note the repeated references) because Elisha, though gifted and called, had no experience, and needed to spend time learning from his older and more experienced mentor. Even gifted people should not be thrown immediately into leadership positions without being mentored and prepared for the role by shadowing and learning from those who have greater maturity and experience in God’s work. Too many leaders have failed due to pride and arrogance when they were released prematurely to do God’s work without being properly prepared and mentored for positions of leadership and authority. Young leaders need time to grow into positions of responsibility.
Serve with the end in mind. (2:6–11)
Elisha’s commitment to spending every moment he could learning from Elijah shines in these verses. Three different times Elijah encouraged Elisha to wait for him someplace while he would go and minister elsewhere, and each time Elisha adamantly insists on staying with his mentor. And each time he ends up spending time not only with Elijah, but with other prophets as well.
The third time, Elisha watches Elijah part the Jordan River by striking it with his mantle. It is during this journey that Elijah asks what one request Elisha would like to make. Imagine if Elisha hadn’t been there to have that conversation! He asks to inherit a double share of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah’s response rein-forces how important it will be for Elisha to remain close to Elijah to the end: It is the prerequisite for Elisha’s request to be granted (v. 10). Elisha stayed with Elijah until God took him into heaven in a fiery chariot of a whirlwind (v. 11). Elisha’s one request showed he understood the absolute necessity of God’s power and strength to carry out faithful ministry for God’s glory.
Serve so that the ministry is ongoing. (2:12–14)
When Elijah is taken away, Elisha cries out to him as his “father” and also “the chariots and horsemen of Israel,” reflecting his importance to Elisha and to the whole nation. Given the importance of chariots and horsemen for military superiority, Elisha is thinking of the spiritual warfare between the followers of the Lord and those promoting idolatry and is saying that the most powerful human weapon in Israel’s spiritual warfare was now gone. All that time spent learning from his mentor paid off as he took his first steps in carrying on Elijah’s legacy. It is an example worth following.
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