![]() ![]() Elisha tears his clothes in distress, then picks up the fallen cloak of Elijah. The distraught Elisha cried after him, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” At this, Elijah is gone. The pleasant conversation and walk were suddenly interrupted by a chariot and horses of fire which separate the two men Elijah is lifted toward heaven by a divine whirlwind. Elisha responds that he wants “a double portion of your spirit on me.” The request is evidently challenging – Elijah says that it is difficult, but it can be accomplished if Elisha observes Elijah’s departure. Finally, having crossed the river, Elijah asks what Elisha would like. Elijah asked Elisha to stay behind several times, but Elisha refused. Elisha was expectant, knowing that his mentor would soon be taken. They passed through scenes of national significance: Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and ultimately the Jordan River. On a winding journey from the highlands of interior Israel, Elijah and Elisha wound their way down the steep slopes to the Jordan River Valley. Elijah – the most famous prophet of the Divided Period – would soon be gone. Elisha was known as one “who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” Yet it was a time of preparation. Elisha Witnesses Elijah’s Departure (2 Kings 2:1-13)Įlisha’s first days of ministry were evidently marked, not by profound miracles, but by simple service to his superior. The communal feast signified Elisha’s unshakeable renunciation of his previous way of life. Elijah threw his cloak on him – a sign of commissioning – and the yeoman promptly left his plough to follow the prophet, asking leave only to “kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Elijah permitted, and the newfound prophet marked the beginning of his ministry by slaying the oxen. Elijah headed north from the desert-mountain of Horeb and found Elisha plowing a field with twelve yoke of oxen. The great prophet Elijah, after laying out the covenant-sins of Israel, was commissioned by God to anoint Elisha as his prophetic successor. He lived in the region of Abel-Meholah, an obscure location, but probably a small agricultural town near the dense forests of the Jordan River valley. The son of Shaphat, he was evidently born into a prosperous farming family. ![]() We know little of the early life of Elisha. The Early Life and Call of Elisha (1 Kings 19:16-21) ![]()
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