Why did God choose ELISHA?
God’s plans are always surprising.
1 kings 19
When Jezebel sent a message to the great prophet ELIJAH,
He was afraid and ran away to save his life. He even left his servant and went to sit under a bush. There, God sent him food to eat and water to drink. Then, Elijah walked for 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There, Elijah went into a cave and spent the night.
Then the Lord asked him, “Elijah, why are you here?”
Elijah answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I have always served you to the best of my ability, but the Israelites have broken their agreement with you. They have destroyed your altars and killed your prophets. I am the only prophet left alive, and now they are trying to kill me.”
Then the Lord said, “Go back to the road of Damascus and anoint the king of Israel and the king of Judah. Also, anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah.”
We can think🤔💭, “Why did God choose Elisha?”
Until then, there is no introduction about Elisha in the Bible.
What is so special about Elisha?
So Elijah left that place and went to find Elisha, the son of Shaphat.
So Elijah went and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team.
Here we can see the character of Elisha. Elisha is leading the people in their work, and he is also working alongside them. Here we can see ELISHA as a LEADER.
Elijah went to Elisha and placed his coat on him. Elisha immediately left his oxen and ran after Elijah, saying, “Let me kiss my mother and father goodbye, and then I will follow you.”
Elijah answered, “You can do that. I will not stop you”.
Here, Elisha is not even asking why or where. He simply says, “I will say goodbye to my parents and then I will come.” He is not concerned about his future if he leaves his current work.
We can assume that ELISHA is waiting for the call of God.
Elisha turned away from Elijah and went back. He killed the oxen and used the yoke for firewood. He boiled the meat, gave it to the people, and they all ate together. Then Elisha went to follow Elijah and became his helper.
Elisha killed the oxen, symbolizing his commitment to leaving his past life behind and embracing his new role as a helper to Elijah. He may not have known of becoming a prophet himself, but he was content to serve as Elijah’s helper. Elisha’s actions demonstrate his readiness to move forward and leave his past behind him.
All of this together reflects the character of ELISHA.
God doesn’t call those who waste their time and say, “I am waiting for God’s call.”
Elisha makes others work, and he works as well. He uses what he has without wasting his time and energy.
Here, Elisha was working as a leader. However, after Elijah called him, he became a servant. Despite this change in roles, Elisha did not hesitate or backstep. He left what he had, burnt his tools, and went with Elijah.
God looks for those who are ready to answer His call and who do not waste the time and energy He has given them.
Thank you for reading……..
