![]() “He who is everywhere does not dwell in all, and he does not even dwell equally in those in whom he does dwell. Augustine of Hippo notes also that this request for a double portion of the Holy Spirit tells us something about the Spirit’s work among His people. Elisha recognized that the power behind Elijah’s ministry came not from Elijah but from the Lord. This story of Elijah’s being taken directly to heaven is well known, but it is worth noting that Elisha asked for a “double portion of spirit” on Elijah (vv. ![]() Second Kings 2:1–14 describes how God finally replaced Elijah with Elisha. While saying his goodbyes, Elijah sacrificed his oxen on a fire built with the oxen yoke, demonstrating that he would never return to his former life on the farm (1 Kings 19:21). He did ask for time to say goodbye to his family, which Elijah allowed, but he was no servant of the kingdom who signed up and then looked back (v. However, Elisha immediately left his life on the family farm to fulfill his calling. Elisha was going to take Elijah’s place as the leading prophet in Israel, but not immediately. ![]() Passing by Elisha, Elijah threw his cloak on him, signifying the transfer of prophetic authority (v. First, let us look at 1 Kings 19:19–21, which describes God’s call of Elisha. The appointment of Elisha to succeed Elijah reveals this point. Yet, the maintenance and advance of God’s kingdom did not depend on Elijah, for it depends on no one but the Lord Himself. He would not abandon His covenant commitments as Israel did, but He would judge the people for their sin, just as He promised when He enacted the Mosaic covenant (1 Kings 17–2 Kings 1 see Deut. Time and again, he announced to the Israelites that although most of them had forgotten the Lord, the Lord had not forgotten them. Elijah played a critical role in the northern kingdom of Israel as it descended further into idolatry.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |