Saturday February 03rd, 2024
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15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him.
20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
We can learn many lessons from the life and times of Elisha- the successor to the great Prophet Elijah. In the next few days, we shall consider some of these lessons, and we will start with ‘diligence’ today.
For example, we see that Elisha- a prosperous farmer’s son, was working alongside his father’s employees when Elijah met him.
He could have refrained from joining the workers, but he worked with them because he was a diligent man.
To excel physically in your endeavors, you must be diligent (Proverbs 22:19); likewise, to excel spiritually, you must seek the Lord diligently (Hebrews 11:6).
Another lesson we can learn from Elisha is ‘good leadership’.
As successful as he was, he was in the field with the hirelings, ploughing in his father’s farm (1 Kings 19:19).
He was a leader by example- not a sit-at-home leader who issues commands while he himself would not lift a finger to do anything.
To lead is to serve, according to the injunction of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 20:27.
He was diligently doing his business when he received the call to the office of a prophet.
Children of God should not be idling away in the name of a call that could be for a set time- they must be found busy doing legitimate business because the Lord does not call mediocre.
Moreover, Elisha did not allow his call to becloud his obligation to honor his father before resuming at his divine post as a son of the prophet (1 kings 19:20).
This confirms with the Scripture that says in Exodus 20:12 CW
« Honor your father and your mother: so your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you »
It is a dangerous thing to fail in honoring our parents under the guise of either a new-found faith or calling in the ministry.
I will forever be grateful to God who gave me the opportunity to honor my mother while she was still alive and I received a lifetime blessing from her.
Beloved, let us take note of these lessons as we continue to examine the life and times of Elisha the prophet.
Application – Take time to study Prophet Elisha on your own and it will surprise you how many lessons the Holy Spirit will teach you.
Author – Bishop Enoch. A. Adeboye.
Edited by Naomie
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