Today’s Devotion
Topic: A Passionate Prophet Vrs His Evil King (Part 19)
(Self Assessment 219)
Background: Next week, we will try and recap all we have been studying in this series for the past 19 weeks and bring our series on Elijah and Ahab to a close.
In the meantime, do you remember from last week that the Lord commisioned Elijah to go back the same way He came and anoint Hazael as king of Aram? He also asked the prophet to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi, king over Israel, and anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat, as his successor.
God had a divine reason for these three appointments. Jehu was to put to death any who escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha was going to put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
Will Elijah obey the voice of God and go back to confront the challenges from which he has been running and hiding from? Will he go on to anoint the three men above as the Lord has commanded?
For answers to these and more, let’s zoom straight into our weekly bible study.
Text: 1 Kings 19: 19- 21
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was ploughing with twelve yokes of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.
20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the ploughing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. Amen
Questions:
1. Elijah met Elisha exactly where the Lord said he would. If God is this faithful to His word and never misleads, why do we struggle to trust and obey Him?
2. Elisha was not idle when Elijah met Him. He was busily at work. How beautiful is the call of the Lord that it doesn’t matter where you are or what you do, the Lord can call and use you?
3. Elijah did not utter a word to Elisha when the former went up to him. He only threw his cloak around him and Elisha seem to have had the message. What would you say may have been the significance of the prophet’s cloak back in the day?
4. Verse 20 reveals Elisha’s immediate understanding of Elijah’s gesture and was immediately willing to obey. His only plea was to be able to say goodbye to his family in response to the call. How does this reveal his understanding of the call of God? How does this expose his love for, and close connection to, maybe, with his father?
5. In verse 21, we see Elisha sacrifice the yoke of oxen he had used to plough the land. He burnt all the ploughing equipment as firewood and cooked for all the people before he left to follow Elijah. How does this reveal his absolute readiness for the call? Also, his love for his people and finally, a probable decision never to turn back from the call to his old vocation?
6. What have you learnt from today’s discussion?
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