1 June

Elisha was a disciple of the great prophet Elijah. He was designated as Elijah’s successor but first worked as Elijah’s servant (1 Kings 19:15-21). When God was ready to take Elijah to heaven by a whirlwind in 2 Kings 2:1-14, Elisha showed the qualities of a good disciple. If we will live by these qualities, we will be good disciples for our Lord’s cause. Let’s notice these qualities. Who was Elisha so that we can understand what the Bible says about the great prophet.

The meaning of Elisha is “God is Savior” He was the son of Shaphat of Abel- Mehola. He was from the tribe of Issachar No record of His mother. Key word in his life: The successor of Elijah.

There are a striking difference in between Elijah and Elisha, both of whom labor in the Northern Kingdom. Elijah name’s means: “Jehovah my God” and suggest the law. While Elisha’s name speaks of grace- “Jehovah my savoir”. Elisha left a peaceful occupation to become a model spiritual leader. Elijah prepared Elisha for his commission II King 2:1-14. And the two became devoted to each other.

II King 2:21… “ 21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, "Thus says the L ORD : 'I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.' "

II King 5:9,10… “ 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean."

1 Kin 16:29-33 Even when he died he earn a very highly honor for being the man that God want him to be. His bones by the power of God receive power to bring a man back to life. II King 13:20, 21… “ 20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. 21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

1 Kin 16:29-33 What a victorious death was his. 2 King 13:14-19… “ 14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, "O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!" 15 And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, "Open the east window"; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the L ORD ' S deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them." 18 Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times."

Summarizing the life of the prophet who spoke with the authority of an oracle of God. II King 3:16-17… “ 15 But now bring me a musician." Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the L ORD came upon him. 16 And he said, "Thus says the L ORD : 'Make this valley full of ditches.' 17 For thus says the L ORD : 'You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.'

1 King 19:20,21… “ 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.

2 King 2:12-15… “ 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the L ORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.

2 King 2:19-22… “ 19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren." 20 And he said, "Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, "Thus says the L ORD : 'I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.' " 22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

2 King 4:1-7… “ 1 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the L ORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves." 2 So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." 3 Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones." 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not another vessel." So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest."

2 King 4:9-10… “ 9 And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there."

2 King 4:38-41… “ 38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets." 39 So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. 40 Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, "Man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it. 41 So he said, "Then bring some flour." And he put it into the pot, and said, "Serve it to the people, that they may eat." And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

2 King 4:42-44… “ 42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, "Give it to the people, that they may eat." 43 But his servant said, "What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?" He said again, "Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the L ORD : 'They shall eat and have some left over.' " 44 So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the L ORD

2 King 5:1-5… “ 1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the L ORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy." 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel."

2 King 6:1-7… “ 1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell." So he answered, "Go." 3 Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he answered, "I will go." 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed." 6 So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, "Pick it up for yourself." So he reached out his hand and took it.

2 King 8:1-6… “ 1 Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, "Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the L ORD has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years." 2 So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land. 4 Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done." 5 Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now."

2 King 8:7-15… “ 7 Then Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, "The man of God has come here." 8 And the king said to Hazael, "Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the L ORD by him, saying, 'Shall I recover from this disease?' " 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this disease?' " 10 And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover.' However the L ORD has shown me that he will really die." 11 Then he set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, "Why is my lord weeping?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child." 13 So Hazael said, "But what is your servant--a dog, that he should do this gross thing?" And Elisha answered, "The L ORD has shown me that you will become king over Syria." 14 Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me you would surely recover." 15 But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.

Elisha Suggest the ministry of Christ. Elisha suggests the ministry of Christ. On the whole, Elijah’s work was destructive. He was the prophet of fire. Elisha’s task was more merciful and beneficial. He had double the power of Elijah, and consequently performed twice as many miracles as his former master.

Elijah’s was a prophet of the wilderness. Elisha was a prince of the court.

Elijah’s has no settle home. Elisha enjoys the peace at home.

Elijah’s was known by his long hair and his shaggy mantle; Elisha was known by his staff and bald head.

Elijah was mainly prophetical. Elisha’s work was mainly miraculous.

Elijah’s ministry was one of stern denunciation. Elisha’s task was of teaching and winning.

Elijah’s was a rebuke of kings. Elisha’s a friend and admirer.

Elijah was a messenger of vengeance. Elisha was a messenger of mercy.

Elijah was fierce, fiery energetic. Elisha was gentle, sympathetic, and simple.

Elijah was a solitary figure. Elisha was more social.

Elijah had an extraordinary disappearance from earth. Elisha’s death was ordinary.

Can we learn and make some application for us this evening? The life of Elisha is so remarkable that this evening we can choose any of his actions and we can be sure that God will be pleased with us in the same way that he was please with his faithful prophet… Luke 4:27… “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."