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The Biblical account of Elijah and Elisha has to be one
of my all time favorites. Here we have two of God’s most powerful
prophets in Old Testament times. Yet both had times when, instead of men
of faith and power, they were men of paste and flour.
God first
introduces Elijah in 1 Kings. For the sake of space, I’ll just share a
brief synopsis. God used Elijah to speak drought over the land. God also
had Elijah save the life of a widow and her son by miraculously increasing
their flour and oil supply to live on until the rain again fell on the
earth. Not only did Elijah save them from starvation, but when the son
became sick, he raised him from the dead!
If that isn’t awesome enough, God commanded Elijah to
issue a challenge against 450 prophets of Baal. The pagan prophets and
Elijah would each prepare a sacrifice and call upon the name of their god.
Whichever God sent fire down to consume the offering was indeed God. Only
the fire of the Lord fell, and at the end of the day Elijah had all the
prophets of Baal seized and killed.
Wow! What a man
of faith! What a man of power! Now let's look at 1 Kings 19. Jezebel heard
about what Elijah did. She sent word that he would be dead himself by the
next day.
Here’s a man who has commanded the weather, raised the
dead, called fire out of Heaven – and he turns and runs for his life
from a woman! Faith and power became paste and flour!
Elisha was anointed by God as prophet to replace Elijah
(1 Kings 19:16-21). Elisha followed Elijah everywhere he went, ministering
unto him, learning from him.
When it was time for God to take Elijah up to Heaven,
Elijah told Elisha to stay in Gilgal, as God was sending him to Bethel.
But Elisha refused to be parted from his mentor. Other prophets encouraged
him to stay behind, for they too know that it was time for Elijah to be
taken up.
Because of his faithfulness, Elisha was told that if he
sees Elijah taken up, he would receive a double portion of the power God
had given to Elijah. 2 Kings 2 relates how in spite of the distraction of
a chariot of fire, and horses of fire separating the two, Elisha still saw
Elijah being taken up, received the double anointing, and divided the
waters of Jordan. What a man of faith and power!
BUT – look at 2
Kings 2, verses 15-18. Elisha returned
to Jericho with the mantle of Elijah. The prophets there asked Elisha to
permit 50 of their men to go look for Elijah’s body. Elisha assured them
that they would not find a body. However, they continued to press him
(verse 17 says they urged him "until he was ashamed") and he
finally agreed to let them go.
When they come back, empty-handed, Elisha says,
"See, I said you wouldn’t find his body."
Faith and power became paste and flour when confronted
with peer pressure!
One of the
reasons I enjoy reading about these two men so much is that they bring me
hope and encouragement! Both had times when their faith wavered, and their
power weakened, but God continued to use them and to bless them.
In spite of Elijah running from a woman, God takes him
to Heaven in a whirlwind. And, we are told in Malachi 4:5-6, that
"God is going to send Elijah before the coming of the great and
terrible day of the Lord, and that Elijah will restore the hearts of the
fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their
fathers, lest God comes and smites the land with a curse." I’d said
that is still being used and blessed!
Elisha succumbed to pressure, but went on to purify the
water of Jericho, and called bears to destroy those that mocked him. Paste
and flour restored to faith and power!
Are there times
when your faith has waned, times when you ran or gave in to what you knew
was wrong? Good news! God forgives – AND restores you to faith and power! He will use you again. He will continue to bless you. He is no respecter
of persons (Acts 10:34). If He did it for Elijah and Elisha, He will do it for
YOU!
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