Who Are Elijah and Elisha in the Bible?
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When you hear the names of Elija and Elisha from the Bible it’s possible the first thought that comes to mind is they must be twins. While they were not twins their lives were closely connected to each other. As we look at these two men it is evident Elijah had a great impact on Elisha’s life. These men were mighty prophets of God and when you look closer into their lives you will discover they leave behind some important life lessons. As we examine the lives of Elisha and Elijah in the Bible allow me to share with you some tremendous leadership principles that were evident in their lives and their relationship.
Who Is Elijah?
"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.'” - 1 Kings 17:1
Elijah was a Tishbite, from the settlers in the land of Gilead. His name means Jehovah is my God, and his name matched the reality of his life. He is introduced to us in 1 Kings 17, almost seemingly out of nowhere. Ahab had become king and like all the previous kings of Israel, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. The first thing Elijah does when we are introduced to him is he pronounces judgment on Ahab and the nation of Israel. The heavens were shut up for three years and no rain fell on the earth. Elijah was a prophet or mouthpiece for God, chosen to speak the truth to the nation of Israel and kings Ahab and Ahaziah. As the meaning of his name suggests, he often during his time in Israel was constantly proving not only that Jehovah was his God but that Jehovah was the only God.
Who Is Elisha?
"So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah." - 1 Kings 19:19-20
Elisha, whose name means God is salvation, was the son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah, which was a city in ancient Palestine. In 1 Kings 19, God instructs Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor. When Elijah anointed Elisha, he decided at that point to leave his parents’ home and follow Elijah. The Bible says he became his servant. In essence, he was an apprentice and would assume the mantle that Elijah left.
Important Principles from the Lives of Elijah and Elisha in the Bible
The principle of servanthood.
One of the things that gets lost in the culture we live in today is the principle of servanthood and simply being a servant. This is ironic because the very nature of Christ was that he took on the form of a servant which is what we should be doing as well. Elisha kissed his father and mother goodbye for the purpose of becoming a servant. Today this seems to be a lost art and a lost desire. It seems like no one wants to serve anymore. We want to jump to the front of the line and be served. When we do this there are some valuable lessons we miss because we don’t want to serve other people.
We skip over the lesson of humility – One of the most important things we can do in life is serve someone else. The truth of the Christian walk is that it is about serving others above serving yourself. When we miss this step, we can falsely believe that being a Christian is about being served, especially if you are in a leadership position. If we follow the model of Christ and the example of Elisha, we will embrace the role of being a servant because it keeps you humble. When you remain humble it is then that you are positioned for God to use you because he gives grace to the humble.
We miss the lesson of empathy – Being a servant also positions us to have more empathy. If you have never served someone before then I believe you weaken your capacity as a leader. How can you identify with people who you will lead and at times will serve you, if you have never served anyone before? Elisha chose this path of serving Elijah. Without being a servant, you may not relate to the experiences of those who do serve, and it can reduce your ability to lead effectively. When I used to work in sales, we had this term called “carrying the bag.” This simply means that managers know what it is like to be on the front line selling because they have done it before. If applied properly the experience of “carrying the bag” should prepare them to be better managers because they can relate or empathize with the situations of their salespeople. There is nothing better as a leader than to know what those you are leading are going through. I know sometimes we like to jump over these steps, but these are the building blocks that make you a better leader.
The Principle of Succession
The relationship between Elisha and Elijah in the Bible is one that is common in Scripture. It follows a pattern that we often see; God always has a succession plan.
Abraham had Isaac.
Moses had Joshua.
David had Solomon.
Elijah had Elisha.
Jesus had the twelve disciples.
Paul had Timothy.
What we see from the lives of Elijah and Elisha and what we learn from other places in the Bible is the work of the Lord is never supposed to stop. The work is not supposed to die if the leader of the work dies. It is the responsibility of the leader to instill in those who come after them the right principles. As John Maxwell says, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” This is the pattern we see in scripture and what we see in the life of Elisha and Elijah in the Bible. This principle is not just limited to leaders in companies or leaders in ministries and churches. This is also true of leaders of families. This principle of succession might look a little different, but it is necessary. Here is how Proverbs puts it.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." – Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV).
Most scholars agree that Elisha had the benefit of spending six years learning from Elijah. This represented six years of serving, six years of humility and empathy, and six years of preparing for succession. It should be our aim to not let the lessons and truths we have learned over the years end up in the grave with us but that we instill them in those coming after us. This is what happened between Elisha and Elijah and it is a great pattern to follow.
What Is the Legacy of Elijah and Elisha?
The relationship between Elisha and Elijah in the Bible was one of teacher and student. Elijah was the teacher and Elisha was the student. One of the famous things we know that happened at the end of Elijah’s life is Elisha requested a double portion of Elijah’s anointing.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” – 2 Kings 2:9-10
What does this tell us about Elisha and Elijah? This lets us know that Elijah lived in such a way that before he left, Elisha wanted twice the anointing he had. He didn’t just want to do what Elijah had done, he wanted to do more than what Elijah had done. The student Elisha wanted to be greater than the teacher Elijah, not out of competition but out of a sense of continuation and completion. He wanted to continue the work and complete the journey that was started in him.
As you read the stories of these two men you will see that Elisha ended up doing great things for God and was just as powerful in his ministry as Elijah was in his. Whatever lessons Elisha needed to learn he learned them well and he carried on the legacy. There are so many more lessons you can glean from the lives of these two men. However, in all those lessons one that is clear it this was a great example of training and succession. I am sure the teacher Elijah would be proud of the student Elisha.
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