The Commission of Elisha

1 Kings 19:14-18 says, “14And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 15And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: 16And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 17And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 18Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”

God asked Elijah again, “What are you doing here?” Elijah responded as he did before, “I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” (vv. 14-18) First command to Elijah was, “Go.” Once we get a visitation and a word, we must act upon and obey. We must get a move on in accordance to what God wants us to do because He has a purpose for everything! He was to first anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, and then anoint Jehu to be king over Israel. God was raising these two kings up to dethrone Ahab and Jezebel, and although Elijah would not see that come to pass because he would be caught up to heaven in a whirlwind on a chariot, these men would finish the task. You cannot curse what God has blessed, and when God’s hand is on someone, man cannot do anything about it, as in the case of Elijah. God will protect us as long as we are faithful to our calling and purpose, without fear and trembling!

Then, finally, he was to anoint and train up Elisha to be his successor, to follow him and to carry his mantle, the baton of his anointing, further than he himself could ever go. Elijah had cast his mantle upon Elisha, the very mantle he wrapped his face in when God was speaking to him. The reason is because His word, not talent, calls you!

Elisha was just busy in his own little world, going through the routines of life, laboring in some other kind of harvest. But when Elijah cast his mantle upon Elisha, everything changed! His mind changed, his desires changed, his destiny changed and his labor changed! When Elijah did this, it signified that he had called Elisha to be trained under his anointing and operate under it in a newer and fresher way in due season. But before the opportunity could come, he had to be in that designated place to where he could receive that mantle or baton of anointing and purpose, so that instead of just being called, he could be chosen! To be chosen means that you have responded to the call of God! Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called, but few are chosen!” Elisha was called, but he made the decision to be among the chosen! How did Elisha respond to the call when Elijah’s mantle of destined purpose was cast upon him? This is truly amazing! Elisha forsook his old work, chased after Elijah and said, “I have this one request Elijah. Before I go, would you just let me kiss my father and my mother good-bye? Then I will follow you.” So many people in the Body of Christ have been called by God to take upon themselves a mantle of anointing and purpose, and they have deserted their old ways of living so they can chase after God. But they are not willing to let go of the very ones that they are “emotionally” attached to! Luke 14:26 says, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” That word “hate” does not signify that you literally have to like hate your family, but it refers to “preference.” My family can never come before my God because our relationship with God is first. Elijah permitted Elisha to go home, but he said, “Don’t forget what I’ve just done to you.” God is saying, “Don’t forget the change that has just taken place in your life. You have been delivered, but don’t flirt around with the very thing I have called you away from!” The reason Elijah said this is because when he went back home to say what he would call “his good-byes”, the devil could have a trap waiting right for him. Even though he has received a word of change in his life, his emotion can begin to confuse his spirit if he was not careful. We can never allow our emotion to rob us of the greatest sacrifice of purity and blessings in our lives! What if the mother and the father began to weep over the thought of missing him right before him? So it is the same with a wife or a child? Do not get me wrong, if you have a family, God is not going to call you into a place of distraction that would destroy and divide your family, but He will call you to moments of sacrifice and consecration to chase after Him! Don’t miss those moments! Could you drop everything and everyone in your life in just a moment to chase after God? Would you have the attitude of Paul that nothing would ever be able to separate you from the love of God?

The most thrilling moment occurred with what Elisha did with his old instruments that he used to work in the fields. He butchered his yoke of oxen that he used to be in charge of, kindled a fire out of his plowing equipment, and boiled the meat of the oxen for a last “Thanksgiving” meal with his family. Elisha did not leave with Elijah until after he did this. When we chase after God, our old way of living must be consumed by His glorious presence. His consuming fire must purge us from our past and birth a testimony of who He is. His instruments were transformed into ashes through a godly sacrifice because instead of plowing the harvest of this world, he would now plow in the harvest of God! He made a sacrificial meal out of the oxen he used to labor with in the harvest to serve his family for the last time and serve God’s family for the first time! Sacrifice what you use to do to be who God has called you to be. That is true worship, one that truly honors God and understands who He is!

Once Elisha made the sacrifices, he left his past behind him and moved forward with Elijah into a completely different walk of life. God wants you to leave where you have been so long, bound by a past routine, and move into a designated place, preparing for a new anointing and a promised destiny in God! You cannot move forward if you are always turning back. Luke 17:32 says, “Remember Lot’s wife,” because it was Lot’s wife who turned back to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned into a pillar of salt. You come to a standstill in spiritual run for God when you turn back to your past from where God is calling out from. There is nothing wrong with “looking back”, but the problem arouses the moment when one is “turning back.” “Looking back” can lead to “turning back” if not careful, but looking back can reflect a testimony of God’s marvelous grace! When you are running a relay race, you have to look back at the same runner in your lane, who is running with your same vision, so you can grasp hold of the baton in order to continue the race. If you do not carry the baton, it is as though you are part of a rootless and fruitless generation!