1 Kings 19:18-21 English Standard Version

18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

The Call of Elisha

19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “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 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

Would you be able to find one man among seven thousand faithful to be your replacement in service to God?

It is easy to assume that Elijah chose Elisha but the truth is God showed Elijah who would be his apprentice. We have no idea what God told Elijah to look for or why. All we have is His Word to read by faith and listen to the Holy Spirit. How does this remind us about Jesus?

Matthew 21:2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

God tells us where to go and what to look for to meet His will. Given this example of how God works, we might believe by faith that God said “You will find a man plowing a field with twelve oxen. He is my choice for you. Cast your cloak upon him.”

What are the odds that anyone has twelve oxen, much less teaming them up together to work the field? In this case the odds are 1 in 7000.

Once again we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Luke 6:13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:

Once again we can turn to the Word to see things wondrous to behold.

Luke 1:17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

Why couldn’t the religious leaders in those days see the symbolism in 1 Kings 19?

1 Kings 19:18-21 English Standard Version

18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

The Call of Elisha

19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “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 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

Tell me you can see any symbolism.

Signs and wonders abound if we know what to look for. Having the Holy Spirit to help us is such a blessing.

Rather than speaking to what symbols I see, let me ask you a question about following Jesus.

When we come to a crossroad, do we know which path to take? Do we turn left, or right, or continue straight ahead?

Isaiah 30:21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Ezekiel 3:10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.

Ezekiel 40:4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

Take the Word to heart that we might hear.

When I ask Dr. Keith Lamb about Isaiah 30:21 he answered, “To hear the voice one needs to be moving.”

That was a lesson I took to heart.