My Epic Journey

I have been spending time in 1Kings the past couple of weeks and walking along Elijah in his journey with God and have been truly blessed with this experience and now I have found myself in chapter 19 verse 19.  Here Elijah is about to pass the baton to Elisha.

This, to me, is a very interesting passage. Here is 1Kings 19.19-21

19 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. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother good-by,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.

I don’t what struck you in this reading, but this is what struck me:

1. Elijah didn’t have to speak.  I am not sure if Elisha knew exactly what was going on because God had forewarned him or if news had traveled to Elisha before Elijah had arrived.  We don’t have a recording here of either of these so my thought is this–Everyone knew who Elijah was and what was happening to the Israelites through him.  They were also aware that every teacher also had an apprentice.  I am sure people would have loved to follow in Elijah’s footsteps and here was Elisha’s opportunity.
2. He left his old life–COMPLETELY.  After he tells mom and dad good-bye he took his livelihood–the oxen, and killed them on the spot.  He then burned his farming equipment so he could cook the cows and eat them.  What a scene!!!!  So simple and yet so drastic and yet I think a lot of us are not where God planned on us being because we are too TIED to our comforts (for more on this click here).
3. Elisha just followed.  No more information was given.  He just followed Elijah and became his attendant.  Now the process of learning was in effect and Elisha was excited.

I don’t know about you, but I often struggle when God changes my plans.  I love being comfortable.  I love predictability.  I wouldn’t be to quick to leave everything behind and follow some guy to who knows where and yet it was that adventurous, God-trusting attitude that allowed Elijah to pass the baton off to Elisha!!!

Who is passing the baton off to you?  Who are you passing to baton to?

Have you ever wanted to prove a point so much that it just ate you up inside?  More than anything, you have this driving conviction to shut up the critics and will go to any lengths to accomplish that goal?

Elijah was there!!  He was frustrated with the continual disregard of God by King Ahab and for that matter, the Israelites as well.  He had heard enough slander against the name of God that he knew it was time to act and he wanted to make a point.  A BIG point!

We read of the account in 1Kings 18.16-40.  It is a story of conflict, testing, retribution, trash-talking, and even of blood and guts in the end.  Here are the highlights:

1. Eljiah calls out Ahab and his prophets and calls them to a “spiritual” duel.

2.  TASK:  Call down fire from your god and consume the wood on your altar.

3.  Prophets of Baal couldn’t do it.  Elijah told them to “scream louder, perhaps he is asleep.”

4.  After a day of chanting and slashing of wrists, Elijah stops the Baal madness and turns the audiences attention to God.

5.  He calls for the altar of God to be restored and filled with and unbelievable amount of water (a prized possession in that time of drought and famine).

6.  Elijah prayed a simple, yet powerful prayer.  RESULT:  God sent down fire from Heaven that consumed both the wood and the water.  That’s one HOT fire!!!

7.  The people fell on their faces and praised God.

8.  Elijah ordered that the prophets of Baal be captured and then he slaughtered them all.

Lesson to the story:

1.  God is and always will be, the most powerful God!  More powerful than money, self, pleasure, power, etc.

2.  God will always, eventually, make Himself known.  It might not be immediate, but when our attention moves FROM Him to something else, He WILL get it back!

Questions:

–Who are you serving today?

–From what/whom do you draw your power (money, success, family, job, etc)?

–What will it take for God to get your attention?

–What can you do to turn the hearts of others BACK to God?