Elijah Passes On the Prophetic Mantle

Rev. George Ferch

Dear Friends in Christ,

If you are a student of language, you know words can be compelling. The Greek orator Pericles compelled Athenians to great public works including the Parthenon, and to many victories in battle. Abraham Lincoln’s words at his second inaugural compelled a nation to seek healing from its great wound, the Civil War. John Kennedy’s words in two great speeches moved our nation’s citizens to ask what they could do for their country, and put a man on the moon within a decade.

Nowhere was this truer than in the prophetic office. Throughout salvation history from the call of Abraham the Lord has called men to be his spokesmen. He not only called them to speak. The Lord gave them the very words to speak. These words were compelling words. Why?

The Spirit is behind the words and compels the hearers. The Lord’s prophets could avail nothing by their own oratorical skills or persuasion. The great apostle Paul often reminded Christians about that. We witnessed that last week as Jesus called his first disciples. He did it through Philip who called Nathaniel. We saw that the power to follow Christ is in the Word of God alone.

This is true also in our OT lesson where Elijah Passed On the Prophetic Mantle. He threw his coat around Elisha. Elisha left everything behind.

1. The Lord had called Elijah to wear the mantle of the prophetic office. This mantle, or coat, was a sign of the prophet’s office. It was one way the people could identify the Lord’s choice as his spokesman in the northern kingdom, Israel.

Elijah ministered in the dark days of rampant idolatry in Israel. Under King Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel, the people turned further and further away from true worship of the Lord. The Canaanite Gods, the Baals had acquired a large following among the Israelites. The Lord’s work for Elijah was difficult and frustrating when they did not listen, not to mention dangerous.

Speaking for God, Elijah put the judgment of drought on the land. Elijah challenged and defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. He had ordered them all killed. What did Elijah get for his faithfulness? “Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” [19:2]

All of this was just too much for Elijah. He became afraid and ran for his life. When Elijah became disheartened and discouraged, the Lord strengthened Elijah’s resolve to continue. The Word of the Lord came to Elijah. In patience, love and understanding, the Lord spoke to Elijah in a still small voice. The Lord’s compelling words of promise and command moved Elijah to his encounter with Elisha. Elijah would continue in his prophetic office and call his successor.

He threw his coat around Elisha acknowledging Elisha to be the Lord’s choice as Elijah’s successor. God had told Elijah that he had reserved 7000 believers in Israel. God’s judgment would come down on the idolaters through a new king and through Elisha. How important and compelling are the words of God’s prophets.

The importance of the prophetic office is seen most of all in Jesus, the Perfect Prophet. Jesus came speaking his Father’s powerful words. Those words compelled people to follow him. They learned from Jesus and believed in Jesus as their Savior. Jesus not only shared the Word but as we heard again a few weeks ago is the Word made flesh to dwell among us. He dwells among us in the Holy Scripture.

The Holy Spirit calls men to speak God’s Word and carry it out beyond simple discipleship. The Lord called certain men like Elijah and Elisha to go out and share it with others. We were reminded in our second lesson of Saul and Barnabas, “The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.”

We have witnessed and experienced the compelling word, and the cost of discipleship. The Holy Spirit called us to follow Christ and to speak his name to others. All of us are prophets in that sense that we speak God’s Word. We are compelled just as Peter and John told the Sanhedrin, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” [Acts 4:19]

2. Now we see the commitment to follow as Elisha left everything behind. Elisha was busily carrying out his vocation as a farmer. He was likely not a poor farmer with twelve yoke of oxen. Elisha had a lot to give up. In human terms Elisha had much to lose by answering the compelling call of the Lord that came to him from Elijah. Elisha asked to be able to go and say goodbye to his parents. Elijah told him to consider the importance of what the Lord had called him to do by thinking about the question, “What have I done to you?”

Elisha considered the great cost and the Holy Spirit enabled him to be willing and able to pay it. It was Lord’s compelling call to the prophetic office. The call meant hardship, rejection and persecution. It also would mean satisfaction, deliverance and great blessing. Many times later in his ministry Elisha experienced great joy and success in his work.

One of my favorites is when the Arameans surrounded Elisha and his servant at Dothan during the night and surrounded the city. When the servant saw the army he thought they were doomed. Elisha prayed that the LORD would open the servant’s eyes. When the LORD did, the servant saw that the army of angels protecting them was even larger.

Going back to Elijah, Elisha left his former life behind. We might say he burned his bridges as he destroyed the animals and the yokes. Elisha did much as the fishermen, Peter and Andrew, James and John, in our gospel. They left their nets and boats behind to become Jesus’ students, and apostles. The cost was high. It was Jesus’ compelling word that compelled them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

I referred to Pericles in the introduction. Some of you have heard me mention that one of my favorite sayings is about him. The Greeks said that when Pericles spoke, his words compelled his listeners to do more than just mutter, “Nice speech.” Pericles’ words compelled them to cry, “Let’s march.”

When Christ our Savior, the righteous One who died on the cross for us the unrighteous ones, calls us through the Spirit to follow him and serve him what can we cry except, “Let’s march.” Amen.