Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 19:19-21. Audio not yet available.
“…and Elijah passed by him
and cast his mantle upon him…And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah…Then he
arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him” (1 Kings 19:19-21).
The call of
Elisha to follow after the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:19-21 anticipates the
call to follow after Christ. This is Old Testament discipleship, a shadow or
type of a greater coming reality. Not only does it point forward to Christ’s
ministry as the great Prophet who would call men like Peter, Andrew, James, and
John to leave their nets and follow after him, but it also points to a present
reality as we are being called to abandon all and follow after the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Notice at
least six aspects of the call of Elisha:
First: The call came
upon Elisha suddenly and unexpectedly (v. 19).
Second: The call demanded
that Elisha leave his present circumstances (v. 20a).
Third: The call took
precedence over all other relationships, including even that of his own family
(v. 20b).
Fourth: The call required
sacrifice and abandonment of former things (v. 21a).
Fifth: The answering of
the call was accompanied with joyful celebration (feasting) (v. 21 a).
Sixth: The call required
lowliness of spirit and willingness to serve in the humblest of ways (v. 21b).
Christ still
calls upon men to deny themselves, to take up the cross daily, and follow him
(Luke 9:23). May the Lord grant us grace to be his faithful disciples.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
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