Your study notes this week were written by Will Buschmann, Co-Director of Student Ministries.
Week 16 has arrived and with that we meet Elisha! This week we will look at the calling of Elisha into the prophetic ministry alongside Elijah. As well as, Ahab and his battles with Syria.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
The Call
Observe
God tells Elijah that he has found for him his successor and for now his assistant in the person of Elisha. Elijah departs for Abel-meholah (the dancing meadow) and to call Elisha away from the plow.
1 Kings 19:19-21
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.
Mark 8:31-38
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
Elijah calls Elisha away from everything he knows in order to fulfill his calling that the Lord brings to him. He leaves behind a beautiful home in the fertile land of Abel-meholah perfect for a life in agriculture. He leaves behind 24 oxen (imagine leaving behind 24 tractors). He leaves behind “the good life.” A life that is steady and comfortable to run into a future that is unknown. Much less a few with Elijah who is publically being sought out by the king so he can be killed. You couldn’t find two different paths for your life if you tried. Yet, Elisha goes. He doesn’t just go, but he destroys his old life, so he is never to return to it again. This is not just Elisha’s call, but the call of Jesus to all who will follow him. Granted, Elisha’s specific call as a prophet is not ours, but the general call to leave it all behind in order to follow Jesus remains the same?
- How would you describe “the good life” in our current world and culture?
- When you began following Jesus, if you have already, what changed about your life? What did you leave behind?
- Is there anything currently in your life that you need to leave behind in order to follow Jesus?
Dear Jesus,
You come to me with a clear call to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow you. To be honest, that is difficult and scary in this world. I like everything around me far too much. Forgive me for that and forgive me for seeking a life of comfort and ease above even your call. Give me your Spirit to not be afraid. Create in me a life of sacrifice that seeks to follow you above all else.
Amen
Day 2
Purpose
Observe
We looked at the general call of Elisha and all other believers yesterday. A call to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. Today, we will look at the specific calling of Elisha and likewise ourselves.
1 Kings 19:19-21
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.
1 Corinthians 12:1-31
12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
One Body with Many Members
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
The beauty of following Jesus is that he gives us purpose here on this earth. We are not just following him as a get out of hell free card and we are just waiting here on earth to get to heaven. He has given us passions, talents, gifts, and resources to fit our unique purpose on this earth. Elisha, he called to prophetic ministry to call a nation back to God. We are not all called to that, but we each have a calling. Some may be called to be stay at home moms or teachers to raise up the next generation to follow Jesus. Some may be called to be leaders, or creatives, or visionaries to point us to where we need to go. Some may be called to be plumbers or construction workers to bring a plan on paper into an actual functioning reality. I could do this for a thousand more examples, but the point is we all have a calling that aligns with our passions, talents, and gifts. Our job is to find that and to figure out how to use that to best serve and follow Jesus on this earth.
- What passions, talents, gifts, and resources do you have?
- How are you spending your time, talent, and treasure as you follow Jesus?
Lord,
You created me and you created me well. You know the hairs on my head, but you also know that you wired my brain purposefully. You have given me unique talents and gifts and have placed me where I am purposefully to serve and follow you in it. Lord, give me clarity on why you made me the way you made me and why you put me here in Fort Lauderdale in 2021. What am I to be doing for you today? Who am I to run into today as I live my normal life and how do I follow you into that? Thank you that I am not just a happening of atoms coming together, but I am designed by a God who loves me.
Amen
Day 3
Pouring Into the Next Generation
Observe
After Elisha’s call Elijah doesn’t just disappear. For at least a couple of years Elisha follows and learns from Elijah. Elijah equips and pours into Elisah in order to prepare him for a day when he is gone. We see this all over Scripture and that is what we are going to look at and think about today.
1 Kings 19:19-21
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.
Deuteronomy 31:1-7
So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. 4 And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Luke 6:13-16
12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Matthew 17:1-2
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Elijah mentoring Elisha. Moses mentoring Joshua. Jesus had “disciples” that were a large group of people that heard his teachings. Jesus then had the 12 Apostles, a more intimate group that experienced and heard things that the large group did not experience or hear. We even see Jesus take Peter, James, and John in an even more intimate group to experience things with him that the other 12 didn’t. We see a model of discipleship throughout Scripture. What could that look like at Rio? The “older” (don’t be mad at that) generation taking the younger generation and walking through this life with them. Teaching them things. Listening to them. Being a sounding board, a person to go to when you are stuck and you don’t know where else to go. Lawyers helping out younger lawyers. Moms and dads helping out other moms and dads. I think it would have a huge impact not just on personal lives, but in our city the repercussions would follow.
P.S. You may think that Millenials and Gen Z don’t want this, but let me tell you that we/they are dying for it. Seriously, ask someone to grab a cup of coffee, they will most likely say yes.
- What talents has God given you? Where has he placed you that you could have an impact on the next generation?
- Any people you can think of right now?
God,
You made us multi-generational in your church for a reason. You know the beauty of an older generation mentoring the younger generation. You know the beauty of the younger generation listening to the older generation. Bring us together God. Make Rio a place of discipleship. Lord, help me to find those people in my life. One to learn from and the other to be poured into.
Amen
Day 4
The Lord Who Fights Our Battles
Observe
Israel has the Syrian army outside their city. King Ahab is willing to give up everything out of fear of what is going to take place. Everything points to Israel falling in battle, but the Lord intervenes for his people.
1 Kings 20:1-22
Ahab’s Wars with Syria
20 Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it. 2 And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.’” 4 And the king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have.” 5 The messengers came again and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ‘I sent to you, saying, “Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.” 6 Nevertheless I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away.’”
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Mark, now, and see how this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my wives and my children, and for my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.” 11 And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’” 12 When Ben-hadad heard this message as he was drinking with the kings in the booths, he said to his men, “Take your positions.” And they took their positions against the city.
Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad
13 And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 14 And Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Thus says the Lord, By the servants of the governors of the districts.” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the servants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people of Israel, seven thousand.
16 And they went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The servants of the governors of the districts went out first. And Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, “Men are coming out from Samaria.” 18 He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19 So these went out of the city, the servants of the governors of the districts and the army that followed them. 20 And each struck down his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great blow.
22 Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Come, strengthen yourself, and consider well what you have to do, for in the spring the king of Syria will come up against you.”
Exodus 14:10-14
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
We have seen this theme throughout the Book of Kings over and over again. The Lord fights for his people. The Lord is in control of all things on earth, even the wars that take place. We need this reminder constantly. Our world right now seems like it is in shambles when we see what is going on across the country. It’s easy to think God has stepped away for a second and left us on his own, but he hasn’t. Your life may feel that way. It may seem like an enemy is at your doorstep and you don’t know what to do, but the Lord has not left you alone. Be still in his presence.
- What do you need to take to God in prayer for our country and our city?
- What do you need to take to God in prayer for those around you?
- What do you need to take to God in prayer for yourself and your family?
Whatever you wrote down, take to God in prayer. It doesn’t have to sound pretty or be complex. Just take it to your father who cares for you and hears you.
Day 5
Who Do You Say He Is?
Observe
Ben-hadad returns with his army again, but this time with a battle plan that they believe is golden this time. They miscalculate who God is though. They believe there are places he cannot go and does not control. It doesn’t work out well for them!
1 Kings 20:23-43
23 And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24 And do this: remove the kings, each from his post, and put commanders in their places, 25 and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.
Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad Again
26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country. 28 And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” 29 And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30 And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left.
Ben-hadad also fled and entered an inner chamber in the city. 31 And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.” 32 So they tied sackcloth around their waists and put ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please, let me live.’” And he said, “Does he still live? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men were watching for a sign, and they quickly took it up from him and said, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go and bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities that my father took from your father I will restore, and you may establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” And Ahab said, “I will let you go on these terms.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
A Prophet Condemns Ben-hadad’s Release
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow at the command of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall strike you down.” And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down. 37 Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” And the man struck him—struck him and wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent[a] of silver.’ 40 And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” The king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41 Then he hurried to take the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 And he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction,[b] therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.’” 43 And the king of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen and came to Samaria.
The Syrian battle plan rested on the idea that God is only a God of the hills, not the God of the plains. Ben-hadad trusted what his servants said about who God is. Our beliefs about God may not affect a physical battle, but it does change the way we live our lives. A lot of our thoughts about God if we are honest come not from what God says about himself in his Word, but what people around us tell us about who he is. That’s awesome if we are in a biblical community, but a lot of the information we receive comes from a culture that no longer believes in the God of the Bible.
- What does the culture around us tell us about who God is?
- What are some things Scripture tells us about who God is? What are his attributes? What is his character? What does he think about you?
- What do you need to do this week to learn more about who God is from his own Word about himself?
Lord,
We live in a world that has a lot of thoughts about everything, especially who you are. It is easy for me to believe you who you are by what everyone else is saying about you. The truth is right now in this world when I look around I have more questions than answers. I seek out those answers in lots of places, but rarely is my first thought to go into your Word for it. Forgive me for that. Give me a love and a trust in your Word that won’t fail me. Give me a hunger and thirst for you through the Scriptures you have given me. Give me the courage to change my schedule and to make time to dive into your Word deeply.
Amen