“So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant” (1 Kings 19:21 NLT).
God directed Elijah to anoint a prophet from behind a plow. He didn’t send him to a finishing school for prophets, but to a farm where Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him. His father must’ve been wealthy to have so many servants plowing with twelve teams. Yet, when Elijah came by and threw his mantle upon him, he left everything to follow. Elisha even made a barbecue of his own oxen team, using the wooden plow for fuel, and fed his father’s house before leaving. This showed not only his joy at answering God’s call, but also the total relinquishment of his former life, as he left behind plow and primogeniture to follow as Elijah’s servant.
The calling of Elisha is similar to the calling of Jesus’ disciples. They too left everything to follow Jesus and to become His servants. Even more, it is similar to the way Jesus left His Father’s house in heaven to become a servant, even humbling Himself to die on a cross for us.
Jesus warned that “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Have you butchered the oxen and burned the plow of your former life, so that you are free to fully follow Christ as His devoted servant?
PRAYER: Dear Father, forgive us when we try to negotiate with You, committing with our mouths to follow Your Son, yet looking back with our eyes to our former life. We therefore pull our eyes off of the things of the is world and put them on Your Son, Jesus. He is the object of our desire and praise. Strengthen us to seek to please Him in all things. In His name we pray, amen.