Elijah and Elisha

Bible Passage:  1 Kings 19:-19-21; 2 Kings 2:1-10

This is a familiar story of the mentor – Elijah and his disciple – Elisha.

A story that is told so often, I think we know all there is to know about today’s passage already.  So I would be brief but say this:  There is still much for us to learn from the devotion showed by Elisha to his master Elijah.

Devotion is quite an outdated concept nowadays.

We find very few people who are completely loyal to their calling, duties or people.  We live in a society where we are only devoted to ourselves.  Most of the time we only do things because it benefits us, and does not cause as any great inconvenience.

But Elisha was very different.

Elisha left his work as a farmer, left his parents and went to follow Elijah and finally replaced someone who was, in the eyes of many, simply irreplaceable.

Now we read about the beginning of the end of Elijah… we will soon bid him farewell as he will go up to the skies….

Everyone knew this would happen.  Everyone… including Elisha.

But Elisha could not bear to be parted from his master.  For 3 times in 2 Kings 2, it was written:

“חַי-יְהוָה וְחֵי-נַפְשְׁךָ אִם-אֶעֶזְבֶךָּ”

 “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!”

2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6

I did not suddenly become a Hebrew expert but I was playing with a Hebrew Bible software that someone showed me and I found that what Elisha said in about 14 words was expressed in only 6 words in Hebrew.  Let’s break it down…

Did you see the translation?

Loyal… Devotion… Completely…

It gives me the idea that Elisha was completely loyal and devoted to his master.  So much so that he will not leave him, even if the end is near… even if you are 1oo percent sure that there is no way to come back.

And the loyalty of Elisha here was not just to his master, but also to his creator – our Lord God.

How many of us can claim we are 100 percent devoted to God today?

Not many.

And I am certainly no where near today :'(