1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 (NRSV)
Read 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Verse 16Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
Verse 19So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. Verse 20He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" Verse 21He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
Devotion
Elijah, prophet of God, holed up in the entrance of a cave. Twice he reminds God that he has been zealous for God’s work and even so ... even so, ‘they’ are seeking to take his life. He wasn’t wrong about that, either. His life was in danger. So God told Elijah, “Stay and hide in the cave until you are safe, until you are sure that all the people will love you and respect your word. Then, return to the world with my blessing.”
Of course God didn’t say exactly that. To Elijah, as to us, God says, “Go, return on your way ...” and then sets Elijah about the task of raising leaders. God names two kings Elijah is to anoint, and then tells Elijah to anoint his successor Elisha. Elijah does just that – and sets for us an example of godly leadership. We are always to be about the task of finding and preparing the next generation of leaders. God’s Spirit will give them power, but we can help give words to their calls and encouragement to their footsteps.
And like Elisha, the act of following this call is a bold and courageous one. I am struck by Elisha’s burning of the oxen – he left himself no way to return to his previous life. What an act of faith!
Prayer
Gracious God, give us courage to follow with boldness and confidence. Help us leave the caves that keep us safe. Keep us from becoming so protective of our own leadership that we fail to nurture the next generation of leaders. Amen.