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
When Elijah first calls Elisha, he calls him to discipleship. Elisha is to be a servant and follower of the holy man, Elijah.
Like Elijah and Elisha, you and I are called to follow—to leave behind earthly priorities and have Jesus claim us as his own. As that happens over time and not just suddenly, there are plenty of disappointments and hardships to experience. Elisha refers us to the abundance of God’s graciousness when God provides the oxen with which he then fed the people.
Let us recognize daily God’s abundant gifts and receive the cloak of generosity, even as Elijah gave his cloak to Elisha. Be clothed in the abundant goodness of God today and share it with everyone you meet.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, turn us daily from the world’s values and towards your values. Help us to pass on to the next generation the role of a prophet and the courage to be one. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.