I Kings 19:19 “So he departed thence and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.”
In I Kings chapter 19, we find the older prophet Elijah returns and has an obvious divine appointment with the young man Elisha. It is while the unknown writer is dealing (under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit) with “Elijah alongside a field” that a person sees God tap Brother Elisha’s shoulder for sacred service. John Wesley once wrote about our text, “By that ceremony conferring upon him the office of a prophet, which God was pleased to accompany with the gifts and graces of his Spirit.”
The sister verse of I Kings 19:19 is Romans 11:29. Mark it down: The gospel ministry is not a glamorous occupation but a godly obligation. Friend, you and I can know how God takes a male and turns him towards the ministry! There are three ways a plow boy becomes a preacher man (All found in I Kings 19).
First, we notice that the mantle must be passed. This garmnet is a type of divine enlistment and empowerment. Elisha finds out right out the gate that this wasn’t his plan and he must have God’s power to accomplish it. Sadly, ours is the day where some in the pulpit don’t have Heaven’s stamp of approval though that ought to be there. The mantle must be passed!
Second, we notice that the mission must be plain. The older Elijah makes it crystal clear to the younger Elisha that the ministry isn’t about following mere humanity, but following mighty Divinity. The Bible is every man of God’s only “ROAD MAP!” The mission must be plain! Lastly, we notice that the Master must be preeminent. The fact that Elisha would slaughter the oxen and set aside forever the plowing gear tells one and all, “I’M GETTING IN THE HARNESS WITH GOD!” There’s only one way the Gospel ministry ever works, and that is it’s never about the servant but the Saviour! The Master must be preeminent.
Dr. John Hamblin
Evangelist
https://evangelistjohnnhamblin.com/
