Elijah had been the greatest prophet to God’s people since Moses. And at the time of his death, his apprentice Elijah makes a request that maybe sounds a little greedy to us.

What Elisha was asking for wasn’t to be twice the prophet Elijah was; he was asking for the normal birthright of a firstborn son. In other words, he desired to be Elijah’s successor, a true ‘man of God.’ Elijah doesn’t know if that is God’s plan or not, but he knows his time is done, so he leaves the question of succession between God and Elisha. When Elijah’s robe falls to the ground and Elisha picks it up, it seems clear this is God’s intention.

Elijah and now Elisha are unique prophets because they are allowed to bring healing and perform miracles of their own accord. In Chapter 4, Elisha solves the issue of the widow’s poverty and raises the woman’s son to life without asking God’s permission. Contrast this with the ‘group of prophets’ in 4:1 who could have easily come together to help the widow of one of their own, but evidently didn’t get a word from the Lord on that and evidently didn’t feel compelled to help this widow without it.

There is an important lesson for us here because we all have gifts that we’ve been given to bring a piece of heaven to earth in some way. God expects us to use them without having to be prompted to do what’s right. Too often we know in our heart what God wants us to do but we wait for a sign, when the truth of the matter is, if we are not engaged in sin we are honoring God. So if the thing you’re waiting for a sign on does not violate the greatest commandment – love God and love people – then maybe it isn’t about waiting for God to tell you what to do. Maybe it’s about taking a lesson from Elisha and simply doing the thing.

Questions for reflection:

  1. Elisha had Elijah to learn from. Who are the people in your life who can offer wise counsel? Thank God for those people in your life, and if you can’t identify them, ask God to bring someone into your life to learn from.
  2. What gifts has God given you that you need to use more often? How can you seek out opportunities to use those gifts?