Chapter 17—The Call of Elisha
God had bidden Elijah anoint another to be prophet in his stead.
“Elisha the son of Shaphat ... shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy
room” (
1 Kings 19:16
), He had said; and in obedience to the command,
Elijah went to find Elisha. As he journeyed northward, how changed
was the scene from what it had been only a short while before! Then
the ground was parched, the farming districts unworked, for neither
dew nor rain had fallen for three and a half years. Now on every hand
vegetation was springing up as if to redeem the time of drought and
famine.
Elisha’s father was a wealthy farmer, a man whose household were
among the number that in a time of almost universal apostasy had not
bowed the knee to Baal. Theirs was a home where God was honored
and where allegiance to the faith of ancient Israel was the rule of daily
life. In such surroundings the early years of Elisha were passed. In
the quietude of country life, under the teaching of God and nature
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and the discipline of useful work, he received the training in habits of
simplicity and of obedience to his parents and to God that helped to fit
him for the high position he was afterward to occupy.
The prophetic call came to Elisha while, with his father’s servants,
he was plowing in the field. He had taken up the work that lay nearest.
He possessed both the capabilities of a leader among men and the
meekness of one who is ready to serve. Of a quiet and gentle spirit,
he was nevertheless energetic and steadfast. Integrity, fidelity, and the
love and fear of God were his, and in the humble round of daily toil
he gained strength of purpose and nobleness of character, constantly
increasing in grace and knowledge. While co-operating with his father
in the home-life duties, he was learning to co-operate with God.
By faithfulness in little things, Elisha was preparing for weightier
trusts. Day by day, through practical experience, he gained a fitness
for a broader, higher work. He learned to serve; and in learning
this, he learned also how to instruct and lead. The lesson is for all.
None can know what may be God’s purpose in His discipline; but
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