Elijah was not a biological parent to
Elisha, but he was his spiritual father. (Elisha calls Elijah his father twice
in 2 Kings 2:12.) Just before Elijah was taken to heaven, Elisha asked for a
double portion of Elijah’s spirit to be upon him. In essence, he was asking to
walk in twice the anointing that Elijah walked in. Elijah could have taken
offense at this, but instead, like a loving father, he helped Elisha obtain it.
Elisha’s double anointing can be seen in a
couple of ways. First, he did many of the same things Elijah did, but to a greater
extent. Elijah prophesied a three and half year drought in Israel; Elisha
prophesied a seven-year drought. Elijah primarily counseled or confronted one
king; Elisha counseled or confronted multiple kings. Elijah was visited by an
angel when he fled from his enemy Jezebel; Elisha was surrounded by an entire
angelic army when he was hunted by the Arameans.
Second, Malachi 4:6 and Luke 1:17 say that
the primary function of the spirit of Elijah is turning the hearts of the
fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. In other words, it
acts as a relational bridge between two generations. Elijah laid the foundation
for this ministry by taking Elisha under his wing and mentoring him to become
his replacement. Elisha then built upon this foundation by investing heavily
into the next generation, just as Elijah invested in him.
Throughout Elisha’s ministry, we see him
spending time and ministering side by side with “the sons of the prophets.” (ex.
2 Kings 2:15, 4:1, 6:1, and 9:1) In fact, some of his finest miracles were
performed in service to them. He supernaturally provided oil as a source of
income to one of their widows. He miraculously cleansed their food when they
all shared a meal (2 Kings 4). He helped one of them recover a borrowed ax head
(2 Kings 6). Clearly, they were a tight-knit group that shared a great deal of
affection for one another.
Spiritual fathering can work the same way
today. Sometimes God provides spiritual fathers of different types of
ministries or spiritual gifts. Then they equip their sons to function
similarly, only with an even greater anointing, and to equip others after them.
What Did Elijah Do?
How did Elijah father Elisha? He modeled
godly ministry to him. He did this by leading Elisha to a series of
destinations where Elisha could learn by example. We are not told specifically what
happened at these destinations, but I believe their names hold the answer. The
destinations were Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan River. Let’s briefly
look at each one.
Gilgal. Gilgal is best known as the place where God instructed
all the Israelites to circumcise themselves in Joshua 5. Here, Elijah taught
Elisha to cut away his old self-serving nature and consecrate himself fully to
be used by the Lord.
Bethel. Bethel means house of God and is perhaps best known as a
place of God’s presence where Jacob saw angels ascending and descending to
heaven in Genesis 28. Here, Elijah taught Elisha how to recognize, function in,
and steward the presence of God so he could better know Him and make Him known
to others.
Jericho. Jericho is typical of a stronghold of the enemy, known as
the first stronghold Israel encountered in the Promise Land in Joshua 6. Here,
Elijah taught Elisha how to stand in bold faith against a stronghold of the
enemy and believe God for its complete destruction.
The Jordan River. The Jordan River, like baptism,
represents death. The Jordan is where John the Baptist baptized and it is also
where the younger generation of Israelites was baptized as a nation, similar to
how the older generation had been baptized in the Red Sea. Here, Elijah taught
Elisha to voluntarily submit to death and suffering for the sake of others’
salvation.
Just as Elijah led Elisha, it is likewise
the calling of some spiritual fathers and mothers to lead their sons and
daughters through one or more of these milestones.
Next
The goal of any godly parent is the spiritual maturity of his children. But what exactly is spiritual maturity? How does the Bible define it? We’ll find out in the next two chapters.