Elisha and the double portion

Elisha was Elijah’s disciple and successor. While Elijah appears as a solitary prophet of fire and confrontation, Elisha was a prophet close to the people, who walked among families, healed the sick, fed the hungry and showed God’s compassion even to foreigners. His name, Elisha, means “God is salvation”. The Bible records more miracles by Elisha than by any other Old Testament prophet. His ministry lasted more than fifty years, through the reigns of several kings of Israel.

The call: twelve yoke of oxen

When God told Elijah to anoint his successor, Elijah found Elisha ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, which shows that his family was prosperous. Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him, a gesture calling him into his service. Elisha asked to say goodbye to his parents. Then he took a yoke of oxen, slew them, boiled their flesh with the wood of the plough and gave it to the people. He burned his bridges: there was no turning back. He arose, went after Elijah and ministered to him (1 Kings 19:19-21).

The double portion

For years Elisha accompanied Elijah. As the day approached when Elijah would be taken up to heaven, Elijah told him three times to stay behind, but Elisha always answered: “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.” After they crossed the Jordan, Elijah asked what he should do for him. Elisha asked:

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.”

2 Kings 2:9-10

The “double portion” was the share of the inheritance belonging to the firstborn son. Elisha was asking to be Elijah’s spiritual heir. When he saw Elijah go up in the whirlwind, he took up his mantle, went back to the Jordan, struck the waters and said: “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” The waters parted, and the sons of the prophets acknowledged: “The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.”

Water healed and oil that does not run out

The men of Jericho told him the city was pleasant, but its water was bad and the land barren. Elisha threw salt into the spring and said in God’s name: “I have healed these waters.” To this day there is a spring at Jericho known as Elisha’s Spring (Ein es-Sultan).

The widow of one of the prophets cried to Elisha because a creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves. She had only a pot of oil. Elisha told her to borrow many empty vessels from her neighbours, shut herself in with her sons and fill them all from that oil. The oil kept flowing until there was not a vessel more. She sold the oil, paid the debt and lived on the rest (2 Kings 4:1-7). God multiplied the little she had, in the measure of her faith.

The Shunammite woman

In Shunem a great woman invited Elisha to eat whenever he passed by. With her husband, she built him a little chamber with a bed, a table, a stool and a candlestick so that he could rest. Elisha wanted to thank her for her hospitality and, learning that she had no son and her husband was old, told her that the following year she would embrace a son. So it happened.

Years later the boy complained of a headache in the field and died on his mother’s lap. She laid him on the prophet’s bed, shut the door and went to find Elisha, repeating in faith: “It is well.” Elisha came, prayed to the Lord, stretched himself upon the child, and the child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Elisha gave him back to his mother (2 Kings 4:8-37).

Multiplying bread

In a time of famine a man brought Elisha twenty loaves of barley. Elisha told him to give them to a hundred men. His servant objected that it was too little, but Elisha insisted: “thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.” They ate, and there was some left (2 Kings 4:42-44). Centuries later Jesus would perform a similar but far greater miracle, with five loaves for five thousand people.

Naaman the Syrian

Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Syria, a brave and honoured man, but a leper. In his house served a little Israelite girl who had been taken captive. She said to her mistress: “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.” Naaman travelled with letters from the king and great gifts.

When he reached Elisha’s house, the prophet did not even come out to meet him; he only sent a messenger: “Go and wash in Jordan seven times.” Naaman was angry: he had expected an impressive ceremony, and the rivers of Damascus seemed better to him than the Jordan. But his servants persuaded him: if the prophet had asked him to do some great thing, would he not have done it? Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan:

“Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

2 Kings 5:14

Naaman returned to Elisha and confessed: “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.” He wanted to pay him, but Elisha accepted nothing: God’s grace cannot be bought. However, his servant Gehazi ran after Naaman and asked for gifts with a lie, and received Naaman’s leprosy as punishment.

The floating axe head

The sons of the prophets were building a larger place by the Jordan. One of them lost the iron head of a borrowed axe in the water and cried out in distress. Elisha cut a stick, threw it into the water and made the iron float (2 Kings 6:1-7). God cares even about his servants’ small problems.

Chariots of fire all around

The king of Syria discovered that Elisha was revealing his military plans to the king of Israel, and sent a great army to capture him at Dothan. At dawn Elisha’s servant saw the city surrounded and was filled with fear: “Alas, my master! how shall we do?” Elisha answered: “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” He prayed: “Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.” And the servant saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 6:16-17). Then Elisha asked that the Syrians be struck blind, led them to Samaria and, instead of letting them be killed, had them fed and sent home.

Death and a final miracle

Elisha fell ill and died in old age. Some time later, some Israelites were burying a man when they saw a band of raiders coming, and threw the body into Elisha’s tomb. When it touched the prophet’s bones, the dead man revived and stood up (2 Kings 13:20-21).

Places in the story

Interesting facts

Lessons for our lives

Following God means leaving behind what holds us back. Perseverance is rewarded: Elisha did not leave Elijah. God multiplies the little we have. Hospitality opens the door to blessing. Pride can block healing: Naaman had to humble himself. Grace cannot be bought. There are more on our side than we can see. Loving the enemy disarms violence.

On the road to Jesus

Elisha’s ministry foreshadows Jesus’ in many ways. Both began their ministry at the Jordan; both multiplied bread, healed lepers, raised the dead and showed compassion to foreigners. Even their names are similar: Elisha means “God is salvation” and Jesus “the Lord saves”. But Jesus is greater. Elisha’s bones restored a dead man to life, but Elisha stayed in the grave; Jesus rose for ever and gives eternal life to all who believe in him. And just as Naaman had to humble himself and wash in the Jordan, we receive cleansing from sin not by our merits but by the grace of Christ.

In the next episode we will meet Jonah, the prophet who ran from God and ended up in the belly of a great fish.

Prayer

Lord, like Elisha, I want to follow you without looking back. Multiply the little I have and use it to bless others. Cleanse me as you cleansed Naaman, and free me from the pride that keeps me from receiving your grace. Open my eyes to see that those who are with me are more than those who are against me. Amen.