Commentary - 1 Kings 19:19-21

Bird's-eye view

In this brief but potent account, we see the sovereign hand of God orchestrating the transfer of the prophetic office. Elijah, having just received his marching orders from God at Horeb, is now on mission. This is not simply about finding a replacement; it is about the continuation of God's covenant purposes for Israel. The prophet may change, but the prophetic word endures. Elisha is called from a life of considerable substance and responsibility into a life of radical, self-denying service. His response is immediate, decisive, and total. This passage serves as a powerful illustration of the nature of divine calling and the cost of true discipleship, themes that echo right into the New Testament.

The scene is earthy and grounded. We move from the supernatural drama of the mountain of God to the mundane reality of a man plowing his field. This is how God works. He breaks into our ordinary lives with extraordinary callings. Elisha's story is a testament to the fact that when God calls, He provides the grace to leave everything behind, not with a spirit of grim resignation, but with a celebratory farewell that burns the ships and plows of the old life for good.

Outline

The Text

19 So he went from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him.

Elijah's obedience is the first thing to note. Fresh from his encounter with God, he simply goes. God said "anoint Elisha," and so Elijah went to find him. God's word is sufficient warrant. And God, who issued the call, knew exactly where Elisha was. This was no chance meeting. Elisha is found hard at work, plowing. The detail about the twelve pairs of oxen is not incidental filler. This tells us Elisha was a man of significant wealth and standing. He was not a disaffected youth looking for a cause. He was a pillar of his community, overseeing a large agricultural operation. He himself is with the twelfth pair, indicating he is not just the owner but a hands-on manager, leading from the rear. He is a man of substance and responsibility, the very kind of man God often calls to leave it all behind.

Then comes the decisive act. Elijah threw his mantle on him. The mantle was the symbol of the prophetic office, the visible sign of Elijah's authority and anointing from God. This was not an invitation to an interview. It was a divine draft notice. The action is abrupt, symbolic, and powerful. In this single gesture, Elisha's life is irrevocably altered. The authority of God, represented by that simple garment, lands on his shoulders, and everything changes.

20 So he forsook the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”

Elisha's reaction is immediate. He leaves the oxen, a fortune in themselves, and runs after the prophet. He understands the gravity of what just happened. His request to say farewell to his parents is not a sign of hesitation, as some might mistakenly think by comparing it to the would-be disciple in Luke 9. Rather, it is the request of an honorable son seeking to rightly conclude his affairs and fulfill the fifth commandment before embarking on his new life. He is not looking for an excuse to delay; he is seeking to depart well.

Elijah's response, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?" is a profound test. It can be read as, "Go, but understand the significance of what just occurred. Do you realize that this was not my initiative? This mantle represents a call from God Himself. The implications are total. Go back to your family, but do not go back to your old life, because that life is over." Elijah throws the weight of the decision back onto Elisha, forcing him to count the cost and own the call for himself.

21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.

Elisha's actions prove he understood the test perfectly. He returns, but not to resume his work. He takes his own pair of oxen, the very instruments of his livelihood, and slaughters them. This is a sacrifice, a consecration of his past life to God. But he goes even further. He boils their flesh with the implements of the oxen. He burns the plow. He destroys the tools of his trade. This is an act of radical, irreversible commitment. There is no plan B. He cannot go back to plowing because he has just turned his plow into firewood. This is the Old Testament equivalent of burning your ships on the shore.

And what does he do with this farewell barbecue? He gives it to the people. This is a public declaration, a covenant meal shared with his community. He is making his departure known to all. His old life has ended, and he invites his neighbors to feast on its remains. Having settled his affairs with finality, he then arose and followed Elijah. And notice how his new life begins: he ministered to him. The wealthy landowner, the man in charge of twelve teams of oxen, becomes a servant to God's prophet. True discipleship begins with humble service.

Key Issues

Application

The call of God on a person's life is not a polite suggestion. It is a sovereign summons that reorders everything. For Elisha, it came in the form of a hairy mantle thrown over his shoulders while he was doing his job. For us, it comes through the preaching of the gospel, which calls us out of our old lives of plowing for ourselves and into the service of the kingdom of God.

Elisha's response is the model for all true disciples. He did not hedge his bets. He did not keep his plow in the barn just in case the prophet thing didn't work out. He made a clean, decisive, and public break with his former life. This is what repentance looks like. It is a turning away from the old that is so complete that there is no possibility of return. We are called to "burn our plows," to put to death the tools and ambitions of our old life of sin and self-reliance.

Finally, we see that this new life begins with service. Elisha, a man of great standing, humbled himself to become Elijah's assistant. In the kingdom of God, the way up is down. Before we can exercise any authority, we must first learn to serve. The call of Christ is a call to leave our nets, our tax booths, our plows, and to follow Him. It is a call to a new identity, a new Master, and a new mission, beginning with the simple, humble work of ministering to Him and His people.