Day 102 - Elijah and Elisha

Danielle Sapienza & Emily Green

“Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abelmeholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!” 19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.” 21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.” - 1 Kings 19:15-21 NLT

The next mentor-mentee relationship we will look at together is Elijah and Elisha. To better understand the context of the verses we’re looking at today, I encourage you to read all of 1 Kings 19.

After going into hiding, Elijah converses with God, and God gives him specific instructions on where to go and who to anoint to see change. Elisha, who would eventually replace Elijah as God’s prophet, is included on the list of those to anoint. While there’s more to Elijah and Elisha’s story than these few verses in 1 Kings 19, a fundamental idea of mentorship is introduced in this story: replacement.

God told Elijah that Elisha would eventually be his replacement (1 Kings 19:16). Therefore, Elijah had to invest in Elisha and teach him his ways. While we may not consider the people we mentor to be our “replacements” in our jobs, families, or friend groups, it is an excellent thought to think that as we mentor others, we are replicating ourselves. This begs the question: Is my lifestyle worth replicating?

While mentoring others is a great joy, it is also a great responsibility. If you’re looking to become a mentor to someone else, you have to ensure that what you’re passing on is good. How’s your character? How’s your lifestyle? How’s your soul? When we mentor others and do life with them, we pour ourselves into them, which means we reap what we sow.

Mentorship is, in one way or another, training up a replacement, a replica of who we are. Therefore, we should strive our best to live a life worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1) and then replicate that life by mentoring others!

Next Steps

  • Think about it: Is my current lifestyle something I’d want to pass on to others?

  • Think about it: What is an area where I can get better so I can help others get better, too?

  • Action Step: Write a list of qualities in yourself that you’d like to pass on to those you mentor.