Why Elisha Received a Double Anointing
Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s anointing because….
1) He asked for it. God had already appointed him (1 Kings 19:16) to be Elijah’s successor, but Elisha didn’t just want to be head of the prophets, he wanted to maximize his effectiveness.
2) He made it a top priority; he left his “farming” business (1 Kings 19:19)—killing the oxen and roasting them with the fire made from his plowing equipment. No turning back; no Plan B.
3) He followed Elijah everywhere he went (2 Kings 2:2-6) : to Bethel (a place of worship); to Jericho (a place of obedience); and to the Jordan River (a place of dying to self; a new beginning in the spirit). Yep. We gotta do all three—worship, obey, and die to our way of doing things.
4) He received his new anointing by faith. Elisha’s first miracle was to part the Jordan River… just as Elijah had done earlier: “Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.” (2 Kings 2: 13-14 NLT).
While many of us ask today, “Where is the God of Elijah?”, God is surely asking, “Where are the Elijah’s and Elisha’s of yesteryear who will pay the price for my anointing?” I’m ready, how about you? Let’s put Him to the test.