12 Oxen
“The Lord said to him [Elijah], ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimsha you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
“’It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.’
“So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shapat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him.
“He left 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?’
“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. 1 Kings19:15-21
Elijah had been directed by the Lord to anoint three people (two were to be kings that God would use to fulfil His future plans) and the third anointing was Elisha. When Elijah took his mantle (his only coat) and threw it over Elisha’s shoulders it was symbolic that Elisha would become Elijah’s successor.
By killing his oxen, Elisha made a strong statement of commitment to follow Elijah. With out them he could not return to his life as a wealthy farmer. This was more than a typical feast among farmers, it was an offering of thanks to the Lord for choosing him as prophet..
Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
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NOTES: I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place before, of specific prophecies; and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.
The Five Solas: Individuals are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone to the glory of God alone!
Find my full statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (where you will also find a series of Bible studies). For the books, go to Amazon books. For prayer requests/ updates, email: darlenerichard@gmail.com