| REPLACING A LEGEND |
| Who could follow the great Eljah? |
| When they had crossed, Ellijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. 2:9 |
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| When a prophet like Elijah leaves the scene, who will dare to take his place? As time came to choose a successor, Elijah looked to someone out of a different mold. He settled on his most faithful companion, a farmer named Elisha. Similar Names but Different Styles The slight variance in the two men's names expresses their difference in style. Elijah, whose name meant "The Lord is my God," dueled a king and the priests of Baal in dramatic confrontations of power. He lived apart from the people and preached judgment and the need for repentence. Elisha ("God is salvation") shifted the emphasis. He lived among people, preferring the poor and outcast, and stressed life, hope, and God's grace. All social classes had access to Elisha, from lowly widows to foreign kings. His colorful life included work as a spy, a miracleworker, an adviser to the king. a leader of a school of prophets, and an anointer of revolutionaries. Elisha traveled widely, and his bald head and wooden walking staff became his trademarks. News of his miracles spread, making him a famous national figure for 50 years. As Elisha lay on his deathbed, the distraught king of Israel knelt beside him, asking for one last word of advice. Serving the People and the Kingdom Elisha's exploits fall roughly into two categories, and the Bible seems to group them that way. One set of stories concerns people with evident needs. Elisha showed a deep sensitivity for the suffering and distressed, and sometimes |