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Lessons from the life of Elijah the Prophet — how God prepares His servants.
Excerpt - Principles which test the soul as to reality before the eye of God are set forth in the story we find in the last few verses of 1 Kings 19 and in Luke 9:61,62.
It is interesting to observe that in some portions of the Word of God the Spirit of God condenses much truth, while in others He gives more general histories.
In the passages before us, we are brought into the very heart of God's ways in preparing the soul for the new and final order of the kingdom of God.
"And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:61,62).
"So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him" (1 Kings 19:19-21).
There is a special connection between these two portions of Scripture, the subject of both being "fitness" for the kingdom of God.
It has been said that one who undertakes to go forth and preach the gospel, but turns back, is not fit for the kingdom of God. This may be a cursory deduction, but it does not rise to the full meaning of the passage. Service is not the issue here, though it surely is involved.
The Word of God declares, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). The terms to man are simple, but how dear was the debt our Savior paid in order that we might have life.
Life has the property of manifesting itself after its kind. This will be seen in the verses we are considering.
"So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth" (1 Kings 19:19).
There is something very special and rare in contacting an empty vessel, a man or woman who has been in the presence of God as to his sins, one who has been plowing, digging deep, securing a good foundation upon which to build for eternity. This, beloved, is what is meant by fitness for the kingdom of God.
Is not the kingdom of God in its full, final condition a vast order of which the Holy Son of God, who is the Son of man, is the Head?
This eternal kingdom has a moral character described as "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). Only those who are born from above can enter it (John 3:3).
Christ is Son over this, God's own house the universe of God, where He is the Light and the Sun, the central Object who fills the entire scene with blessing. The souls who have been fitted participate in this kingdom (Col. 1:12,13).
Is my profession of this kingdom real? Is there faith in Christ? Do I dare live an unreal life when the consequences are eternal? Do I dare deceive myself into a false security, hiding under traditions?
Do my habits and deportment betray that at heart I am part and parcel of this world, even while breaking bread with saints gathered to the blessed name of the Lord Jesus Christ?
As Elijah passed through the country, he found Elisha plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him and Elisha with the twelfth. Plowing figures repentance. "He with the twelfth" would suggest that the end of the dispensation of law had come and a new order was in the offing.
"The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it" (Luke 16:16). John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord by preaching repentance. He was the "Elias, which was for to come" (Matt. 11:14).
The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of how he had insisted upon two main themes while among them, "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).
Surely there is no permanent foundation without true repentance toward the God whom we have offended. Have we bowed our souls before Him, confessing our sins?
Repentance is more than an act. It becomes a state of soul in which I abhor myself and adore my precious Savior. In this I give evidence of fitness for the kingdom of God.
Those who hold the greatest amount of truth will be held most responsible for the truth entrusted to them. This is not only a corporate, but an individual, responsibility.
The highest testimony ever placed in the hands of men is that which has been given to the saints. Have we carelessly forgotten what lies beneath this testimony and what empowers the soul so that a true testimony will result?
Would it be in keeping with the character of the kingdom to publicly set forth lovely doctrines while I lead my family into the world?
It is much better to be humbled before God. "He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope" (Lam. 3:29).