1 Kings 19:21, commentary and pictures

Elisha went back from Elijah, took his yoke of oxen and killed them, boiled the meat with the wood of their yokes and gear, shared it with the people for a farewell meal, then left home to follow Elijah and serve him in humble personal attendance. He was plowing in his field when the call came, and he was given leave to go home to decide for himself before he followed. His answer was wholehearted and decisive, without hesitation or turning back to comforts and worldly advantage, because he prized being with Elijah and serving as God's messenger above all else. The call from the plow shows that the Lord calls men from common work like farming to His appointed service, and that faithful daily labor trains them for it. His first work was lowly ministry under Elijah, learning submission and service under God's direction until he was fitted to succeed him, which is the pattern for experienced workers to train younger workers by close companionship and growing responsibility. As Elisha left plow and field to open the mysteries of the kingdom, so William Miller was called to leave his farm to unfold the prophecies to the second advent, and so the Lord still calls ordinary workers and youth from humble daily work to proclaim the truth whatever the sacrifice.

Farewell Meal and Departure

Elisha turned back from following Elijah, took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them, boiled their flesh using the wooden farm implements as fuel, gave the food to the people and they ate, and then he arose and went after Elijah and ministered to him. His slaughtering of the oxen, breaking up of the farming equipment to prepare the meat, and sharing of the meal expressed decisive acceptance of the divine call without hesitation and without holding back for worldly advantage. His leaving of work with the oxen, preparing a meal for the people, and then following Elijah to serve him shows readiness to leave former work and life and to answer the call of God.

His departure began with a feast at home before he entered upon humble personal attendance on Elijah. That attendance included pouring water on Elijah's hands, illustrating that work done wholeheartedly for God, however small, is acceptable to Him. Such humble, willing service is open to everyone who claims to be a child of God.

When the call came he was at work plowing and following his oxen in the field of his labor. He was given opportunity to return home to decide for himself whether to accept or reject the call. He valued the opportunity to serve as God's messenger and to be with Elijah more than any worldly advantage.

Wholehearted Acceptance of Call

He slaughtered his oxen and cooked their flesh with the wooden farm implements, shared the meal with the people, and then left his beloved home to go after Elijah and minister to him, accepting the call decisively without hesitation or holding back for worldly advantage. In that leaving he did not look back upon the pleasures and comforts he was abandoning. Having been given opportunity to return home and decide for himself, he counted serving as God's messenger and being with Elijah as worth more than any worldly advantage.

His course shows readiness to leave former work and life behind, giving up his occupation with the oxen to enter God's service when called. That readiness was obedience to God rather than acting merely because another man had asked. It is the pattern for answering God's call to duty and for leaving ordinary work to proclaim the truth and become His attendant, even when doing so requires sacrifice.

The mantle cast upon him marked his consecration to a solemn work and to the prophetic office. Called while following his oxen in the field, he left his plow to open to the people the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

God Calls Ordinary Workers

Elisha's leaving his work with the oxen to follow Elijah and minister to him shows that the Lord calls people from ordinary occupations into appointed service and guides them in their field of labor and methods of service. The call from the plow illustrates that God can call people from ordinary work, including plowing, farming, and vineyard work, to proclaim the truth and carry His message throughout the world.

His humble labor as a plowman was part of the training that prepared him for service in God's cause, and his leaving the plow to answer God's call and serve Elijah shows that such preparation comes through ordinary work. Active service for God is compatible with humble, everyday occupations done diligently, and God's servants are to be diligent and prepared in the duties they are given. As a plowman trained in agricultural work, he illustrates that Israel's greatest men were trained in practical occupations.

The call to serve God can come to people of learning and position, but separation from God and yielding to worldly influence can make them unfit for it. Elijah's mantle upon Elisha marked consecration to a solemn work, and in contrast to learned and prominent men who rejected it, God honors those who are humble and trust fully in Him. God instead raises up those taught by His Spirit, since outward education supplies only external qualifications.

The plow belongs to the experience of those who seek eternal life, since following God involves practical, living principles carried into daily life. The episode reflects the spirituality seen in the schools of the prophets that is to be recovered and brought into schools now. That spirituality means the truths of the Bible are earnestly studied, rightly brought before the mind and thoughtfully dwelt upon, giving desire for what is infinitely higher than worldly amusement. As students draw near to God and become partakers of the divine nature, earth-born amusements sink into nothingness, their minds take a higher turn, and beholding the character of Jesus they strive to be like Him.

Trained Under Experienced Mentor

After leaving the plow and the farewell meal, his first work was humble personal ministry to the prophet, by which he became familiar with the work in which he would later have a leading part. His service was different in character from Elijah's, yet both were working for the Lord. His willing service under Elijah was an education in submission and service under God's direction. That early training under God's direction prepared him to succeed Elijah and to guide Israel in safe paths.

Elijah's taking him from the plow is the pattern for an experienced worker giving a younger worker opportunity to learn by accompanying him and working closely with him. Inexperienced workers are to learn ministry by close association with experienced servants of God, first being entrusted with small responsibilities and then with greater ones as they gain strength and experience. Ministers are thus to train young men to teach the truth and to carry the work forward, educating and preparing them to teach others.

Pattern for Miller and Today

As Elisha left his oxen and the field of his labor to follow Elijah, so William Miller was called by God to leave his farm to unfold to the people the mysteries of the kingdom of God and carry them down through the prophecies to the second advent of Christ. The call came while Elisha was following his oxen in the field, to receive the mantle of consecration to the prophetic office and to open to the people the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In the same way Miller was called to leave his plow and lead his hearers step by step through the prophetic periods to the second appearing of Christ.

The same leaving of ordinary work answers the call to proclaim the truth whatever the sacrifice. Those so called may be appointed from everyday occupations such as plowing or vineyard work to carry God's message throughout the world. Like Elisha they may begin laboring simply and quietly by explaining the Scriptures to others.

The Lord still takes men from the plow into His service, as He took Elisha. Ordinary working people are called from humble positions and everyday work to have a part in His service and in the closing work. Young people are taken from their ordinary work and sent to proclaim the truth with faith in God. A great work must be done in a short time, and the Lord will give those taken from the plow a part in it.