Substance of the Call of Elisha

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on Elijah's act of casting his mantle upon Elisha. Martin describes the scene, emphasizing Elijah's well-known reputation and appearance, and explains that…

Describes the fertile valley where Elisha was plowing, named 'Valley of the Dance,' likely due to joyful harvest celebrations, setting the scene for Elijah's dramatic appearance.

Here the man Elisha is out sometime during the work day of an Israelite plowing in this very fertile valley that is just a little bit west of the Jordan River, a valley that apparently was so fertile that it was named Valley of the Dance, probably an illusion to the fact that each harvest time, there was dancing with great joy as the harvest was brought in. And over the brow or the knoll of a hill comes a man whose reputation has gone throughout all Israel. A man who by his very appearance can never, can never be simply another person in a crowd.

6:17 - 7:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on Elijah's act of casting his mantle upon Elisha. Martin describes the scene, emphasizing Elijah's well-known reputation and appearance, and explains that…

The king's ability to identify Elijah solely by the description of his hairy garment and leather girdle illustrates Elijah's unique and widely recognized appearance and reputation.

For we read in the second king's passage that this king was able to identify this messenger simply by a brief description, he was a man with a hairy mantle and with a leather girdle about his loins. And the king says, we know who it is, there's only one such character that has those marks upon him, and who speaks in the name of Jehovah, it must be Elijah the Tishbite. Now remember, not only were the peculiarities of his dress, what we might call his social oddities well known, but this is the man you remember whose reputation as a man of God, but this is the man you remember whose reputation a...

7:01 - 7:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on Elijah's act of casting his mantle upon Elisha. Martin describes the scene, emphasizing Elijah's well-known reputation and appearance, and explains that…

Recalls Elijah's reputation as the man whose prayers locked up heaven and who slew hundreds of false prophets, emphasizing the awe and authority he commanded.

The man who stuck the key as it were in his own pocket and said until I pray again and my word comes from Jehovah, the heavens are locked according to my word. This is the man you remember who had by his own hands slain hundreds of false prophets. So you don't receive a man like this as any ordinary man.

7:45 - 8:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on Elijah's act of casting his mantle upon Elisha. Martin describes the scene, emphasizing Elijah's well-known reputation and appearance, and explains that…

Martin expresses a personal wish to have been hidden behind a tree to witness the reaction of the plowmen to Elijah's arrival, enhancing the vividness of the narrative.

Thank you christians who have stricthay and this world week mortgage on secrets now. The make the request to ruin the world. But we fit to turn this around in order to get here someplace in your, any place that God and neighbor, And as Elijah is out doing his work in the course of obedience to his Father, and in the obedience to its God, who said six days I shall tell labor, this man, whom everyone in Israel would recognize and know whose reputation had gone before him, not as a promotional technique of Madison Avenue, but simply as the report of what he was as a man before God. over the brow ...

8:12 - 8:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on Elijah's act of casting his mantle upon Elisha. Martin describes the scene, emphasizing Elijah's well-known reputation and appearance, and explains that…

Imagines the eleven other plowmen freezing in 'awesome silence' as Elijah walks by, illustrating the profound impact of Elijah's presence as Jehovah's representative.

was indeed Israel's God, and that Jehovah in a very real sense was not only the husband, but the owner of Israel. This man comes over the knoll of the hill. He walks by the first eleven plowers, and I personally, though the text does not tell us, I cannot imagine that they simply went on plowing, that they went on talking to one another and speaking about the weather. I can just picture the whole scene at the moment they recognize this man with his mantle of hair and his leather girdle. The moment he comes into view, they freeze in an awesome silence.

9:30 - 10:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on Elijah's act of casting his mantle upon Elisha. Martin describes the scene, emphasizing Elijah's well-known reputation and appearance, and explains that…

Compares Elijah's rough outer garment to a painter's or cooking smock, helping the audience visualize the simple, functional nature of his prophetic attire.

Here comes the man who in a sense carries God with him, the man who prays and the heavens are shut, the man who prays and the heavens are opened, the man who in the name of the God of Israel slays false prophets. Then he passes over and comes into the physical proximity of Elisha, and suddenly he stops, and he takes off this rough outer garment which was probably simply the skin of animals with the hair left on it and some holes cut out so he could stick his hands through it like an armless smock, sort of like the painter's smock or the cooking smock that your mother may wear.

10:08 - 10:49 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I'm going to burn my bridges behind me.

Martin's brother-in-law, a dairy farmer, knows each cow by name, personality, and even milking quirks, illustrating the deep attachment a farmer has to his animals, making Elisha's sacrifice of his oxen more poignant.

he took the yoke of oxen and slew them and he took the yoke when they see him going to these oxen who served him so well perhaps for days or years and you who know anything about farms know the deep attachment between a farmer and his animals my brother-in-law is a dairy farmer and not only does he have a name for every cow it's an interesting thing every cow has its own personality and if you know anything about dairy farming a dairy farmer not only knows every cow by name and all of its quirks but a cow's udder you know is divided into four sections from which she's milked and they know even...

25:45 - 26:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I'm going to burn my bridges behind me.

The phrase 'burn my bridges behind me' is used to explain Elisha's destruction of his plowing equipment, signifying his irreversible commitment to his new calling.

I'm going to burn my bridges behind me you see he didn't take the yoke and put it in storage or mothballs in case things got a little bit too hot out there in the prophetic business he didn't take his oxen and put them in a stall somewhere and tell the other servants keep them fed and exercise them you know if things don't work out too well and I'm not too much of a success in my new role I'll be back again no no the knife is in the throat the death twitches seize upon the oxen and it isn't long before they're eating them I say this was the fire of renunciation here was a man who is saying reg...

28:43 - 29:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third expression is the 'feast of confession,' where Elisha shares the roasted oxen with the people. This public feast serves as an open declaration of his commitment to God's…

The story of Levi the publican making a great feast after Jesus called him is used as a New Testament parallel to Elisha's feast of confession, highlighting the public declaration of new allegiance.

unqualified unreserved commitment to that revelation of the will of God and so in a very real sense this is the Old Testament parallel to the feast of Levi the publican in the New Testament do you remember what happened when the Lord called him as recorded in Luke chapter 5 in Luke chapter 5 and he said I'm going to the Lord Jesus comes and passes by this man Levi we read in verse 27 of Luke 5 after these things he went forth and beheld the publican named Levi sitting at the place of toll and said unto him follow me and he left all

32:24 - 33:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Are you not only prepared but are you even praying for the kiss of separation?

Imagines parents naming their son 'Elisha' (Jehovah his salvation) in a time of Baal worship, illustrating the deep desire for their child to serve God, making the 'blissful pain' of separation understandable.

of the kiss of separation you say pastor you're mixing the wrong words how can pain be bliss well put yourself in the house of Shaphat your soul burns with righteous anger as you see the Baal worship all around you so when your first son is born what do you name him you name him Jehovah his salvation so that wherever you go amongst these wicked Baal worshipers and they say oh you've got a cute little boy there what's his name they could say with burning conviction Elisha Jehovah his salvation and then they pray for him they seek to rear him into the man that under the blessing of God he became

37:32 - 38:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Are you like Elisha in your present sphere of God revealed calling, are you hitched up to your plow or is your heart hitched to your plow as well?

A hypothetical interview with Gehazi and Elisha an hour before Elisha's call contrasts their external appearances of wealth and poverty with their true internal dispositions, revealing Gehazi's materialism despite his outward 'preacher boy' image.

imagine one hour before Elijah comes if we could get the man to Hazi and Elisha and stand them up together for a little interview maybe channel 5 is going to do a little interview or channel 2 or some other channel so we're going to interview these two men now you remember Gehazi was the man who later on became Elisha's servant and he's that rascal that after the Lord had healed Naaman the Syrian Naaman the Syrian I got it backwards Naaman the Syrian and Elisha would not take any money for it you remember he ran after him he was covetous he loved things and he was he said oh well my master's g...

41:57 - 42:41 Read in full sermon

The point: You don't even enroll in the kindergarten of true Christianity until you've come to the posture of Elisha.

The man in Luke 9 who wanted to 'bury his father' (meaning live with him until he died) is used to illustrate how people hide behind apparent duties to avoid the rigorous claims of Christ.

I remind you of our Lord's words to that man who said oh yes Lord you're calling me but bid me go back and bury my father you say wasn't that terrible the Lord didn't go back and bury his father no if the father had died that day he'd already been buried there in Israel they buried him the same day what he's saying is let me go back and live with my dad long enough until he dies you've heard people say I'm going to go live with so and so until I bury my father he's not yet dead what they mean is I'm going to live with them until they die well this man was saying in Luke 9 there is some other t...

47:04 - 47:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that you'll have such a sight of the glory of Christ that you'll have the heart of an Elisha. Go to your grave with your heart not entwined with your plow but with the great concerns of Jehovah the God of his people…

The Pharisees' practice of dedicating money to God (Corban) to avoid supporting their parents is used to illustrate how people rationalize avoiding God's commands by creating a 'semblance of regard' for His Word.

of Jesus Christ over me and we're masters of doing that just like the Pharisees remember the Lord said honor thy father and thy mother so they had a destitute father and mother and they'd walk by him and say here mom see that hundred dollars that'd buy a lot of food wouldn't it and the poor destitute mom would say yes they'd say well I'm sorry I can't give it to you it's dedicated to God I'm going to take it up to the temple Jesus said you hypocrites you make void the word of God by your traditions and we're masters of that we rationalize that we're pursuing this career and that ambition to gl...

47:47 - 48:32 Read in full sermon

The point: If the hand of God is upon you... some of you better have a fire and a feast lest you ultimately become a demon. You better get it out of the mothballs and put a match to it.

Compares God's call to ministry to a paratrooper bailing out without a backup chute, emphasizing that God does not provide alternative plans or security nets for those He calls.

I wonder I wonder I wonder what yoke was in mothballs for how many years what oxen were in a stall somewhere and taken out to be exercised some of you were old enough to remember this and some of us will date ourselves by even reminiscing on this remember in the second world war an awful lot was made of the strategic importance of paratroopers you remember when a man would go out into his plane he would have his main chute but he'd always have a backup chute in case that main chute didn't open he wasn't going to go bouncing on the deck he had a backup chute well you know when God calls us he d...

50:00 - 50:43 Read in full sermon

The point: If the hand of God is upon you, you must make it. Making it may be apparent failure for a time, perhaps even a lengthy time.

Martin shares personal anecdotes of teachers and fellow preachers discouraging his ministry, calling it a 'waste' of talent, illustrating the kind of worldly opposition and criticism one must be prepared for.

failures in the eyes of men and I'm not being dramatic or poetic the truth is those words have been uttered in solemn secret places and I've had people say to me it's a shame you're wasting your talents in the ministry when I contemplated giving myself to this holy task as an 18 year old boy I had teachers shake their head what a shame such potential that could be used in this and that and the other and I've had preachers when we were just a little handful sit in our little cracker box

53:22 - 54:06 Read in full sermon