Who was Elisha associated with in the Bible?

Answer 1

A:The Second book of Kings describes Elisha as the disciple and successor to Elijah, prophet of Israel. The succession takes place when Elijah, alone among the prophets, was honoured by being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), rather than facing a normal death. Apparently Elisha was the only witness to this event, but it seems that for no other reason than to create a sense of theatre or perhaps to convince the reader that the whirlwind was of divine origin and not merely a natural phenomenon, a chariot of fire and horses of fire passed by before Elijah was taken up.

It was in the gift of Elijah to grant his supernatural powers to his companion and protege, Elisha. There is no suggestion that either Elijah or Elisha thought of asking God whether this was to be, and Elisha soon demonstrated that he had these powers by becoming the third person, after Joshua and Elijah, to divide the waters of the Jordan.

In an episode remarkably like one earlier attributed to Elijah, Elisha made a pot of oil into one that never emptied, no matter how much was poured from it (2 Kings 4:3-7). Later, just as the woman friend in whose home Elijah was staying had accused Elijah of bringing evil that caused the death of her son, so a woman friend in whose home Elisha often stayed, accused him of deceiving her, after her son had died. And just as Elijah lay on top of the son to revive him, so Elisha lay on top of the other son to revive him (2 Kings 4:28-35). These episodes seem to be a retelling, in a slightly different context, of the stories already told about Elijah. That retelling suggests either that Elisha never really existed, or that Elijah and Elisha began in Israelite tradition as the same person, only becoming two separate people in later tradition.

Answer:

Before I answer, it is highly recommended that all read the entire Book of 2 Kings to get the correct context and facts of the story in Scripture:

Elisha had become Elijah's successor upon the great prophet being whirled away by a Chariot in the sky (heaven) to another land. He did not ascend into the 3rd heaven (Throne of God see John 3:13) as many assume and this is can be clearly read in 2 Chronicles 21:12 when Elijah writes a letter to then King Jeroham noting in verse 13 to King Jeroham of Judah of his killing his brother. He had to be alive and on Earth (probably his birth town) to do this at approximately 7 years post being taken away in the heaven (sky).

Elisha's succession was symbolized by the passing of the mantle (2 Kings 2:13-14) and confirmed by the "double portion" of the power that God gave him through His Spirit, enabling him to perform mighty miracles, such as healing poisonous waters (verses 19-22.) It should be noted that the concept of a "double portion" in Scripture normally denoted a birthright inheritance of the firstborn son in a family. It appears that Elisha's request was similar. In any case, this was not a selfish request as Elisha had already been anointed to succeed Elijah as only God chooses who will do His work-and he knew that he would need more of God's help than anyone if he were to remotely fill Elijah's shoes.

As there are several key miracles performed by Elisha, I will only mention this rare example of God's power being performed by His chosen messengers - the Prophets.

There are only a few episodes in the Old Testament where we read of a dead person being brought back to life. Elijah had raised the son of the widow of Zarephath. And now we see Elisha performing a similar miracle for one with whom he had a friendship like the one Elijah had with the Zarephathite widow.

The Shunammite woman's son, who had been miraculously conceived, suddenly died of an unexplained cause. The mother traveled to get Elisha and begged him to accompany her to her dead son, obviously fully believing that Elisha could bring him back to life - even using similar language Elisha used with Elijah - 'As the Lord lives.' Elisha, hearing these words went with the woman to her dead child and prayed to God who alone can grant life (Ps. 36:9), until the child awoke (2 Kings 4:33-35).

We find that Christ often would touch people when He healed or resurrected them (see Luke 8:54-55), and His ministry (even today) is instructed to anoint a sick person with oil as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (James 5:14), and to lay their hands on the head of a sick person (Mark 16:18). This signifies the power of the Holy Spirit flowing from God through the agency of His human representative into the sick person to heal, again establishing the important truth that God alone, through His Spirit, has the power and ability to perform right and profitable miracles. Also, God shows who His human representatives are by working through them.