Who Was Elisha? A Double Portion of the Spirit

Elisha was the prophet who succeeded Elijah, asking for and receiving a 'double portion' of his spirit, and going on to a ministry marked by more recorded miracles than almost any other figure in the Old Testament. His life is a picture of faithful, compassionate service. Here's who Elisha was and what his story teaches.

Called from the plough

Elisha was a farmer, ploughing his field, when Elijah passed by and threw his mantle over him — a sign of calling. Elisha's response was wholehearted: he said goodbye to his family, slaughtered his oxen, burned his ploughing equipment, and followed Elijah. He left his old life completely behind to serve God, holding nothing back.

A double portion

When the time came for Elijah to be taken up to heaven, he asked Elisha what he could do for him. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit — a bold request for the ability to carry on the work. As Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind, Elisha received his mantle and his calling, and the power of God rested on him.

A ministry of mercy

Elisha's miracles were often quiet acts of compassion: purifying poisoned water, providing oil for a destitute widow so she could pay her debts, raising a Shunammite woman's son from death, healing Naaman the Syrian of leprosy, and feeding the hungry. Where Elijah's ministry often thundered, Elisha's frequently comforted — meeting ordinary people in their need.

Surrounded by God's armies

When an enemy army surrounded the city to capture him, Elisha's servant panicked. Elisha prayed that the servant's eyes would be opened, and the young man saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire — God's unseen protection all around them.

What his life teaches

Elisha models the wholehearted response to God's call, the desire for more of God's Spirit to do his work, and a ministry of humble compassion. His life reminds us that God's servants often serve best not with spectacle but with steady mercy, and that those who trust God are surrounded by more help than they can see. 'They that be with us are more than they that be with them.'

Elisha left his plough to follow God and spent his life in faithful, miraculous, compassionate service. His story encourages us to answer God's call without reservation, to seek more of his Spirit, and to remember, when we feel outnumbered, that God's unseen protection surrounds his people. The God of Elijah was, and is, the God of Elisha too.