1 Kings 19:19, commentary and pictures

Directed by God to find a successor, Elijah left where he was and found Elisha at work plowing in the field with his father's servants, and passing by him cast his mantle upon him as the sign of consecration to solemn service and to succeed him in the prophetic office.
The Spirit impressed its meaning on Elisha so he recognized the summons, yet he was left to decide for himself, and he valued serving as God's messenger and being with Elijah above every worldly advantage and comfort left behind.
The Lord thus calls men from the plow and humble ordinary labor into His service, showing such occupation does not prevent being chosen, and faithfulness in everyday toil teaches cooperation with God and fits a person for greater responsibility.
He chooses servants from every rank and kind of life by His Spirit rather than relying on outward education, learning, or social position, and the call demands a willing personal response from one who knows God is behind it and stands ready whatever the sacrifice.
Elisha left his work to follow and serve Elijah and learned through small responsibilities and humble duties the meekness, steadfastness, integrity, and reverence that fitted him to guide Israel, which is the model for experienced workers to teach younger workers and entrust responsibility to them.
As Elisha was taken from farm work to follow Elijah, so William Miller was called to leave his farm and plow to proclaim Christ's appearing, and with a great work to be done in a short time the Lord will again take men from the plow and ordinary work to carry the final warning message to the world.

Words and Setting

Even after a powerful victory God's servants can lose courage when they stop trusting Him and look only at threatening circumstances. Elijah fled from Jezebel without being sent, though God had strengthened him for his work, when he should have continued to trust God as his refuge and strength. The lesson is to maintain confidence in God through trials and to remain steadfast in the work He has given. Directed by God to seek a successor, Elijah departed and found Elisha at work plowing in the field. He was plowing with his father's servants, doing the work nearest to him.

Elijah passed by Elisha and cast his mantle upon him. The placing of the mantle was the sign of consecration to solemn service for God. It marked his call to succeed Elijah in the prophetic service and office. The Spirit of God impressed the meaning of the act on Elisha so that he recognized the summons and obeyed it.

Yet Elijah left him to decide whether to accept the call. He was given the choice to return home and consider it. Elisha valued the chance to serve as God's messenger and to be with Elijah more than any worldly advantage, and so he chose to follow. He accepted without looking back at the pleasures and comforts he was leaving. Those who answer such a call must know for themselves that God is behind it and not follow merely because a person invited them, being ready to count every earthly gain as loss for the favor of God.

Call to Service

The verse shows the Lord calling Elisha from the plow into His service, from humble ordinary labor and ordinary business to the Master's work. His work as a plowman and his humble occupation did not prevent him from being chosen, and God may still call men from plowing and humble positions to teach Bible truth, serve in gospel work, and carry His message to the world.

Plowing and other humble, ordinary duties are compatible with active service to God, and Elisha's ordinary work at the plow was part of his preparation for carrying out God's bidding. Faithfulness and care in everyday toil prepare a person for service by teaching cooperation with God and practical lessons in living by holy principles, fitting for greater responsibility, while carelessness in small duties leaves one unfit for greater responsibilities. His manual work as a plowman illustrates that Israel's greatest men were trained in useful occupations, where altar and plough alike give experience to those who seek eternal life.

The call from the plow to important service shows that God can raise up workers taught by His Spirit and by inspiration rather than relying on outward education, learning, or social position. He chooses servants from every rank and kind of life and did not work exclusively through one class, raising as representatives prophets and princes, the noble and the lowly, humble as well as noble, including tillers of the soil. Those regarded as uneducated and those without formal schooling, even without education at Battle Creek, may be called from ordinary labor in the fields to preach the truth, to take up the service God appoints, and to begin simply and quietly by reading and explaining Scripture to others with successful results.

The call may require leaving ordinary work, and it demands a willing, personal response in which one knows for oneself that God is behind it and not merely following because a person invited him. The one called must be ready to recognize and answer it, to count every earthly gain as loss for God's favor, and to stand ready to answer whatever the sacrifice. The call of workers to distant fields to proclaim His message follows this same pattern of responding to God's call directly from ordinary work, including the plow.

Those thus called from the plow and ordinary occupations are called to serve and deliver His warning to others, to warn others and give them instruction for their work, even to give warning to perishing souls. The call to service comes from God, who gives workers instruction about their work, directing their field of labor and the methods they should follow.

Training and Character

1 Kings 19:19 stands at the beginning of the training under God's direction that prepared Elisha to succeed Elijah. That early preparation fitted him to guide Israel in safe paths through careful, patient instruction. When called, Elisha left his work to follow Elijah, began by serving him, and learned the work in which he later took a leading part. His work was different from Elijah's, while both served the Lord.

The call began a process of training in which young workers are given small responsibilities first and then larger ones as they gain strength and experience, learning ministry alongside experienced servants of God. Elisha's service under Elijah included humble duties and submission, through which he learned to serve and developed character fit for responsibility. His ordinary duties were a setting in which he was learning to cooperate with God, and his leadership ability, meekness, quiet spirit, energy, steadfastness, integrity, fidelity, and reverence for God were strengthened through daily toil.

Elijah's giving Elisha opportunity to learn from him is the pattern for experienced gospel workers and ministers to teach younger workers how to teach the truth to others. Experienced ministers are by it to give younger workers the opportunity to learn how to teach the truth and to begin training them for service. It illustrates experienced workers preparing younger people to carry the work forward and entrusting them with work and responsibility rather than carrying every burden themselves.

The verse points to the spirituality seen in the schools of the prophets that schools educating youth are to recover and bring in. That spirituality means teachers educate themselves by the high and holy principles Christ has given in His Word, have an intimate acquaintance with the Word of God, take the Bible and the Bible alone as counselor, take His Word as it reads, follow the Lord's way closely instead of devising and planning by their own judgment, and discharge their duties faithfully in His name and strength by believing His Word and acting on its teachings. It means students, even those unconverted though baptized, are taught to search and understand the Bible, receive its truths into the heart and carry them out in daily life, be sanctified through belief of the truth, and become strong in the Lord with spiritual sinew and muscle nourished by the bread of life. In such schools the truths of the Bible are earnestly studied and thoughtfully dwelt upon, giving desire for what is infinitely higher than worldly amusement, and as learners draw near to God and become partakers of the divine nature earth-born amusements sink into nothingness, minds take a higher turn, and beholding the character of Jesus they strive to be like Him.

Elisha's call shows that young people can study while doing practical labor, rather than needing the worldly education required by other schools. The Lord can call young men from ordinary occupations, including work at the plow, to missionary work and provide the education He wants them to have. Those so called, including those regarded as uneducated, can begin simply and quietly by reading and explaining Scripture to others, with successful results.

History and Final Warning

Elisha was at his farm work plowing with oxen when Elijah passed by and cast his mantle upon him to call him to follow and enter prophetic service. As Elisha was thus called to leave his farm and his oxen and plow to follow Elijah, so William Miller was called to leave his farm and his plow to proclaim the prophecies and mysteries of the kingdom of God concerning the second advent and appearing of Christ.

As the Lord took Elisha from the plow into His service, so with a great work to be done in a short time He will again take men from the plow and from ordinary work and give them a part in the closing work. He will take them directly from their ordinary occupations to proclaim His truth and will send them to carry His message and give the final warning message to the world. All should stand ready to answer that call whatever the sacrifice.