Elijah and Elisha were two of the most important prophets in the Old Testament. Their stories are told primarily in the books of 1 and 2 Kings. Here is an overview of their stories:
Elijah
Elijah first appears in 1 Kings 17, where he suddenly confronts wicked King Ahab and declares that there will be no rain or dew except by his word (1 Kings 17:1). God then directs Elijah to hide by the Brook Cherith, where ravens feed him. When the brook dries up, God sends Elijah to a widow in Zarephath and miraculously provides food for them during the drought (1 Kings 17:8-16). Elijah later challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel to prove that the Lord is the true God. God sends fire from heaven, the people repent, and the prophets of Baal are killed (1 Kings 18:1-40). When Ahab’s wife Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah, he flees and the Lord speaks to him in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:1-18). Elijah performs other miracles, rebukes Ahab for murdering Naboth, and is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 1:1-2:11).
Elisha
Elisha first appears as Elijah’s attendant. Before Elijah is taken up to heaven, Elisha asks to inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah says this will happen if Elisha sees him taken away. After witnessing Elijah’s ascension, Elisha picks up Elijah’s cloak and performs miracles, demonstrating he has received Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2:1-14). Elisha performs twice as many miracles as Elijah, including healing Naaman’s leprosy, making an ax head float, feeding 100 men with 20 loaves, and restoring a dead boy to life (2 Kings 4-6). During a famine, Elisha prophesies about future events and the Lord delivers Israel (2 Kings 6-7). The stories of Elijah and Elisha demonstrate God’s power working through the prophets during a wicked time in Israel’s history.
Key Events in Elijah’s Life
- Confronts King Ahab and declares a drought (1 Kings 17:1)
- Fed by ravens at the Brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:2-7)
- Stays with a widow and miraculously provides food (1 Kings 17:8-16)
- Defeats the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:1-46)
- Flees from Jezebel and hears God’s voice (1 Kings 19:1-18)
- Condemns Ahab for killing Naboth (1 Kings 21:17-29)
- Is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1-11)
Key Events in Elisha’s Life
- Becomes Elijah’s attendant (1 Kings 19:19-21)
- Witnesses Elijah taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2:1-12)
- Heals Jericho’s waters (2 Kings 2:19-22)
- Curses a group of youths, resulting in them being mauled by bears (2 Kings 2:23-25)
- Provides water for the armies of Israel, Judah and Edom (2 Kings 3:9-20)
- Miraculously fills empty vessels with oil for a widow (2 Kings 4:1-7)
- Raises a Shunammite woman’s son from the dead (2 Kings 4:8-37)
- Makes poisonous stew edible (2 Kings 4:38-41)
- Feeds 100 men with only 20 loaves of bread (2 Kings 4:42-44)
- Heals Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-19)
- Makes an ax head float (2 Kings 6:1-7)
- Blinds the Aramean army (2 Kings 6:8-23)
- Prophesies about the end of a famine (2 Kings 6:24-7:20)
Similarities Between Elijah and Elisha
Though Elijah and Elisha were not biologically related, Elisha clearly continues Elijah’s legacy:
- Both performed prophetic ministries in the northern kingdom of Israel
- Both served during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah
- Both performed miracles demonstrating God’s power
- Both provided for widows through miraculous provisions of food
- Both healed lepers (Naaman for Elisha, ancients traditions about Elijah healing lepers)
- Both spent time dwelling by the Jordan River
Elisha asked for and received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit when Elijah was taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2:9). This helps explain the parallels between them and why Elisha performed twice as many recorded miracles.
Differences Between Elijah and Elisha
There are also some key differences between the two prophets:
- Elijah typically delivered messages alone, while Elisha often worked with groups
- Elijah confronted royalty more directly, while Elisha worked more with common people
- Elijah traveled constantly, while Elisha stayed more in one area
- Elijah performed nature miracles, while Elisha did more healing miracles
- Elijah was taken up to heaven alive, while Elisha died naturally
While the ministries of Elijah and Elisha clearly overlap, Elisha emerges as more than just a copy of his predecessor. He develops his own prophetic style and areas of emphasis as he helps deliver Israel from crisis during his lifetime.
Elijah’s Confrontations with Ahab and Jezebel
Some of the most dramatic stories about Elijah involve his confrontations with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel for many years.
Soon after Ahab and Jezebel establish the worship of Baal in Israel, Elijah suddenly appears and declares to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). God then hides Elijah by a brook and provides for him miraculously, demonstrating He controls nature, not Baal.
After about three years, God instructs Elijah to confront Ahab again. Elijah meets Obadiah, Ahab’s steward, who hid 100 prophets in caves from Jezebel’s attempts to destroy them. Elijah sends Obadiah to tell Ahab he’s here. When they meet, Ahab furiously accuses Elijah of troubling Israel. But Elijah fires back, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals” (1 Kings 18:18).
Elijah then challenges the 450 prophets of Baal to offer a sacrifice on Mount Carmel. They cry out and cut themselves all day, but fail to call down fire. Elijah offers a simple prayer, and God sends fire from heaven immediately. The people then seize all the prophets of Baal and kill them. Elijah prays for rain to end the drought, and God sends a massive storm (1 Kings 18:1-46).
When Ahab tells Jezebel everything, she sends a messenger to Elijah saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow” (1 Kings 19:2). Elijah is afraid and flees, stopping finally at Mount Horeb. There God speaks to Elijah not in fire or earthquake, but in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). God assures Elijah he is not alone in serving Him.
Later, Ahab desires a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth. When Naboth refuses to sell, Ahab is sullen. Jezebel arranges for false witnesses to accuse Naboth of blasphemy so he is stoned to death. When Ahab takes possession of the vineyard, Elijah confronts him with a message from God saying, “Have you killed and also taken possession?” and pronouncing judgment for this murder (1 Kings 21:19).
These dramatic confrontations demonstrate Elijah’s fiery commitment to the Lord, even when opposed by the highest powers in Israel. God displays His superiority over Baal and shows He is still working through Elijah and other faithful servants in Israel.
Elisha’s Apprenticeship and Inheriting Elijah’s Mantle
Unlike Elijah, who appears suddenly without introduction, Elisha has a clear predecessor-successor relationship with Elijah. This begins when Elijah finds Elisha plowing and throws his cloak over him, signaling that Elisha is to become his attendant (1 Kings 19:19-21). Elisha immediately leaves and follows Elijah, pouring water on the hands of Elijah as his servant.
When God is about to take Elijah up to heaven, Elijah tries to leave Elisha behind three times, but each time Elisha insists on staying with him. Elisha asks to inherit a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit, and Elijah says it will be so if Elisha sees him taken away (2 Kings 2:9-10). After seeing Elijah carried up into heaven by a whirlwind, Elisha tears his own clothes in grief then picks up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah. He strikes the water with it, and God parts the Jordan River for Elisha to walk across, just as He had for Elijah earlier.
The other prophets recognize that Elisha now possesses Elijah’s authority and spirit. The stories make clear that Elisha has inherited Elijah’s mantle both figuratively and literally. Elisha will now carry on the work of his predecessor in his own unique ways.
Elisha’s Miracles and Prophecies
Elisha performs at least 16 healing miracles and other signs, compared to Elijah’s 8. Here are some of the highlights:
- Purifies Jericho’s waters (2 Kings 2:19-22)
- Heals the water supply of Moab and brings water to the allied armies (2 Kings 3)
- Multiplies a widow’s oil to provide income (2 Kings 4:1-7)
- Raises a Shunammite woman’s son from the dead (2 Kings 4:8-37)
- Removes poison from a pot of stew (2 Kings 4:38-41)
- Miraculously feeds 100 men with just 20 loaves (2 Kings 4:42-44)
- Heals Naaman’s leprosy when he bathes in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:1-19)
- Causes an ax head to float (2 Kings 6:1-7)
- Blinds the Aramean army then leads them to Samaria (2 Kings 6:8-23)
These signs demonstrate God’s miraculous power working through Elisha. By performing twice as many miracles as Elijah, Elisha fulfills the promise that he would inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2:9).
In addition to miracles, Elisha also makes several prophecies that come true:
- Foretells and ends a famine (2 Kings 6:24-7:20)
- Predicts future kings of Israel and Judah (2 Kings 8:7-15)
- Prophesies victories for King Jehoash over Aram (2 Kings 13:14-19)
As both miracle-worker and prophet, Elisha serves as a model of the power available to those who faithfully walk with God as he did.
Lessons from Elijah and Elisha
The overlapping ministries of Elijah and Elisha provide many positive examples for us today:
- They were bold spokesmen for the Lord when Israel faced widespread idolatry and moral decay.
- They demonstrate God’s power is greater than any idol or earthly authority.
- They cared for the needs of the poor and outcast.
- They relied fully on the Lord to provide for them in desperate times.
- They passed on wisdom and training to faithful disciples like Elisha.
- They point ahead to the Messiah who would one day come in greater power and authority.
Elijah and Elisha serve as inspiring models of walking in faith, speaking truth, and ministering to those in need. As we read their stories, we can accept the call to imitate their courage and godly character in our day.