How Does Elisha's Ministry Parallel the Lord's in the Gospels?

    Before God took Elijah up in a chariot of fire—now that never happened before or since!—he prepared Elisha to follow him.  He was sort of like a spiritual apprentice. It’s touching to see that even though Israel was idolatrous at this time, God didn’t completely forsake them.  He used both Elijah and Elisha to help preserve His people. 

On a family walk--this is my favorite tree on the bay.

      In chapter 13 of the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Kings I read something that made me think—Witness Lee stated that Elijah typifies God’s Old Testament economy, and Elisha typifies God’s New Testament economy (Think of economy as God’s plan or arrangement).  So Elijah’s praying to shut up the heavens and then commanding fire to come down and consume his offering,  typifies God’s miraculous power in caring for His people in the Old Testament.  Then Witness Lee shows through various accounts how Elisha is a type of Christ’s ministry of performing miracles of grace in life. 

     The first miracle Elisha did was healing the water of Jericho in 2 Kings 2:19-22.  This can be compared  to the Lord’s first miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Both Elisha and the Lord changed the water into something that brought life.  In the Gospels we see the Lord calling things not being as being (Rom. 4:17) when He multiplied a few barley loaves and fish to feed thousands of people.  Elisha did the same thing when he told the widow to keep pouring out her cruse of oil until the last jar she had collected was full!  I have to be honest and say I never saw this parallel before I read this chapter!

     Also in the same way that the Lord’s miracles were out of love and compassion, Elisha’s were too.  And we see this especially when Elisha brought the boy back to life (2 Kings 4:18-37).   In the Gospels we see the Lord's compassionate heart when he resurrected  both Lazarus (John 11:41-44) and the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17). He had other comparisons that you can check out if you click on the above chapter link.

     In the closing paragraphs  of this chapter on page 94 Witness Lee speaks about the impact Watchman Nee's ministry had on him:

"I received most of this light through Brother Nee.  He was the most balanced person in knowing the Bible. Through him I picked up the principle of studying the Bible in the way of life.  The Bible has been studied, interpreted, and expounded by thousands throughout the last twenty centuries.  Brother Nee studied all the interpretations and passed them on to me.  This is why the preface of the Recovery Version of the New Testament says that the footnotes contain 'the 'crystallization' of understanding of the divine revelation which the saints everywhere have attained to in the past two thousand years." If we pay attention to all the notes, we will understand the Bible through all the teachers in the past" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 & 2 Kings. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1994, Print).

   I 've been reading my Recovery Version of the Bible (You can order a free New Testament) for over 30 years, and of all the various versions we own,  I like it the most because the footnotes are both enlightening and full of spiritual application. Take advantage of this free offer, and they'll ship it to you free, too.

 List of Other Posts on 1 & 2 Kings:

Taking a Look at Solomon's Prayer in 1 Kings 8:48
Elijah & the Showdown on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 17