Lesson 29: “He Took Up … the Mantle of Elijah”

Old Testament Class Member Study Guide, (2001), 20

Study the following scriptures:

1. a. 
   2 Kings 2:1–18. Elijah prepares Elisha to become the new prophet (2:1–10). Elijah is taken up into heaven. Elisha takes up Elijah’s mantle and becomes the prophet (2:11–15). Fifty men search for Elijah for three days despite Elisha’s counsel (2:16–18).
2. b. 
   2 Kings 5. Elisha heals Naaman of leprosy (5:1–14). Naaman praises God and offers Elisha a reward, which Elisha declines (5:15–19).
3. c. 
   2 Kings 6:8–18. Elisha guides the king of Israel in a war with Syria (6:8–10). The king of Syria commands his men to capture Elisha, and the army surrounds the city of Dothan (6:11–14). Unafraid, Elisha prays, and the Lord reveals a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire, then smites the Syrian army with blindness (6:15–18).

What can the story of Naaman teach us about following the counsel of the prophet—even when we may not like or understand it or when it may be about small or simple matters? What are some of the small, simple things we have been asked to do by the prophet or other Church leaders? Why are these things sometimes hard to do? How can we increase our willingness to follow the counsel of Church leaders?

 What did Elisha mean when he told his servant, “They that be with us are more than they that be with them”? (2 Kings 6:16). How have you seen that Elisha’s statement is still true today?