Elijah and Elisha: Great Prophets of God
When Elisha asked to receive a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit he was not seeking a ministry twice as great as his master’s but he was using cultural terms derived from inheritance law to express his desire to carry on Elijah's ministry. Inheritance law assigned a double portion of a father's possessions to the firstborn son [see Deuteronomy 21:17]. Elijah's response that "If you see me…it will be yours" left the gift Elisha requested in God's hands. Elisha does see Elijah being taken up by the chariots of God at the Jordan River and God does fulfill the request -- Elijah received the "double portion" = the power and authority of his master. It is ironic that Elijah performs 8 works of God while Elisha is given 16! Elisha went on to accomplish greater works of God than his master Elijah by performing exactly double the miracles his master performed in the name of God.
Elijah's 8 miracles:
| 1. Shut up the heavens causing a drought and opening to cause rain | 1 Kings 17:14, 41-46 |
| 2. multiplies flour and oil | 1 Kings 17:7-16 |
| 3. raises the widow's son from the dead | 1 Kings 17:17-24 |
| 4. defeats the prophets of Baal | 1 Kings 18:16-40 |
| 5. fed by ravens | 1 Kings 17:2-8 |
| 6. destroys Ahaziah's soldiers with lightening | 2 Kings 1:9-13 |
| 7. parts the Jordan River | 2 Kings 2:8 |
| 8. taken to heaven in God's chariot | 2 Kings 2:9-18 |
Elisha's 16 miracles:
| 1. parted the Jordan River | 2 Kings 2:14-15 |
| 2. purified water | 2 Kings 2: 19-22 |
| 3. curses attackers who are then savaged by bears | 2 Kings 2: 23-25 |
| 4. caused a flood to foil the Moabites | 2 Kings 3: 14-25 |
| 5. miraculous flow of oil for the poor widow | 2 Kings 4: 2-7 |
| 6. fertility to the woman of Shunem | 2 Kings 4: 8-17 |
| 7. raised a child from the dead[1] | 2 Kings 4:32-37 |
| 8. purified poisoned soup | 2 Kings 4:38-41 |
| 9. multiplication of loaves to feed a large crowd[2] | 2 Kings 4:42-44 |
| 10. healing Naaman of leprosy[3] | 2 Kings 5: 1-19 |
| 11. Gehazi cursed with leprosy | 2 Kings 5:20-27 |
| 12. made an iron axehead float | 2 Kings 6:1-7 |
| 13. struck the Aramaeans with sun blindness and then cured them | 2 Kings 6: 15-23 |
| 14. predicted the end of a famine | 2 Kings 7:1-20 |
| 15. prophesied the death of Ben-Hadad and the rise of Hazael | 2 Kings 8:7-15 |
| 16. predicts Israel will defeat Aram 3 times | 2 Kings 13:14-19 |
Jesus reated these miracles in the Gospels
[1]Raised from the dead: Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 7:11-17; 8:40-42, 49-56; 11:1-44
[2]Multiplication of loaves: Matthew 14:13-21; 18:32-38; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13
[3]Curing of Skin Disease: Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16; 17:11-19
M. Hunt © 2001