Christ in All the Scriptures by A.M. Hodgkin

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Christ in the Pentateuch
• Christ in the Historical Books
  • Joshua
  • Judges
  • Ruth
  • The Six Books of Kings
  • 1 Samuel
  • 2 Samuel
  • 1 Kings
  • 2 Kings
  • 1 Chronicles
  • 2 Chronicles
  • Ezra
  • Nehemiah
  • Esther
• Christ in the Poetical Books
• Christ in the Prophets
• Christ in His Life on Earth
• Christ in Resurrection Power
• Christ in Future Glory

In this he was a type of Christ. We have, moreover, in the life and miracles of Elisha a series of most beautiful lessons on Christian life and service. “Ploughing one day with his father’s oxen and servants, in the open country, he saw the outlawed prophet of Gilead coming towards him. Passing by, he cast his mantle upon him. Elisha knew what the sign meant. He was a wealthy man. The call was to follow Elijah as a servant, pour water on his hands, perhaps to die with him. There was no time to think, the decision had to be made in a moment. The call of God in his heart was at once responded to. Obtaining leave to say farewell to his parents, he kills the oxen, smashes up the implements, and shows to all his companions that he has no more to do with his former life. God is calling each one of us, let us follow at whatever cost” (W.H. Wilson).

II Kings

Power for Service. The blessing that Elisha craved in asking for a double portion of the spirit of his master, when Elijah was about to be taken from him, was not to be twice as great, but to have the portion of the first-born son. The first-born son inherited a double portion of his father’s property, twice as much as each of the other sons. Elisha asked to have the prophetic office, and with it the power of the Spirit to enable him to fulfill it. In this last scene we sometimes almost wonder whether we are in the Old Testament or the New. We have an ascending master, a waiting disciple, a descending power. “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me.” No Christian is exempt from the call to be a witness. Christ wants witnesses everywhere, and we cannot do it without His power. “Thou hast asked an hard thing.”

There are two conditions: (1) Absolute surrender. In his first call Elisha showed this thoroughness. He shows it now. Unhindered by the discouragement of others, and even by the seeming discouragement of his master, he pressed on from point to point, having counted the cost. It is a serious thing to follow Christ; He always bids us count the cost. At last it meant Jordan itself, death to the self-life. The baptism of the Spirit always means a baptism into the death of Christ. (2) The second condition was faith. “If thou see me when I shall be taken from thee, it shall be so.” He kept his eye fixed on his master. “And Elisha saw it.” The result was, he rent his own