At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 
“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned,
and revealed them to little children. 
Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
(Luke 10:21, NIV)

Before sunrise on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a multi-pronged attack on Ukraine by air, land, and sea. Kiev, the capital, was expected to fall within days. President Biden offered to evacuate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the besieged capital. But a resolute and defiant Zelensky replied, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”[i]

What was Vladimir Putin’s objective in launching this unprovoked Russian attack on his smaller southern neighbor? His immediate goal was regime change. He wanted to oust the democratic, pro-western government of Ukraine and replace it with a pro-Russian regime subservient to his will.

Putin failed in his immediate objective. The Ukrainian defenders mounted a fierce resistance. The invaders were beaten back, though they engaged in rape, and a wanton killing of civilians, and inflicted massive destruction.

At the time of this writing, the war rages on. The outcome remains uncertain. Regime change may yet come. But will the regime change be in Kiev or in Moscow? Time will tell.

Here is what we know with certainty from the Scriptures. The LORD wants regime change. Elijah and Elisha, the Old Testament dynamic duo, were on a mission. They had an assignment directly from the LORD God Almighty. What was their mission—the task the LORD assigned to them?

In broad terms their assignment was regime change. The northern Kingdom of Israel had turned its back on God—the God who generations earlier had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Worse yet, Israel had turned to idolatry. Under the autocratic rule of Ahab and Jezebel, the worship of the fertility gods Baal and Asherah flourished.[ii]

First Elijah, and then, Elisha was tasked with bringing the wayward people of God back to worshipping Yahweh. But King Ahab and Queen Jezebel—Satan’s power couple—stood in the way.

Furthermore, this was a life and death struggle for the minds and hearts of the people.

Amid a famine brought on by a severe drought some dared to defy Israel’s King and Queen. Obadiah, Ahab’s palace administrator, was such a man. A devout believer in the LORD, Obadiah risked his life.

While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water (1 Kings 18:4, NIV).

In response, Elijah courageously confronted King Ahab and challenged him to assemble all of Israel for a duel to the death on Mount Carmel. Ahab was to bring with him “the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:19, NIV).
Thus the stage was set for what many consider the greatest challenge and display of God’s power in the Hebrew Scriptures.

          Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
          But the people said nothing.
Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
Then all the people said, “What you say is good” (1 Kings 18:21-24, NIV).

The LORD vindicated his prophet, Elijah, by sending fire from heaven that “burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38, NIV).

The prophets of Baal were vanquished.[iii] But rather than turn on Ahab and have him killed as well, Elijah declares the king should go and celebrate because a drought-ending rainfall was on its way. Then Elijah ascended the mountain, fell on his knees, and prayed for the rain to come, and after much prayer the downpour arrives.[iv]

Why this show of mercy to Ahab, the tyrant and accessory murder?[v] If the ultimate goal is regime change, then why not eliminate the man who stood in the way? Why didn’t the prophet mete out God’s wrath and retribution? Instead, Elijah portrays mercy and the abundant grace of God. Why?

The answer lies at the heart of the gospel message. The gospel message according to Jesus is all about regime change. It’s about letting King Jesus rule our hearts and minds. The government that affects us most directly isn’t in Washington, London, Moscow, or Ottawa, and it isn’t in a state or provincial capital. The government that affects us most directly is the government of our heart and mind. Is Jesus enthroned there? Is he governing your decision making? Is he calling the shots?

Far too often, we think a change of government at the national, state, or local level will transform our lives. That’s a political fantasy politicians love to peddle. True transformational change begins at the individual level. And there is nothing more transformational than spiritual rebirth. Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus reveals that truth.[vi]

In Elijah’s interaction with Ahab, we see this principle of repentance and rebirth at work. Elijah was working to change the heart of the king. He wanted to see the LORD enthroned there. What could bring about that profound change in the king Ahab’s heart?

Clearly there was a need for repentance. And what could bring about that change? A jaw-dropping, heart-stopping demonstration of God’s power set the stage for genuine repentance. Surely, the miracle of fire falling from heaven would result in a change of heart and a change allegiance—a change from the worship of Baal to the worship of Yahweh.

Secondly, nothing melts stony hearts like the kindness and mercy of God. Elijah demonstrated that mercy by his treatment of Ahab, and by praying for the rain that ended a three and-a-half-year drought and famine in the land.[vii]

There’s something extravagant about the patience and mercy of God.

Don’t forget that the Lord is patient because he wants people to be saved
(2 Peter 3:15a, CEV).

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and
patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
(Romans 2:4, NIV).

 In his interactions with Ahab, Elijah consistently displayed the undeserved kindness and patience of God. Nothing demonstrates this better than Elijah’s confrontation of Ahab after the incident involving Naboth’s vineyard. Jezebel plotted to have Naboth killed, and Ahab then seized Naboth’s land.[viii]

Elijah spoke these prophetic words to the king:

‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dog licked up Naboth’s
blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’” (1 Kings 21:19, NIV).

Of Jezebel, Elijah said:

“And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the
wall of Jezreel’ (1 Kings 21:23, NIV).

But what happen next is truly astonishing. We read that Ahab “tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly” (1 Kings 21:27, NIV).

And how did the LORD respond to Ahab’s apparent repentance and contrition?

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son” (1 Kings 21:28-29, NIV).

What this turn of events demonstrates is the power of personal repentance. Genuine repentance has the power to change the course of history. It prevented the brutal end to Ahab’s dynasty during his lifetime.

Was Ahab’s repentance genuine? We can certainly debate that question. It appears that Ahab turned away from sin, but did he turn his affections to the LORD? Did he seek after God? Or was this a caught-with-a-hand-in-the-cookie-jar repentance that signaled he was sorry to be caught, but not sorry enough to change his ways?

Let’s remember that true biblical repentance brings about a regime change in the mind. The selfish ego that ruled for so long must abdicate. God is in charge now. King Jesus governs our thoughts and actions.

Perhaps Ahab experienced a measure of true repentance, but the real power—the true ruler of his life—was Queen Jezebel. She suppressed Ahab’s repentance and conversion, both after fire fell from heaven at Mount Carmel, and after Elijah confronted him over the incident involving Naboth’s vineyard.

For national regime change to occur, the true power behind the throne needed to repent or be replaced. But in this case, the kingpin wasn’t the king. The kingpin was Queen Jezebel. All of Elijah’s efforts appear to be aimed at King Ahab. But the queen remained untouched, unchanged, and unrepentant. And she ruled the day.

By faith, Elijah engineered an astonishing display of God’s power at Mount Carmel. But shortly thereafter, he also displayed an astonishing level of cowardice in the face of Jezebel’s threats.

Frequently, a great victory is followed by great temptation.

           Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. (1 Kings 19:1-3, NIV)

How could this prophet display such raw courage one day, and on the next day wilt before the threats of this depraved woman? After all, Jezebel was calling on the same disgraced gods that Elijah had revealed as powerless a day earlier. Where was the God of Elijah now in the face of this threat? Was he hiding, or had he fallen asleep?

Of course, not! But the prophet succumbed to his fleshly nature, sheer exhaustion, and the fear of man—or more precisely the fear of a woman.

Some psychologists see the classic hallmarks of a manic-depressive in Elijah’s response. He swings from extreme highs to extreme lows. He storms the mountain heights of emotion, exerts himself to an extreme,[ix] and then sinks into the depths of despair.

After fleeing to Horeb, the mountain of God, twice Elijah lays out his complaint before the LORD.

“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (1 Kings 19:14, NIV).

How does the LORD respond to Elijah’s complaint? He has him appoint his successor and then corrects his self-pitying exaggeration. The modern equivalent might be an announcement from your boss that you are fired for just cause. Let’s take a closer look at the LORD’s reply to Elijah:

“Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:15-18, NIV).

Let’s first look at Elijah’s lie and Yahweh’s response to it. Yes, Elijah lied. He said he was the only prophet of the LORD left, yet Obadiah specifically told Elijah that as a faithful follower of the LORD since his youth, he had hidden a hundred prophets of the LORD in two caves.[x] Yet, before the people gathered on Mount Carmel, Elijah repeats his boast about being the only prophet of the LORD left in the land.[xi] Clearly this was not true.

Furthermore, there is false humility in Elijah’s plea before the LORD. He states, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty.” Though he has been zealous he has made his zeal a point of pride. He has compared himself with others and concluded their faith and sacrifices in the face of severe persecution merit no consideration. His efforts alone are noteworthy. Thus, he concludes he is the only faithful man left.

Depression begins when we believe a lie. Elijah believed the lie that he alone was faithful to Yahweh. In addition, depression breeds isolation and self-pity. Both are hallmarks of the state Elijah is in.

Sadly, this great man of God fell short and now a replacement is needed to continue the deep work he set in motion in Israel. The will and purpose of God must prevail. But the LORD uses pure vessels rather than those tainted by pride.[xii]

Elijah’s failings all too frequently have been repeated by churches and ministries down through the annals of history. God dramatically uses an individual or a movement to bring about a spiritual awakening or renewal. But then pride sets in. A sense of superiority emerges. This is coupled with a degree of exclusivity that manifests itself by restricting fellowship to a certain group or an inner circle. Attitudes or statements declaring that, “We alone have the full truth” begin to emerge.

Soon the Spirit that was so evidently present in the early days of fruitful ministry is absent. Pride sets in and the Holy Spirit flees. The LORD will use a different vessel—the humble vessel wiped clean.

There is a striking parallel between the ministry of Elijah and John the Baptist:

• There appears to be a very deliberate attempt by John to take on the appearance of Elijah in his dress, diet, and demeanor.[xiii]
• Both men boldly called the nation to repentance.
• Both directly confronted the political leaders of their time (Ahab and Herod Antipas).
• Both sank into states of depression where they questioned their ministry (Elijah at Mount Horeb, John while imprisoned).
• Both had their life and ministry undermine or cut short by a woman (Jezebel and Herodias).
• Both sought regime change but failed to see it in their day.
• Both sowed the seeds of a remarkable transition.
• Both were succeeded by men who brought the work they began to fruition (Elisha and Jesus).

With Elijah’s fiery departure, the mission of regime change fell to Elisha to accomplish. A double portion of Elijah’s anointing now rests on him, and under the LORD’s guidance through his ministry Elisha performs miracle after miracle—fourteen in total—doubling Elijah’s total.

Though the overall mission of this prophetic dynamic duo remained the same, there are some striking differences between Elijah and Elisha in terms of their calling, ministry, character, and personality. In the same vein, there are striking differences between the New Testament duo of John the Baptist and Jesus.

First, we should note that Elisha came from a wealthy farm family. We read that at the time of his calling, he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. A common farm family might have a single yoke (pair) of oxen, but Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke (twenty-four oxen). That’s an astonishing number, and it implies the family farm is enormous.

Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant (1 Kings 19:19-21,NIV).

Elisha left all to follow Elijah. There is something highly symbolic about Elisha’s sacrifice of his oxen and the burning of his plow. In his farewell, he burned the bridges back to his former lifestyle. It’s a stunning about face for a wealthy young man. Elisha turned his back on the riches and prestige of this world to become the servant/slave of a homeless roving prophet.

Jesus, the prophet of the new covenant, left his throne in glory to become the servant of all. He set aside the wealth of heaven to serve among the poor. He asks his followers to do the same. Some like Peter, James, John, and Matthew, the tax collector, heeded his call, left all, and followed him. Others like the rich young ruler clung to the security of their wealth.[xiv]

It’s striking that Elijah repeatedly tried to dissuade Elisha from following him.[xv] Yet, Elisha persisted. Similarly, Jesus repeatedly warned his followers of the cost they would bear in becoming his disciples.[xvi] Have you and I persevered in following Jesus despite hardship and opposition?

Second, Elisha was a man of the people, whereas Elijah was a man of solitude—a man of the desert wilderness.

Elijah spent months—possibly years—hidden in a raven while he was fed by ravens.[xvii] Again when he fled from Jezebel, he first retreated to the wilderness and then went on a forty-day trek into the Sinai Desert and Horeb, the mountain of God.[xviii] Elijah chose long periods of isolation and God spoke to him during these times.

By contrast, in the biblical record, there are no extended periods where Elisha self-isolated. Instead, we see a man who was actively engaged with others. His leadership role in the company of the prophets illustrates his gregarious nature. He is portrayed as a man of food and fellowship.[xix]

In his social life Elisha resembles Jesus, his New Testament counterpart. He too was outgoing—a man of the people. Similarly, Elijah, the austere prophet, resembles John the Baptist in his spartan ways and his desert lifestyle. In his discourse on John, Jesus draws our attention to the contrast between his temperament and ministry style when compared with John.

“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

“‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds” (Matthew 11:16-19, NIV).

These words of Jesus are the prelude to his lament over the unrepentant cities (Matthew 11:20-24). Despite their sharply contrasting lifestyles, this New Testament dynamic duo was unable to bring about the deep nationwide repentance both men sought. Furthermore, despite miraculous works the population was largely unmoved, and therefore God’s judgment would fall.[xx]

Let’s remember the paramount goal for the prophetic Old Testament and New Testament dynamic duos is regime change. And genuine regime change starts with repentance. Hearts must be changed. Repentance is entirely about a change in direction. The wayward and rebellious turn away from sin and toward God. A new King begins to reign in the repentant heart and as a result a life is changed from the inside out.

When this happens broadly in a society, a true Spirit led awakening occurs.

Though Elijah was unable to bring about regime change, Elisha succeeded in doing just that, and he accomplished that transition in a remarkable way. He did it by commissioning an unnamed young man. Elisha entrusted the most significant nation-changing-assignment of his career into the hands of a biblical nobody.

And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him “Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room. Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee, and do not delay” (2 Kings 9:1-3, NIV).

The young man did just as he was told. The result was the overthrow of a brutal dynasty that for three generations had led the nation into a cesspool of sin and the clutches of idolatry. The demonic yoke of Jezebel’s oppression over Israel and Judah was broken and the worship of the LORD was restored. This dramatic regime change was the culmination of the prophetic work of Elijah and Elisha.

Why did Elisha entrust this nation-changing-assignment to this unnamed son of the prophets? Since Elisha received the revelation that regime change was at hand, why didn’t he deliver the message himself? Why work through this nameless young man?

The answer lies in the character and ministry style of the prophet. Elisha was a man of humility, and a team builder. He delegated responsibility rather than attempting to do everything by himself. This team building quality is displayed by his leadership role in the company of the prophets.[xxi] He continually worked with and alongside others including his devious servant Gehazi.[xxii]

In his ministry style Elisha resembles Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Above all, Jesus was a humble team builder. Yes, like Elisha, he was a miracle worker, but his most significant work (excluding redemption) was the education and equipping of his disciples. He too, had his greedy Gehazi. His name was Judas Iscariot.[xxiii] But Jesus risked all to train an army of followers who would overthrow the dark spiritual masters of this world and establish his kingdom. As Paul so eloquently states:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).

Jesus deputized, empowered, and commissioned his followers to carry on his work, and he began doing so early in his ministry. He sent out the seventy (some translations seventy-two) into the towns where he was about to go. They returned rejoicing that the demons were subject to them. Their success brought Jesus great joy. See Luke 10:1-24.

Yes, Jesus has been using young, unsung, unnamed nobodies to accomplish his purpose from the very beginning.

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[i] “Volodymyr Zelenskiy stands defiant in face of Russian attack”, The Guardian, 26 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.

[ii] “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:18-20).

[iii] Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there (1 Kings 18:40).

[iv] 1 Kings 18:41-45

[v] 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 21:1-16

[vi] John 3:1-21

[vii] James 5:17-18

[viii] 1 Kings 21:1-16

[ix] 1Kings 18:44-46

[x] 1 Kings 18:12-15

[xi] 1 Kings 18:22

[xii] 2 Timothy 2:19-21

[xiii] 2 Kings 1:8, Matthew 3:1-4

[xiv] Matthew 19:16-24, Mark 10:17-23, Luke 18:18-30

[xv] 1 Kings 19:20, 2 Kings 2:2, 2:4, 2:6

[xvi] Matthew 8:18-22, Luke 14:25-33, Matthew 10:37-39,

[xvii] 1 Kings 17:1-9

[xviii] 1 Kings 19:3-9

[xix] 2 Kings 6:1-7, 2 Kings 4:38-41, 2 Kings 4:42-44

[xx] Matthew 11:23-24, Luke 19:41-44

[xxi] 2 Kings 6:1-7

[xxii] 2 Kings 5:19-27, 2 Kings 6:15-17

[xxiii] John 12:4-6