“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24
Let’s look at three servants who served great Prophets in the bible. All had the same opportunity to be blessed, all were on the same playing field but only one received the prize. It’s very interesting to note what they did and why only one got the double portion with the other ones missing out.
Let us look at the Prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1.
“Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1
Elijah the Prophet was a loner, yet we are told that he had a servant in 1 Kings 18. Elijah called for a drought on the land because of the sins of King Ahab and when the drought took hold he disappeared for 3 and a half years. During this time, he was fed by ravens at the Brook Cherith and later by a poor widow who had a miraculous provision of bread and oil. When the drought was about to end he called all the Prophets of Baal together on Mount Carmel and brought fire down from heaven before all the people which sparked revival in the land. He then slew the Prophets of Baal and went up the mountain to pray for the rains to come.
“And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” 1 Kings 18:41-44
We are first introduced to his servant (who we will call servant A) when he assisted Elijah by going to the top of the mountain 7 times to see if there was anything happening. If you follow the story you will see that Elijah then fled from Queen Jezebel and went far away to the Mount of God. Servant A could have been in line for Elijah’s mantel but he made the wrong choice. As a servant he watched all that Elijah did first hand and was obviously his likely successor. When Elijah fled from Jezebel he told Servant A – “Stay here at Beersheba.” Nothing wrong in that - right? An obedient servant. There was no argument, just an OK. This shows that servant A didn’t really want the blessing and had a passive attitude. It’s the last we hear of servant A. The trouble is he had no passion for the anointing that Elijah possessed. He could have been in line for the prize but he missed it. This was the last we heard of this Servant.
“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. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness.” 1 Kings 19:1-4
Then we read of Elisha who was Elijah’s next servant after servant A. This man had a different spirit. He served Elijah for possibly 6 years and did all the menial work for him and it says that he washed his hands. Elisha also saw the miracles of his master Elijah and the attitude that he had towards God and all the evil of those days. Elisha had forsaken everything to follow the man of God and slew all his oxen before he left his father’s farm. This shows that Elisha was not going back, he burnt all his bridges for he wanted what Elijah had no matter what.
“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 19:21
When Elijah was about to depart from this life, Elijah said to Elisha, stay here at Gilgal. Elisha’s response was completely different to that of Servant A. “NO way.” Why? He wanted what Elijah had and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Three times he was told to stay behind but he said no. They finally crossed the Jordan and on the other side he was asked by Elijah, “What do you want?” “You can have whatever you ask for.” His immediate response was “A double portion of your prophetic power.” Elijah replied that he was asking a hard thing, but through his perseverance he eventually got what he wanted. He received a double portion of Elijah’s prophetic power and ended up doing twice as many recorded miracles.
“When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.”
This determination happened again and again with Elisha saying each time that he would not leave him.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. “ 2 Kings 2: 1-13
Elisha was different to servant A in that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. His mind was already made up and he couldn’t be moved. What I see from this is that God loves tenacity and we see it turning up time and again in scripture, with great rewards.
Look at the story of the importunate widow who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8
Then there’s the friend at midnight
“Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.” Luke 11:5-8
There’s also the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus who insisted that Jesus come into their house when he was planning to go further. There is also the story of Jacob wrestling with the Angel who asked him to stop, but he said that he wouldn’t let him go unless he was blessed. What about blind Bartimaeus who was told to stop crying out to Jesus, but he cried all the more and was healed of blindness.