The Mantle

Elijah was a prophet of God that comes on the scene in 1 Kings 17 as he confronts King Ahab of a drought because of the idolatry. 

God then tells Elijah to go hide by A brook east of the Jordan. There God provided for him water to drink and commanded the ravens to feed him.

When the brook dried up because of the lack of rain, God sent him to a widow in Zarephath.   As he meets the widow he asks her to bring him a piece of bread and water that he may drink. She lets him know she only has a little flour and a little oil and that her plan was to prepare something for her and her son that they could eat it and then they would likely die. Elijah tells her not to fear but to go make him a meal and tells her that the flour and the jar of oil will not empty until the day that the Lord sends rain. And as he promised the bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty.

Later the widow’s son dies. Elijah took her son up to the room where he was staying and Elijah laid the boy down on the bed. He cried out to God and then Elijah stretched himself out upon the child three different times praying to God to let life to return to him. The boy lived.

After 3 years of drought, God sends Elijah to king Ahab to let him know that it is going to rain. Elijah meets with Ahab and 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and 400 prophets of Asherah. He challenges them to build an altar and call in the names of their gods and he would call in the name of God and whoever answered by fire is the true God. They agree to this and basically all day he gives the other prophets the opportunity to call on their gods and nothing happens. Then Elijah repairs the altar of the LORD that had been torn down he takes 12 Stones and digs a trench around the altar. He arranges the wood he puts the ox on the wood and then he takes water and pours it on the burnt offering and the wood. They did this three different times and the water flowed on the altar and it flowed in the trench. Then Elijah prayed this bold prayer saying “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” And fire comes down from heaven it consumes all the burnt offering all the wood all the stones the dust and all the water in the trench. All the people fell down praising God and Elijah killed all of the prophets with a sword.

Then Elijah tells Ahab to get up and go back to his place because rain is going to come and Elijah sends his servant to look for signs of rain. His servant goes back and forth seven times and the last time he goes he comes back and he says there’s like a cloud the size of a man’s hand. And Elijah tells the servant to go to Ahab and tell him that the heavy shower is coming and he doesn’t want him to the rain to stop him.   Then  Elijah outruns Ahab who’s in a chariot back to Jezreel, which is 20-30 miles.

When Jezebel learns that Elijah killed all the prophets with his sword she basically threatens his life and says she’s going to kill him and he runs for his life and  he hides under a juniper tree basically asking God to take his life. He falls asleep the Angel touches him tells him to get up and eat baked bread and there was a jar of water. He eats the bread, he drinks, he goes back to sleep. The Angel of the Lord comes the second time and again tells us Elijah to arise and eat because the journey is going to be great. He eats he drinks and God sustains him with this drink from that food for 40 days and 40 nights as God takes him to Mount Horeb.

At Mt Horeb he goes into a cave he’s sleeping there and God’s like what are you doing here Elijah. And Elijah plays this victim card about how he has done all these things for God. He killed the prophets and now he’s all alone and they want to kill him and God basically tells him “I’m going to pass by you”. And so he goes and stands on the mountain and there’s this big strong wind and the mountains shake and break into pieces but God’s not in that. And then there’s a earthquake but again God’s not in the earthquake. And then there’s a fire but God’s not in the fire. And in First Kings chapter 19 there’s this gentle blowing and when Elijah heard it he wraps his mantle around his face and he goes out and he stands in the entrance of The Cave and a voice comes to him and says what are you doing here Elijah? And again Elijah lets him know like I’ve done all these things for you God and I’ve done everything you tell me to I followed your rules I’ve torn down the altars I killed the other prophets and I’m  the only one that’s left and they want to kill me. So God tells him to go and anoint Haazel king over Aram and Jehu king over Israel and tells him that he’s going to anoint Elisha as a prophet in his place.

Elijah continued in service to the Lord and prophesied the death of Jezebel and King Ahab.  When the King Ahaziah Went to seek the gods of the land, the Angel of the Lord send Elijah to speak to him saying “Is there because there’s no God in Israel that you’re going to inquire the God of Ekron?”  He tells him he’s surely going to die. When the messengers return, he realizes that it was Elijah. Their description of him and Two Kings 1:8 is “He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins.”  The king sends a captain and 50 men three different times and fire comes down from heaven and destroys the captain and his men. And Ahaziah died just as Elijah prophesied.

And so I wanted to give you a little background about Elijah so you can understand this mantle that I want to talk about tonight. 1 Kings 19:19-21 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. ²⁰ He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” ²¹ So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.

Mantle – Aderet (Add-ir-th) – Strong H155 – garment, glory, godly robe

The mantle was worn by prophets as a symbol of their calling and authority. The mantle represents a spiritual covering or anointing, a divine commission, or a transfer of power.  This mantle was made of camel’s hair, which is warmer than wool. The outer layer of a camels coat is designed to protect the animal from the harsh environment so it’s thick and coarse Think of like carpets or other textiles where durability is needed. This is likely the material that the Prophet’s mantle was made of.

So this mantle that Elijah cast onto the shoulders of Elisha, signaling that Elisha would follow in his footsteps as a prophet of the Lord, is this heavy, warm garment.

 Can you imagine how heavy it might feel coming over you?  It must have felt overwhelming. I can imagine that feeling of inadequacy. Think of all the things That are recorded in the Bible that Elijah did, and here Elisha who is literally out plowing oxen beforehand, being one of the ox as he’s plowing and this mantle of Elijah is thrown on him.

Now this is probably also true of the mantels that were placed on Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Peter. They all felt unworthy of the mantle given to them and for  good reason, because the mantle was too big. It didn’t fit. And that is the nature of the mantle.  The Hebrew word for mantle is taken

From root word adir – (Add-ir) Great, majestic, excellent, famous, glorious, noble, large, big, wide, powerful, mighty

The mantle is bigger and greater than the one it is given to.

Yet In 2 Kings 2: 1-14 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. ² Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.

³ Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master ^[a]from over you today?”

And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”

⁴ Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.”

But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho.

⁵ Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”

So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.”

But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So the two of them went on. ⁷ And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”

Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

¹⁰ So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

¹² And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.

Elisha went on to work many miracles. He healed Naaman of leprosy encouraging him to dip seven times in the Jordan River. He resurrected the Shunammite woman’s son also stretching himself upon the boy to bring him back to life. Elisha multiplied the oil of the widow to help her pay off her debts. He purified the waters by adding salt to them to make them safe to drink. He made an ax head float on the water. He struck the Syrian army with blindness. He discerned the battle plans of the enemy and informed the King of Israel so much that the king of Syria thought he had a traitor in his midst. He prophesied a famine and the deliverance from it. He foretold the death of Ben Haddad and the rise and fall of Hazael.  It is said that Elijah performed eight miracles but Elijah doubled that.

Remember the mantle represents the symbol of a calling or authority, the anointing and spiritual covering, divine commission. Each one of us is given a calling, a mantle, that speaks of greatness. And our callings will be too big for us.  It won’t fit.  It will feel too heavy, It won’t match who we are. 

There will be times that we struggle with that. We will struggle with the magnitude in comparison to who we are knowing that that calling is greater, more powerful, more noble, more excellent, and more glorious than the one who wears it and to whom it was given. But our mantle was not meant to fit who we are right now. It is meant to fit who we are to become.

Our mantle must be beyond us so that we can grow into it, so that we can rise to it. We can not be discouraged about the difference in size. God knows that it must be that way. That we might become greater, more excellent, more noble, more powerful and more glorious than we are right now. We must embrace our mantle. We must accept its greatness and that is over and above us. We must believe in it and by God rise to it.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many ^[b]noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;  and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,  that no flesh should glory in His presence.  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

God makes takes the unexpected and uses them in a mighty way.  He took a shepherd boy and made him king, a prostitute to form the linage of Jesus, a fisherman and tentmaker to preach the gospel to the world.  He can and will use you too.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the ^[a]Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

It will never be in our own power that we carry out the mantle or calling on our life, it will only be by His Spirit.

Ephesians 4:1-5 I, therefore, the prisoner ^[a]of the Lord, ^[b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in ^[c]you all.

It Is only with loneliness and gentleness and patience that we are able to walk worthy of the calling that Christ places on us. It is only as we humble ourselves under the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ that we can fulfill the calling the God has placed on our life. Each of have an individual calling and mantle on our life.  Some have an idea of what that is, others are seeking God’s direction or just beginning to understand that is true personally.

 As I prayed this week and was mediating on this lesson, I was praying out Psalms 118:5-6 stood out to me.  Specifically, two phrases that I want to relate back to the mantle.  Most of us are familiar with Psalms 118 as it repeatedly says his mercy endures forever. However, what stood out to me was I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. ⁶ The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

I looked up other Scriptures related to these.  Psalm 18:19-20 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

This word broad in the Hebrew means a roomy place, spacious, extraordinarily spacious and is from the root word a Strong’s H7337 – rāḥaḇ  that means to broaden, grow wide, large.

Our calling from the Lord takes us to broad places. He sets us there, and according to Proverbs 18:16 a man’s gifts make room for him and brings him before  great men. We may never understand the expanse of our influence, but we have to know that when we are walking in the calling of the Lord and His path for us, that it will always be bigger than what we think.

The other phrases stood out to me is “What can man do to me?”  This question is asked repeatedly in some form through many scriptures of the Bible.  These Scriptures include Psalms 118:6, Psalms 27:1, Romans 8:31 and Hebrews 13:6. When it comes to Our Calling and our anointing, we can often step back in fear and insecurity. But if we are truly trusting in the Lord, we have to realize that the opinions of man, and even our own insecurities should not keep us from stepping out when He throws that mantle on us. God will prepare us. He is our helper. Holy Spirit lives inside of us. We can walk in the full authority of Christ within us knowing that our spiritual covering and anointing comes from Holy Spirit. Christ transferred that power to His children that we might walk in the fullness of what He has called us to.

So as you consider the mantle that is on your life, it may at times feel like more than you can bear. There are times you may feel unworthy. But I would encourage you that just as Elisha did, Pick up that mantle and use it. Be obedient in every aspect that God calls you to. God will take you to broad places, he will expand your influence. But he will also be with you, and if he is with you what can man do to you, others and yourself, that will keep you from His plans and purpose?