"Burn the Ships"
- Dr. Todd R. Wright
- Jun 29
- 5 min read
Elijah was being asked to hand over his power to a replacement. That’s not easy!
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
June 29, 2025
Dr. Todd R. Wright
Last week, we heard about Elijah’s encounter with God –
how after fleeing Jezebel’s threats and collapsing in the wilderness, an angel fed him;
how he sought God on Mt. Horeb/Mt. Sinai like Moses had done generations earlier;
how God was not found in the wind or the earthquake or the fire, but in the silence;
and how Elijah was given three tasks.
Are you a list maker? I am.
When I am planning my week or my day, I make a list of the tasks I need to accomplish.
There are always more things on my list than I can get done... and my list is always growing!
I’ve had to come to terms with that.
So how do you address such a list?
Do you knock off the easy ones first, piling up checkmarks?
Do you organize and order things based on what is most pressing?
Do you tackle the hardest ones first, when you have the most energy?
I’m asking for a friend!
His name is Elijah. He’s given three nearly impossible tasks. God says:
anoint Hazael as king over Aram;
anoint Jehu king over Israel;
and anoint Elisha as prophet in your place.
God doesn’t blink an eye, like Elijah is being asked to pick up bread, water, and some figs!
But the truth is, kings already sit on the thrones of Aram and Israel.
God is suggesting regime change, like swapping David for Saul... we know how messy that was!
God is directing a coup, led by a prophet with no army!
God is telling Elijah to commit an act of treason!
I can hear the shouting: Ill advised! Inconceivable! Impossible!
Old Testament scholar Terence Fretheim explains God’s goals this way:
“The purpose for making Hazael king of Aram is to cut back Israel’s territory and mediate God’s judgement on [them] for their [idolatry] as God will later use the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The second case also relates to divine judgment as Jehu puts an end to Omri’s dynasty and initiates reforms that begin to turn back the inroads of Baal on Israel’s life.”[2]
Still, I suspect that Elijah had no idea how to accomplish either of those goals.
So maybe he skipped down to the third item on the list: anoint Elisha.
But that task involved its own difficulties – though not military or political, they were real.
Elijah was being asked to hand over his power to a replacement. That’s not easy!
I grew up in an era when starting baseball pitchers regularly pitched complete games. In 1970 there were a total of 685 complete games. Ferguson Jenkins pitched 24 of them himself. Two years earlier, Bob Gibson pitched 28 in 34 starts. By comparison, the league leader last year had 2.[3]
So there used to be a lot of drama when the manager would come to the mound. The pitcher would protest that he could finish the game, or the inning, himself. He had enough gas in the tank; he had a plan, he had his pride. Usually, the manager nodded and went back to the dugout satisfied that he had given his pitcher a breather and an incentive to dig down and do his best.
But sometimes the manager had seen enough. He knew his starter had already given his best. He knew the next batter would overwhelm him and the runs would come like an avalanche. He knew he had a reliever that was a better matchup. And so he would signal to the bullpen, a reliever would trot in. and all the while the starter would pout, looking angry or miserable.
I picture Elijah as looking just that angry or miserable when God tells him to anoint Elisha.
It’s like God is forcing him to confess that Jezebel’s threat broke his spirit; or admit that he himself has doubts that he can do the job; or to accept that God has lost confidence in him.
No wonder he is surly when he approaches Elisha plowing a field.
What makes this young hotshot so great?
His wealth – as evidenced by the twelve yoke of oxen?
His connections – which allowed him to greet members of other powerful families by name?
His insider status – able to book a table at the finest restaurants or access any throne room?
Or was it his winsomeness – like a golden retriever ready to jump into action wagging its tail?
No wonder Elijah doesn’t even speak to him.
He just threw his mantle over him and moved on. Let’s see if he can keep up!
I’m not sure who was more surprised – Elijah or Elisha – but the boy follows immediately!
Only he asks to go back and say goodbye to his parents.
Centuries later, in the gospel of Luke, Jesus will call someone to follow him and when they hesitate, he’ll warn “that no one who looks back while plowing is fit for the Kingdom of God.”[4] Ouch!
But maybe that’s the wrong parallel. Maybe this is more like the scene in Luke where Jesus tells the rich ruler to sell all that he owned and distribute the money to the poor; then come and follow.[5]
Because that is exactly what Elisha does. He slaughters the yoke of oxen, cooks them up, and gives the meat to the people to eat – a true farewell meal.
Sacrificing the oxen meant he was giving up his vocation. He has nothing to return to.
Scholars observe that he is burning his bridges.[6] Maybe a better phrase is burning his ships.
Historians summarize the origins of that expression:
“In 1519, Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, set sail with 11 ships and over 600 men, leaving the safety of Cuba behind. Their mission? To explore and conquer the vast lands of Mexico, filled with unknown dangers, riches, and powerful civilizations. The stakes were incredibly high, and the odds seemed insurmountable.
When Cortés and his men arrived on the shores of Mexico, many of his soldiers were apprehensive, knowing that they were vastly outnumbered by the native population. There was a real possibility of failure. The temptation to flee was strong.
Recognizing their hesitation, Cortés ordered them to burn their ships. With no way to retreat, his men had only two choices: fight or die. [Cortés’ bold] act of destruction left no room for second-guessing, hesitation, or thoughts of turning back.”[7]
Hundreds of years earlier, Alexander the Great led his army into Persia. Upon reaching the enemy shore, he also told his men to burn the ships. The lesson was the same. Alexander's men understood that they had no choice but to press forward and fight for victory. This act solidified their resolve and led to a successful campaign against the Persians.
And hundreds of years before that, Elisha seems to have done the same.
I wonder if his decisive act won Elijah’s respect?
After all, he knew all about burning things, having called down fire in the Baal showdown!
I also wonder what he would have said to Elisha about when the faithful doubt.
After all, he knew how a man ready to burn things could question everything a day later.
Finally, I wonder who we – a congregation of the called – are supposed to identify with here –
the surly prophet who has seen it all or the fresh-faced youth who burns with idealism?
After all, we will probably be both at various points in our lives.
It doesn’t seem to bother God. God remains irresistible and gentle in our calling. Amen
[1] “The Call of Elisha” a ceramic frieze, by Adam Kossowski
[2] From First and Second Kings, by Terence Fretheim, page 110
[4] See Luke 9:62
[5] See Luke 18:18-25
[6] Fretheim again, page 111
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