READ THE SIGNS

Saturday: June 13, 2020

1 Kings 19:20 Elisha deserted the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please! Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye—then I’ll follow you.” “Go ahead,” said Elijah, “but, mind you, don’t forget what I’ve just done to you.”

The driving exam for many countries, is usually divided into two part: the theory and the practical. While it is not unusual for some individuals to take the practical test first, many recommend taking the theory first. This is because one gets to know well in advance what specific road signs mean, what different colour codings indicate what or which maneuvers are legal or not.

The simple message that could be inferred from the throwing of Elijah’s cloak on Elisha is this “Can you read the signs?” Because when someone throws their mantle on you, the first impression could very likely be surprise and possibly the words ‘excuse me, I think you dropped your cloak’. However, there was a bigger symbolism than just the obvious, even though Elijah didn’t give off any more clues.

There are times when we only have parts of a puzzle and need to carefully fit the pieces together to form the whole picture. Not everything we need will be given to us complete or fully packaged: parts of the information may be missing and some parts may be shrouded. Thus, until we consciously make effort to read the signs, we are unlikely to see all there might be.

#sly