When the prophet Elijah was sent by God to call Elisha to be a prophet, and to be his successor, he found Elisha at work in the field with the plow. There were twelve plows at work, with twelve yoke of oxen, and Elisha with the twelfth. But although the call of God came to him so suddenly, he did not hesitate, but at once obeyed. And the striking fact connected with the call is, that he not only obeyed it at once, but he slew the oxen with which he had been plowing, and burned his plow to cook their flesh, and invited his men to partake of the feast. He thus signified, in an emphatic manner, his determination never to plow again.
Dear reader, have you burned your plow? I mean, have you heard and obeyed the call of God? Have you left the pleasures and pursuits of this passing world, and so left them as to have no desire to return?
If you are a professor of religion, have you burned your plow? I mean, have you come clean out of the world, making it manifest that you are no longer under the dominion of sin and Satan, but that you are Christ’s? We want more decision in these days. We can hardly tell whether men are plowing with Satan’s plow or with Christ’s gospel plow. We need to be very separate and very distinct and very decided. No man can serve God and mammon; may we not be guilty of trying to do so. The question therefore is a pertinent one, reader, and worthy of consideration by you, namely, Have you burned your plow?