The name "Elijah" means "Jehovah is God." The name "Elisha" means "Jehovah is salvation."
"So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." 1 Kings 19:19-2119So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. (1 Kings 19:19‑21).
We have the first glimpse of Elisha in a rather abrupt and homely introduction, for he who is to typify, or speak of, Christ must be hidden.
It is only proper that the history of Elisha be short so that he would display the antitype rather than self. A happy thing this, so that not a ray of that heavenly brightness be obscured through an instrument darkening the beams of pure light.
This brief, terse meeting between the two prophets, probably for the first time, carries with it an immense volume of basic instruction for one who would follow or serve the Lord. When tested, Elisha gave up his former occupation to wholly follow Elijah, who here is a type of Christ. Even nature's dearest ties must take a back place.
There are many prophets in Scripture, but I do not know of another one who was taken from the plow. There were twelve yoke of oxen plowing and he with the twelfth. What does that suggest to us?
Have you seen two oxen, a yoke, start out? The second yoke takes the next furrow, then the next one, until Elisha went last. Twelve yoke of oxen, and he with the last. It is the end of a dispensation, the beginning of a new era, a new day. In the Epistle of John, "Him that is from the beginning" is the beginning down here, a new beginning for man, not the beginning back in eternity, as in John's gospel, chapter 1.
Man is a moral ruin, and there was no hope, but the blessed Savior, the Son of God, as Man, established a new race. It is called the seed of Abraham in Rom. 2, a new race, the seed of faith, those who have simply cast themselves in all their need on that blessed Savior who takes them home with Himself to the Father's house.