When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
~II Kings 2:9
Before giving my answer, the following is an excerpt of the description from The Studen Bible (NRSV) found in II Kings 2:
Replacing A Legend: Who Could Follow The Great Elijah?
When a prophet like Elijah leaves the scene, who will dare to take his place? As time came to choose a successor, Elijah looked to find someone out of a different mold. He Settled on his most faithful companion, a farmer named Elisha.
Similar Names but Different Styles
The slight variance in the two men's names expresses their difference in style. Elijah, who's name meant "the Lord is my God," dueled a king and the priests of Baal in dramatic confrontation of power. He lived apart from the people and preached judgement and the need for reprentance.
Elisha ("God is salvation") shifted the emphasis. He lived among people, prefering the poor and outcast, and stressed life, hope and God's grace. All social classes had access to Elisha, from lowly widows to foreign kings. His colorful life included work as a spy, a miracle worker, an adviser to the king, a leader of a school of prophets, and an anointer of revolutionaries.
Elisha traveled widely, and his bald head and wooden walking staff became his trademarks. News of his miracles spread, making him a famous national figure for 50 years. As Elish lay on his deathbed, the distraught king of Isreal knelt beside him, asking for one last word of advice.
personally, I would like to aspire to be like Elisha. Not that Elijah's way of handling things were bad, but in this day and age it is better to be amonst those who are more in need.
