Articles
Rule 91
I am a big fan of the show NCIS. One of the main characters of the show for years was special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs who is known for his tough demeanor, fatherly guidance for his team, and his rules for life. In the season 18 finale, viewers were introduced to, the previously unknown, Rule 91 – “When you decide to walk away, don’t look back.” This latest rule was positioned very well as the fictional team said goodbye to a couple main characters who made clean breaks from the show to do other things. Yet, there is a spiritual application of rule 91 that we can benefit from.
In 1 Kings 19:19-21, the prophet Elijah calls his eventual successor, Elisha, into the mentor-mentee relationship. We find Elisha plowing his father’s field with twelve yokes of oxen, working hard in the life he had been born into. When Elijah extends the invitation, Elisha is faced with a major choice. He can come with the prophet, or he can stay with his family. Obviously, he chooses to follow the prophet, but he does so in a rather dramatic fashion. Having made his choice, the young man slaughters and sacrifices the twelve pairs of oxen and the yokes.
Such an offering is indeed a generous one but consider the underlying significance. In slaughtering the cattle, Elisha literally burns up the things that would tie him to his past. He makes a clean break from his former life to be able to pursue the prophetic service of the Lord of Lords.
Today, many people find themselves in a similar situation to Elisha when they hear the call of Jesus. Answering the invitation to follow the Lord means they must make a choice between him or an element of the life they have always known. For some, it means going the complete opposite direction. Such a step is often scary to make, though, because we perceive there’s a risk involved. Submitting to Jesus is a life filled with promises of eternal glory, but the path we must walk until that day is filled with many unanswered questions of where he will take us. Like Elisha, though, these are the times we need to apply Rule 91 – walk away from that old life and don’t look back. Looking back can keep us from giving our all to the Lord (Lk 9:57-62). Looking back can fill us with doubt and fear (Acts 13:13). Looking back can overwhelm us with regret or misplaced priorities (Phil. 3:12-18).
The question for us is, are there oxen you need to burn? Do you need to make a clean break from something that is holding you back? Do you need to Rule 91 something in your life that is keeping us from giving all to Jesus?
