THE STORY OF ELISHA.

Elisha (My God saves) the "man of God" and a Hebrew prophet, disciple of Elijah, who ministered to and succeeded him, after which Elisha performed miracles and pronounced visionary oracles.
He was active for more than 60 years. Elisha lived an especially holy life, and no flies were ever found at his table because of the fragance which surrounded him.
Elisha gained a double portion of his master's spirit as a reward for his loyalty and for staying with Elijah until his mentor was taken up into Heaven in a whirlwind riding in a fiery chariot. He was able to perform twice as many supernatural miracles done by his master.
Elijah came upon him when he was ploughing his father's land and cast his mantle over the youth's shoulders to indicate that he was to carry on his work of preventing Israel from offending God.
Elisha slaughtered his team of oxen for a farewell feast with his parents and followed Elijah.
The prophet's mantle fell upon him. From that specific point Elisha's collection of originally independent supernatural miracles in each story is arranged according to the principle of association: stories that have common words, themes, or locations are placed side-by-side, thereby telling the "life history" of Elisha.
The miracle stories are short, with one exception. Most feature the "sons of the prophets," members of a prophetic and spiritual guild who looked to Elisha for guidance and help. It suggests that conventicles of the guild were located at Bethel and Jericho. Elisha's movements suggest that conventicles also existed at Gilgal, Mount Carmel, and Samaria. Elisha appears as an itinerant holy man, traveling from group to group and performing miracles in response to pleas for help from his spiritual poverty-stricken disciples.
His main task in the public realm of Kings and royal officers, was to aid King Joab against the Syrians, and Israel war with Aram-Damascus throughout the reigns of Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash. They are set in historically known wars and they showcase Elisha's supernatural knowledge. A prominent theme in the political legends is his ability to save the nation when the king has failed, and the belief in him as a God's prophet was essential to the nation's welfare. The people of Israel expressed both fear of ruin, being vastly outnumbered in battle, and the belief that God was in control of the spiritual War. If the God of Israel was directing the spiritual events, then God would ultimately save the nation through his prophet.
Like Elijah, he performed miracles, healing a spring, filling with oil a widow's empty jars so that she will not lose her children to a creditor, nullifying the poison in a stew so that his disciples can eat during a famine, restoring to life a Shunammite boy suffering from sunstroke, in a prefiguration of the raising of Lazarus; and feeding a multitude of 100 people with 20 loaves of bread and some fruit.
He also cured the Syrian general Naaman of leprosy by ordering him to bathe 7 times in the mud of the River Jordan, and made the borrowed iron ax that had fallen in the River, floats.
The legend of Naaman and Gehazi includes a healing miracle, but the focus is on a reversal of the two characters. Naaman was commander of the Aramean forces, but he listened to a captive Israelite maidservant and went to Elisha to be cured of his leprosy. He was cured and returned to Elisha and proclaimed his belief in God, an astonishing confession given the fact of the spiritual War between the nations. Gehazi then pursued Naaman and demanded some of the gifts that Elihjah had refused, for which he received Naaman's leprosy. The characters' status is thus reversed: the leprous enemy commander, the ultimate outsider, is cured and confess the God of Israel; then Elisha's aide, insider of insiders, betrays the prophet and is condemned. The legend explores the ramifications of a universal ethic based solely on fidelity to God, without regard for nationality, class, or religious status.
Yet he was not without his weaknesses and was subject to punishment by ill health. The common theme of these stories is Elisha's performance of actions as a Prophet of God that save the spiritual life of his marginalized  followers from fleshy distress. The purpose of these actions were to induce veneration to the Word of God spoke or act through His prophets not the veneration of man performing the act. Because of the way he caused two she-bears to attack a group of children who were taunted him shouting, "thou bald-head,"he was punished. He was also punished in a similar fashion because he was very severe with his servant Gehazi, who took money from the Syrian general Naaman after Elisha cured him. There stories were told by Elisha's disciples in order to establish God's authority in the mundane World through the man designated as "holy" and their status as a "holy man' among his disciples. Not the other way around, that is, the veneration of the man and not his Creator. The story of Elisha cursing the boys who insulted him makes it clear that establishing his authority as man was the aim of the action. The death of 42 of the boys contradicted Elisha's mission as life-giver, orienting his lifesaving acts toward those who recognized his holiness.
The story of the Shunammite also contrast to the short miracle stories in its length and complexity. The story ends with Elisha summoning the Shunammite to take her child, and her silent bow before him. The efforts required by the Shunammite to summon Elisha and by Elisha to revive the boy are very elaborated. The existence of a sequel is unique among the miracle stories.
When Elisha died, his supernatural miraculous power that resided in him continued a little bit more, and a dead man was revived when his corpse came in contact with Elisha's body. Elisha was also enlisted along with Elijah in the after-the-fact legitimation of Jehu's bloody purge of the Omride dynasty.
The prophet Jonah was one of Elisha's disciples.
In some texts he is ranked second only to Moses as a prophet. The accounts of Elisha's discipleship of Elijah and succession of his Moses-like master are described in 1 and 2 Kings with the purpose to link God's Holy Men and show the presence of them in each generation.
The Spirit of God, representing His activity in the mundane World guided the Patriarchs, inspired the Prophets, guided the authors of the biblical books and continuous to guide the whole People of Israel.
The power of the Holy Spirit can be passed on from master to disciple as happened to Elijah and Elisha, Jesus and Paul, Paul and Timothy, etc. It was believed that a person would glow when the Holy Spirit rested on him.