There Is Death In The Pot

2 Kings 4:38-40 (KJV) And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and {boil stew} for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of {Stew}: for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

The Bible tells us that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4, ESV). So many people look at the Old Testament and compare it to the human appendix – a useless organ that can become infected and we would best be without. But the Old Testament was “written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come”. Our Lord Jesus preached extensively from the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus told those who would listen:

John 5:39-40 (ESV) You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, 40 yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.

John the Baptist was the human Herald of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus, when He became flesh. But the Old Testament is the written Herald of Jesus, the Preincarnate Word of God!

God was reaching out to people through the Lord Jesus Christ, calling people to receive Him and love Him, even in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-3). The Bible says:

Colossians 1:16-18 (NKJV) For by Him {by Jesus} all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church…

The Old Testament Saint knew Jesus. Our Lord was clear on this, Challenged by the Pharisees, Jesus said:

John 8:56-59 (NKJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Our Lord Jesus took the Name of Eternal God, I AM, to Himself. Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal to the Father. God says in Isaiah 43:11, “I AM the LORD, and besides Me there is NO SAVIOR”. Jesus is God. Jesus is Savior. The message we preach is,

Acts 4:12 (ESV) there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Elisha Was A Saved Believer In Jesus

We’re going to see Jesus in our text today. We’re going to see what a lack of Jesus does to a nation, to a people, to a person, even to a believer. We’re going to see Jesus first of all in Elisha.

2 Kings 4:38 (KJV) And ELISHA came again to Gilgal

Word Study: I love that name “ELISHA”. In the ancient languages, names had meaning. Your name described you, or what your parents wanted you to be.

God called a man called Abram to salvation (Genesis 12:1ff). His daddy Terah named him Abram, which means “exalted father”. But Abram was without children, and not likely to have children, until he met the Lord Jesus. Believing in the Lord Jesus, he followed the Lord, and Jesus gave him a new name:

Genesis 17:5 (NKJV) No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

Abram was a joke, an exalted nothing. But Abraham was “the Father of a multitude” because he gave his life to the Lord.

And Jacob, whose name means “one who takes the place of another through scheming and force”, he was an awful man until he met the Lord. One night Jacob struggled with the Lord Jesus until He crippled him. Even crippled, Jacob would not let go of Jesus until he was blessed. Our Lord told him:

Genesis 32:28 (NKJV) And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Jacob was a schemer. But as Israel his line was blessed, and from Israel the Messiah would become flesh and the promise of God to Abraham fulfilled.

What about Elisha? The name Elisha means “God is salvation”. The Lord sent Elijah the Prophet to call Elisha as his replacement. Who was Elisha? Elisha is a nobody who loves God. He is introduced to us as simply “Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah” (1 Kings 19:16). Who is that? No one knows. Elisha was a wealthy man who loved God more than his stuff. When called to serve, Elisha was plowing his fields with twelve yoke of oxen. This represented a considerable amount of money! When God called him, what did Elisha do with this expensive yoke of oxen? Elisha …

1 Kings 19:21 (ESV) … took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

Elisha = God Is Salvation! Jesus Is The Savior!

Elisha loves the Lord. He took a considerable investment – twelve yoke of oxen – and killed them for the Lord. He burned the yokes. When he gave up the oxen, he gave up his career. He can no longer plow the fields of his family. Elisha told his family goodbye, and made the Lord number one in his life. This is what Jesus calls us to be. Salvation is to REPENT and RECEIVE Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Luke 9:23-25 (NKJV) {Jesus} said to [them] all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

When Jesus calls a person to salvation, He calls the whole person. He calls you to give yourself to Him. Jesus owns you. He owns your stuff. He owns your fame, or lack thereof. Jesus tells the Christian …

Matthew 10:22 (NKJV) you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Christian, our God is Yahweh. Our God is Salvation. All other gods are false, untrue, without power. There is no way to God but through Jesus Christ. There is no Holy Book but the Bible. Jesus said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26, ESV). When you stand with God, you stand with life and light. When you stand with Satan and the world, you stand in darkness and death.

There Is Dearth In The Land

2 Kings 4:38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a DEARTH {famine} in the land

Word Study: There is “DEARTH IN THE LAND”. There was a famine. There was economic uncertainty. People were hungry, they were starving. Why is there a famine?

When God sent Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan, God told Israel to drive out the wicked that were there. Abraham had walked the length and breadth of Canaan. The Lord had tried to reach the Canaanites – through Abraham, through others, calling people to His side. But the Canaanites preferred idols, self made gods. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 9:5 (ESV) … because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that He may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

When the nation comes to the Lord, God blesses it. But there is a dearth in the land. Though Israel occupied Canaan now, Israel had become polluted with idolatry. God’s people began to compromise with the world around them. God’s people are supposed to be:

Matthew 5:14 … the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

What brings an economic famine on the land? The hardened heart that will not hear God’s Word. It is a joy to hear God’s Word, and His Word feeds the soul of the Christian. But many have wandered from Jesus, from the Word of God. We are seeing today the prophecy of Amos,

Amos 8:11-12 (ESV) “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”

Israel had turned from living God’s Word, and the light on a hill dimmed. Darkness reigned. With darkness comes instability. With darkness comes the breakdown of the family. When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, people on news channels and social media rejoiced at the murder of a good man. Oh, how I grieve Charlie’s passing. But hear me out – we must not exalt Charlie Kirk, but JESUS! Charlie was not perfect, and none of us are perfect. But Charlie loved the Lord.

We should grieve Charlie’s murder, but celebrate the Jesus Who promised (John 8:51) “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.” Charlie died preaching and believing the Gospel, and never saw death. He saw Jesus!

There is a dearth in the land because we have gotten away from Jesus. We have gotten away from the Word of God.

Jesus Who is the Creator told Adam what he was supposed to do, and what he was NOT to do. What did Adam do? He heeded the created instead of the Creator. He listened to his wife, who in turn listened to a serpent. When the created heed the created rather than the Creator, there is dearth – a famine – in the land.

How horrible it is when the darkness reigns. How horrible it is when God’s people forget where their blessings came from. Why did God wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah? Because Righteous Lot sat in the gate year after year (Genesis 19:1) compromising his faith! The Light of God’s people cannot blend with the darkness. Our nation today rivals Sodom and Gomorrah because God’s people sit in the gate and say nothing. Oh Beloved, this must not be! God tells His people to reach out to the lost, but to NEVER blend with them. He says:

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NKJV) Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not TOUCH what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.

Elisha Kept His Eyes On Jesus

The land is starving – but Elisha and those who love the Lord have resources. Elisha kept his eyes on Jesus. He didn’t worry about the idolaters. He didn’t worry about the famine. He just loved Jesus, and lived his life to serve the Lord. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If you know that God is the Savior, that faith in Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, then you are God’s child. God will take care of His children, of those who love Him. If you love the Son, the Father loves you. Jesus said,

John 15:10-11 (NKJV) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and [that] your joy may be full.

God takes care of His children. Again, the Scripture says:

Psalm 145:20 (ESV) The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

God looks after His people. “The Lord is MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT” (Psalm 23:1). The Shepherd defends the sheep. He guides the sheep to “green pastures, and leads them beside still waters”. God says of His child, His little sheep,

“Because you hold fast to Me in love, I will deliver you. I will protect you, because you know My Name. When you call to Me, I will answer you. I will be with you in trouble. I will rescue you, and honor you. With long life I will satisfy you, and SHOW YOU MY SALVATION” (Psalm 91:14-16, AP)

There was a DEARTH in the land, a famine, but Elisha was not worried. God would provide his need, and the needs of those who were with him.

2 Kings 4:38 (KJV) And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets {about 100 men} were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and {boil stew} for the sons of the prophets.

Elisha tells his COOK, his SERVANT to make a stew. Elisha is a prophet – a preacher of God’s Word. As every believer is supposed to do, Elisha is making disciples. That’s what God calls His children to do. Make disciples. Do you not remember Jesus’ command? “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). Make disciples. Teach others about Jesus. These “SONS OF THE PROPHETS” were about 100 preachers that Elisha was mentoring, just as he had been mentored. But his people are hungry. As the Psalmist said:

Psalm 37:25 (ESV) I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

There may be a famine in the land, but Elisha has a cook. That cook knows where to find things that are good to eat, and trusts in the Lord. So the cook makes a pot of stew. But someone steps out of bounds.

2 Kings 4:39 And ONE went out into the field to gather HERBS {‘ôrâ}, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of {stew}: for they knew them not. {they did not know what these gourds were}

Word Study: The cook makes a stew – and someone else adds the wrong thing to it. Reading the text, I believe it is telling us that the cook sent someone out to get “HERBS”. This is the Hebrew ‘ôrâ {pronounced o-raw’}, and it means “that which is LIGHT or BRIGHT, something LUMINOUS”. This same word is used to describe God in …

Psalm 139:12 (KJV) Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both ALIKE [‘ôrâ] [to Thee].

The cook tasted the stew he had made, and it needed a little flavor. So he sent someone to get a “HERB” that would “LIGHTEN UP” the dish, making it better to eat. Instead of getting a known “HERB”, the assistant found something that looked good. He took this gourd, a wild gourd unfamiliar to what he knew was good, and shredded it into the stew.

2 Kings 4:40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

They started to eat. Suddenly, their stomachs clenched. They were sickened. They had eaten something bad. “THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT”. Beloved, these were BELIEVERS IN JESUS. These were FOLLOWERS OF ELISHA. They had left their homes to learn, to be disciples of the Master. And now someone has introduced something strange, something not of God. My commentary notes:

“Untrained in these matters, {the cook’s assistant} mistook the wild vine for an edible cucumber or squash. What he found is believed to be the citrallus colocynthus, which had a leaf like a squash but was bitter and poisonous due to its very severe purgative qualities {X-Lax on steroids}. If eaten in large amounts it would tear up the digestive tract and could even cause death. In small amounts you might not die, but you might think you were going to–and might even want to. …. The world is full of poisonous ideas that may look harmless and even resemble the truth, but they are bitter and bring unhappiness to man. To be able to recognize this and to protect others from these bitter herbs, {believers} need to be trained in the Word of God.”

Oh Beloved, let us as believers guard one another, and encourage one another to get no strange item in the pot. But if we do, let us do as Elisha did.

The Cure To Death In The Pot Is Jesus

2 Kings 4:41 But {Elisha} said, Then bring MEAL {gemah}. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

Elisha didn’t panic. He asked the cook to “bring me flour”. Meal or flour is used in making bread. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 6:29-40 (ESV) Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

These men had taken something wild from the world into themselves. There was death in the pot. They were suffering, dying. Cramping, in agony. Elisha puts flour in the pot, symbolic of our Lord Jesus. Then he said,

Pour out for the people, that they may eat

We must feed on God’s Word. We must feed on the revelation of Jesus Christ. But you choose whether to eat or not. There is no neutral position. If you want to escape the death in the pot and the dearth in the land, you must partake of Christ.

We’ve got to get back to Jesus. Jesus will rain down blessings on His people, if we will love and follow Him. In the last three verses of this chapter, we see a miracle that Jesus twice replicated while on this earth.

2 Kings 4:42-44 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

There were about a hundred men with Elisha. A man brought Elisha 20 barley loaves of bread, not much larger than biscuits. Our Lord Jesus fed 5000 men with “five barley loaves, and two small fish” (John 6:9ff). The 20 barley loaves are equivalent to what four children would eat. Such a small amount. But Elisha looked to Jesus. He said, “The Lord told me a hundred shall eat – and there will be leftover”. And guess what?

Jesus did it! Our God is a Saving God. Oh, that you would look to Him today, and throughout this revival. Oh Holy Spirit, please speak to hearts this week. There is dearth in the land, and death in the pot. But we who love Jesus have life and light! Amen!