HEALED WATERS -- Monday:
"And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake." KJV (2 Kings 2:20-21)
Things are not always pleasant for the people of God. Often tests come to them that are grievous, requiring Divine intervention. Such was the case with "the sons of the prophets" at the time when Elijah went into heaven by a whirlwind, in a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses, and his mantel fell on the banks of Jordan. Elisha picked up the mantel, struck the waters of Jordan, and cried out, "Where is the God of Elijah?" The waters parted, and he "crossed over."
The "sons of the prophets" were waiting when Elisha returned. As soon as they saw him, it was evident something of great magnitude had occurred. They said, "‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.' And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him." However, they had not seen what Elisha did. They did not know the mighty prophet had been taken up into heaven. Therefore, they asked if a group of fifty men could go and look for the body of Elijah, surmising that it might have been left by the Spirit of God upon some mountain or in some valley (2:15-16). Elisha responded, "You shall not send anyone." However, in the impetuosity of their youth, they continued to plead with Elisha until he was "too ashamed to refuse them" (NIV). He then said, "Send them," and the fifty men went on their way. After a futile search of three days, the wearied men returned to Jericho, where Elisha was found. Without hesitation, and in order to teach them a lesson, he said, "Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go'?" (2:17-18).
At this point, the people of that area were fully persuaded this was a man of God. They sensed he was so blessed that the Lord would work through him, much as He did through Elijah. Therefore, "the men of the city" of Jericho brought to him a grievous circumstance that existed in that area. They confessed, "the situation of the city is pleasant," that is, it was located in a good place. Considering that circumstance, one would think everything would be advantageous for the people. One could not ask for better surroundings, or a place more conducive to the welfare of the people.
However, things were not well at all, even though the environment was good. They added, "but the water is bad, and the ground barren," or unproductive (v 19). The meaning is that the water was so contaminated that it was causing life to be aborted, making the land, and possibly life, unproductive. Some versions accent this grave circumstance: "and the land miscarrieth" (ASV), "the country suffers from miscarriages" (NJB), and "causing the young of the cattle to come to birth dead (BBE). The word "land," in this case, refers to the area rather than the soil: i.e., "land of Gennesaret" (Matt 6:53), "land of Judea" (John 3:22) and "land of Sodom" (Matt 11:24). Here, water, intended to contribute to life, had become a source of the termination and futility of life.
Here was the first need ever presented to the prophet Elisha. He had been newly anointed with power after witnessing the translation of the mighty prophet Elijah. What would he do? Or would he do anything at all? Would the condition of the city of Jericho be of any consequence to him?
Without any apparent hesitation he said, "Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it." They could not use an old bowl, or jar. It had to be a new one, never used before. Since a new thing was about to be done, it was only appropriate that something new be used for its accomplishment. However, it could not be an empty bowl. Something had to be in it before it could be used. The men were to "put salt in it." Perhaps the prophet was recalling the necessity of every offering made to the Lord being seasoned "with salt" (Lev 2:13; Ezek 43:24). The waters were contaminated, but the salt spoke of imminent purification.
The prophet took the bowl of salt to the "spring [or source] of the waters." He did not go downstream, or to a convenient place, or to a point where the people gathered. The work of God must be wrought at the source of the waters. There, at the source, Elisha threw in the salt. He then proclaimed, "This is what the LORD says: 'I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive'" (NIV). The effects of this miracle never went away or diminished. This miracle marked the beginning of Elisha's ministry.
This remarkable miracle is a depiction of the greater work of Jesus Christ. When He embarked upon His ministry, He also found the source of life to have been contaminated, causing death and barrenness. Because of Adam's sin, death had passed the whole of the race, and sin mercilessly ravaged it (Rom 5:15-20). Therefore, the God of heaven started, as it were, with a new fountain – a new source of life. This was "the Second Man" and the "Last Adam" (1 Cor 15:45,47). His Person was like a "new bowl," "full of grace and truth," which were like sanctifying and purifying salt. As "the Life," (John 14:6), whoever drinks from this Fountain will live, obtaining eternal life. Humanity has been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the exclusive source of life–productive life!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I than You for the day of new beginnings!