A New Bowl for Salt (2 Kings 2:19-22)

A New Bowl for Salt (2 Kings 2:19-22) 

 

¹⁹ And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.

 

²⁰ And he said, Bring me a new cruse (bowl), and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.

 

²¹ 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.

 

²² So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

 

 

Intro)

 

1. Elisha was one of Elijah’s students and one of the great prophets of the Old Testament during the time of Kings. The miracle described in today’s scripture is just one of the many he performed. At the time, Jericho was at the center of Israel; its location was perfect, but the water prevented crops from growing and children were dying.

 

2. This was no small issue. Water is the source of the life for all living things. At the people’s cries, Elisha told them to bring him a new bowl and put salt in it. He took the bowl to the source of the water, sprinkled the salt, and said, “Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.” As with all miracles, the waters were healed at Elisha’s words, and the water became the source of life it was meant to be.

 

Body)

 

A) We are Living in Sick Waters

 

All living things need water: from plants, to animals, to humans. Nothing can survive without water. As such, the quality of water has a great affect on the health and state of whatever living being consumes it. People get sick, animals fall ill, and crops fail to grow.

 

Our world today suffers from water shortages and water pollution. Even our very own ontario Lake is poisoned with heavy metals. About 7 years ago, there were even warnings that a person should only consume fish caught from ontario Lake once a year.

 

Even fish caught in the oceans aren’t guaranteed to be safe. Large tunas contain higher concentrations of poisonous metals; thus it is said smaller fish are safer to eat. We all need to work towards creating a cleaner environment and clean waters for the sake of our descendants.

 

Not only does polluted water harm our physical bodies, but the pollution of modern culture harms and slowly kills our spirits. Culture and society is water for our spirits. A contaminated society is even more dangerous than contaminated water. Our culture and society today is becoming one that kills instead of reviving and replenishing.

 

The wide acceptance of evolution as fact, the denial of God, terrorist attacks, cold-blooded murders, mass-shootings, unearned income, drugs, social binge drinking, sexual assault, kidnapping, and the glamorization of homosexuality are all just the tip of the iceberg. Our culture, our society, is drawing deeper and deeper into the shadow of death.

 

The United States alone has fallen victim to the seduction of materialism, decadence, pleasure, and greed. Society has become physically, morally, spiritually sick and damaged. There are countless things for which our leaders and politicians must accept responsibility and repent.

 

B) A New Bowl of Salt

 

When Elisha speaks to the people, he asks them to bring him a new bowl, one that has never been used before and is uncontaminated. Salt is a cleansing element, and represents the genuineness, holiness, and truth of God’s Word.

 

Leviticus 2:13 says, “¹³ Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” Thus, salt in a new bowl represents God’s new and holy promise.

 

We, as God’s children, are the ones who need to pour salt into a new bowl. The “new bowl” here are the disciples of God who have been forgiven and reborn. It says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

 

New reborn Christians need to live their lives filled with salt, meaning they need to live their lives filled with God’s holy Words, His praises, His missions, and His plans. As a new vessel, fill yourself and your life with all the goodness of God; stay away from evil acts, words, and people. Be pure and fill yourself with purity.

 

C) Throw Salt at the Source of Ill Waters

 
Water must be pure and cleansed from the source. Whatever its state is at the source is what trickles down. Elisha throwing salt into the source of dirty water at Jericho symbolizes how God will keep His promises no matter what.

 

Elisha said, “I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.” When salt is added to water, the salt naturally dissolves into the water. This salt can be compared to all Christians.

 

Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” When salt was thrown into the bitter water, the water was miraculously cleansed.

 

Salt depicts Christians and their good deeds. The water source illustrates the source of evil, darkness, and sins in our society today. Just as salt dissolves in water, we, as Christians, must enter this source of evil and dissolve into it in order to heal it. Salt can only act when it is added to something else and is able to dissolve; without a source to be added to, salt is useless. We, as God’s Christians, need to be like salt and ensure we are added and dispersed into our ill society.

 

Society and culture are made by people, but it is the leaders of that society that make an impact. We must be the leaders. Christians need to take their places and lead in areas of society and modern culture from politics, to economics, to entertainment, to literature, to art, to science. We heal from the inside, battling evils head on, not by sitting on the sidelines and praying for the best.

 

Pastor Yong-jo Ha was a man who invested a great deal of his time and energy into doing just that. He was the pastor of a popular church, established onnuri Church, and worked tirelessly for the development of Christian culture.

 

Churches need to find their voice and make their proclamations. We need to denounce what is wrong even when society claims it is right. We are the salt to the world; salt isn’t always quiet and lingering in the background. Salt is sprinkled and poured anywhere and everywhere to dissolve, to cleanse, and to improve what is failing.

 

We must support Christian schools, missions, and missionaries all around the world so they can actively and effectively be God’s salt to the world. We must bring forth great Christian scholars, leaders, and educators.

 

One of the leading pastors fighting against same-sex marriage is Pastor Billy Graham’s son, Pastor Franklin Graham. Pastor Franklin Graham clearly and openly speaks against gay marriage and makes his views known to the government. We need more pastors like this. We need voices that proclaim evil and sin for what it is. only then will the deterioration of the US and the rotting of our society and culture be prevented.

 

Our children today spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week learning in schools that are regulated and controlled by the government. Here they learn that evolution is the only truth and God’s miraculous story of creation becomes nothing more than a fairy tale.

 

Compared to the 40+ hours they spend at school, our children spend barely 20 minutes a week reading and learning about God’s truth: The Bible. What should be truth becomes stories and myths. They start to see Christians as fanatics, lunatics, and people who are out-of-touch with reality.

 

School and education is indeed important, there is no doubt or argument about that. However, we need to teach our children about the Bible and God, something that is even more important. If we focus only on their school education, our children naturally turn away from God and eventually separate themselves completely. Especially in today’s secularly driven society, Christian education and Sunday School are more vital than ever.

 

Parents need to be more alert. We need to know and be able to teach why evolution is wrong and a problem. Do not trust that school will properly teach your children. As a parent, you must learn about the education your child is receiving and understand its flaws. Then you must know how to correct it and act on it.

 

The church must also actively work for this cause. No matter how much science claims to back evolution, the truth of the Bible does not change. Even when the world crumbles, God’s Words and Truth will prevail. Never mistake evolution for fact; it is merely another theory with claimed evidence that has been pieced together based on assumption.

 

Con)

What do we need to do? First, as new bowls and vessels, we must fill ourselves and our lives with holy salt, for we can’t spread salt if we don’t have any. How do we do this? We fill ourselves with God’s Word and Message. We need to have certainty and unwavering faith in His Word. Love His Word. Study His Word. Attend worship services and actively listen to His message.

 

Listen to His message, act on His message, and be changed. Become a stronger more mature Christian. Pray for the strength to obey and carry out His work. Turn away from sin and focus your energy on bringing God joy. Love your family and neighbors.

 

Then place your efforts into gathering with people of faith; seek guidance from those with stronger faith and help those of weaker faith. Set yourself and your life apart from the fallen and evil cultures of society.

 

Start with simple things like staying away from alcohol. A drink or two is acceptable, but don’t let yourself get carried away by its temporary pleasure because it can harm you physically, mentally, emotionally, and most importantly spiritually. Involve yourself into society but separate your lifestyle from the world. Give your life to God and put all your efforts into serving Him.

 

 

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