II Kings 4:38-44
“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 seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.” (II Kings 4:38)
Deuteronomy 11:13-17 advised Israel, “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.”
While Jehoram was not as wicked as Ahab and Ahaziah, he still did wickedly himself, and the people continued with the same attitudes and culture they had been developing since Jeroboam’s day. Because of their turning to other gods and refusal to keep their contract with God, droughts and famines were a constant problem, affecting those who worshipped God as well as those who didn’t.
“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 pottage: for they knew them not.” (II Kings 4:39)
The sons of the prophets had met together with Elisha and he asked his servant to prepare a stew to feed them all. Because of the drought, different ones were sent our to forage for food to put in the stew. Since the familiar and preferred edible plants were scarce, one of the men picked gourds from a vine he didn’t recognize and chopped them up into the stew, not realizing they were poisonous.
“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.” (II Kings 4:40)
When it was cooked they served it and everyone started eating. Before very long people started getting sick and they realized that the stew was poisonous. They were afraid to eat anymore and warned Elisha.
“But he said, Then bring meal. 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.” (II Kings 4:41)
Rather than throwing away the entire pot of food, Elisha told them to add some flour. When they did so, it miraculously neutralized the poison, making it harmless so they could go ahead and eat it. God again used what they had to feed all the sons of the prophets.
“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.
And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men?” (II Kings 4:42-43a)
A few days later, an man brought an offering of his first fruits to Elisha. This was an offering of the first things they picked that was given as a way of thanking God for making the crops grow, picked and offered before they harvested the main crop. The man had picked enough to make about twenty servings.
Elisha told his servant to give it to the people because they were hungry. The servant feared they would end up fighting over it because there were over a hundred there.
“He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.” (II Kings 4:43a-44)
Elisha told him to go ahead because it would be more than enough. Sure enough, when everyone had eaten all they wanted, there was food leftover, just as there was both times when Jesus fed the multitudes.
Though the nation as a whole was rebelling against him, God still provided for those who served him, even when they made dumb decisions such as putting poisonous gords in the pot.
“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 seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.” (II Kings 4:38)
Deuteronomy 11:13-17 advised Israel, “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.”
While Jehoram was not as wicked as Ahab and Ahaziah, he still did wickedly himself, and the people continued with the same attitudes and culture they had been developing since Jeroboam’s day. Because of their turning to other gods and refusal to keep their contract with God, droughts and famines were a constant problem, affecting those who worshipped God as well as those who didn’t.
“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 pottage: for they knew them not.” (II Kings 4:39)
The sons of the prophets had met together with Elisha and he asked his servant to prepare a stew to feed them all. Because of the drought, different ones were sent our to forage for food to put in the stew. Since the familiar and preferred edible plants were scarce, one of the men picked gourds from a vine he didn’t recognize and chopped them up into the stew, not realizing they were poisonous.
“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.” (II Kings 4:40)
When it was cooked they served it and everyone started eating. Before very long people started getting sick and they realized that the stew was poisonous. They were afraid to eat anymore and warned Elisha.
“But he said, Then bring meal. 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.” (II Kings 4:41)
Rather than throwing away the entire pot of food, Elisha told them to add some flour. When they did so, it miraculously neutralized the poison, making it harmless so they could go ahead and eat it. God again used what they had to feed all the sons of the prophets.
“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.
And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men?” (II Kings 4:42-43a)
A few days later, an man brought an offering of his first fruits to Elisha. This was an offering of the first things they picked that was given as a way of thanking God for making the crops grow, picked and offered before they harvested the main crop. The man had picked enough to make about twenty servings.
Elisha told his servant to give it to the people because they were hungry. The servant feared they would end up fighting over it because there were over a hundred there.
“He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.” (II Kings 4:43a-44)
Elisha told him to go ahead because it would be more than enough. Sure enough, when everyone had eaten all they wanted, there was food leftover, just as there was both times when Jesus fed the multitudes.
Though the nation as a whole was rebelling against him, God still provided for those who served him, even when they made dumb decisions such as putting poisonous gords in the pot.
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