When "food" brings death (2 Kings 4:38-41)

Send us a text

During a time of famine in Gilgal, the sons of the prophets gathered before Elisha, relying on him for sustenance. But one of them, in order to increase the group's resources, gathers a lapful of fruit which he believes will be useful to all. This fruit, gathered by the man in his ignorance, brings "death in the pot." 

All their food is poisoned, and thus they find themselves reduced to the same extremity as the people. This poor remnant must feel the power of the death that threatens them and which is a result of their working and lack of discernment. 

Yet Elisha, the man of God, provides the remedy, casting meal into the pot, making the food safe to eat—just as Christ alone can neutralize the corruption of sin and bring life where death has entered.

Submit questions and comments to www.ThoughtsofChrist.com

Episode Transcript

Bernard (00:00):
In the world today we find ourselves bound by culture
on every side and spiritualdeath is all around.
Many believe they can’t find ordon’t know where spiritual food
is to stop their starving thatthey feel.
There are dangers when a personis hungry.
He may think he has found food,but may not realize that the
item that he thinks is food canactually be poisen to his body.

(00:24):
Desperation in a time of hungeror not discerning what is good
food can lead to death.
In the Old Testament there issuch a short story that the
Spirit of God shares with us inSECOND Kings 4, verses 38-41.

And here we read (00:39):
And Elisha came again to Gilgal.
And there was a famine in theland; and the sons of the
prophets were sitting beforehim.
And he said to his servant, Seton the great pot, and boil
pottage for the sons of theprophets.
Then one went out into the fieldto gather herbs, and found a
wild vine, and gathered from ithis lap full of wild colocynths,

(01:02):
and came and shred them into thepot of pottage; for they did not
know them.
From Wikipedia a colocynths isdefined as: It resembles a
common watermelon vine but bearssmall, hard fruits with a bitter
pulp.
The plant contains cucurbitacinsand is unsafe to use.
Let’s go back to our reading in2 Kings 4: Then one went out

(01:23):
into the field to gather herbs,and found a wild vine, and
gathered from it his lap full ofwild colocynths, and came and
shred them into the pot ofpottage; for they did not know
them.
And they poured out for the mento eat.
And it came to pass, as theywere eating of the pottage, that
they cried out and said, Man ofGod, there is death in the pot!

(01:45):
And they could not eat it.
And he said, Then bring meal.
And he cast it into the pot, andsaid, Pour out for the people,
that they may eat.
And there was no harm in thepot.
Let’s now look at theapplications from these four
verses.
Let me read an adapted portionfrom Henri Rossier written over
100 years ago.

(02:07):
A new scene is called to ourattention.
Instead of retiring to Carmel,Elisha goes to Gilgal.
There the Spirit of Christrepresented by the prophet joins
the sons of the prophets again.
For them it is a matter ofcollective blessing.
The remnant cannot be blessedexcept in gathering at the place
of circumcision, of repentance,and of self-judgment.

(02:30):
"There was a famine in theland." While the land of Israel
lay under the weight of thiscalamity, type of the future
tribulation, the feeble remnantfinds what is necessary for its
subsistence at this place, instanding before Elisha.
Out of this place, far from thisperson, they would be without
resource, even as others.

(02:51):
Repentance and having Christwith them in the Spirit will
then suffice the faithful,whatever may be their own penury
and the ruin that surroundsthem.
They find sufficient nourishmentin the"great pot" of the prophet
who will not measure out theirmeans of existence stingily.
But one of them, in order toincrease the group's resources,

(03:13):
gathers a lapful of fruit whichhe believes will be useful to
all.
This fruit, gathered by the manin his ignorance, brings"death
in the pot." All their food ispoisoned, and thus they find
themselves reduced to the sameextremity as the people.
This poor remnant must feel thepower of the death that
threatens them and which is aresult of their working and lack

(03:36):
of discernment.
What could they add to Elisha'sfood?
If the fields of Israel were notproducing wheat, they were by
contrast producing poison inabundance.
This is all the fruit that thereign of the apostate king, the
Man of Sin of the last days,will be able to procure for
them, and all the fruit, on theother hand, that their flesh

(03:58):
will be able to gather.
Elisha said:"Then bring meal.
And he cast it into the pot."Meal, the perfect humanity of
Christ, is that which rendersthe pottage healthful.
All the works of the flesh canbut make of it a deadly food.
Hardly had they turned to theprophet than the remedy is

(04:18):
found.
One man alone can save them andbring the remedy for the
condition.
They sense this, and their firstthought when they are under the
power of death is of the man ofGod.
They cry unto him"out of thedepths.""If thou, Jah, shouldest
mark iniquities, Lord, who shallstand?" They wait upon him;"With

(04:39):
Jehovah there isloving-kindness." Gathered in
His presence, the perfection ofHis humanity is their only
safeguard and even becomes theirfood.
In His holy person He annuls allthe harmful results of man
mixing himself into the work ofGod.
Elisha, Christ in the Spiritwith them, opens to them a
source of deliverance by theknowledge of what He, as Man

(05:01):
upon earth, is for those whotake hold of Him by faith.
"There was no harm in the pot.""Pour out for the people, that
they may eat." This concludesthe commentary from Mr.
Rossier.
May we seek to discern wheretrue food should be for not only
myself, but for those around me.
If I gather from strange fieldsI may have lost my discernment

(05:23):
for what is true food and bringdeath into the pot, like this
poor son of the prophet did.
But what is the remedy?
We must add the fine meal--- atype of Christ—into the pot so
that people are nourished andnot die from the poisen that was
introduced.
May we seek to be discerning inthis day to find TRUE FOOD—found

(05:44):
only in His Word—and that hasbeen tested and validated
against this culture that seeksto introduce death to the soul.
May Christ’s name be glorifiedand honored in this world with
all its allure and culture as weawait His coming for His saints.