So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.(2 Kings 4:39-41)

Like his mentor Elijah, the life of Elisha was filled with miracles. This was one of the more unusual wonders God worked through the prophet.

In this case, in a time of famine (2 Kings 4:38), an unnamed man found a wild vine and brought it back to a group of young prophets. They sliced up the vine and threw it into a pot of stew. The vine or gourd was probably something known in that area as a wild cucumber. It can be bitter to the taste and cause severe digestive problems if enough is eaten, sometimes leading to death.

Under God’s guidance, Elisha put some good flour into the pot of stew and something wonderful happened: what was once so bad that it brought death was now made good. We aren’t exactly told, but it seems they enjoyed the rest of the stew.

Let’s take two applications from this. First, we often do what the unnamed young prophet did. We sometimes go out into the world for things we think will help and satisfy us, and instead they bring us death. If you belong to God, you will never again find the same satisfaction or nourishment in the things of the world. You can’t really go back to a life where the most important things are entertainment, or pleasure, or comfort, or fame, or wealth. These things in the “stew” of our life will eventually leave us shouting, “There is death in the pot!”

Second, notice what Elisha did. Instead of trying to get all the poisonous stuff out of the stew, instead he added something good: flour, the stuff you use to make bread. When wholesome food came into the pot, it changed everything.

Surely there is a time to try and remove poisonous doctrines among believers; but more often the proper course is to add as much good spiritual food as possible. Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35). Put the focus on Jesus and His life-giving Word – and watch how God gets the “death” out of a once-poisoned stew.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 4

Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” (2 Kings 4:3-4)

This was the word from the prophet Elisha to a widow who was so poor and in debt that she and her son were about to be sold into slavery for the money they owed.

In the kind of faith that desperation brings, she asked all her neighbors for whatever container she could borrow from them. Gathering the containers together in her home, she took the last small remaining bottle of oil and began to pour it into the assembled vessels. The prophet would not do this for her; she had to step out in faith herself.

I’m sure her heart beat fast as she began to pour. The oil flowed out of the small battle and into one of the borrowed containers, and it kept on flowing. By a miracle, through the promise of God, the laws of physics were temporarily suspended and a small bottle of oil filled many larger containers.

The widow gathered the vessels in faith, and the measure of the miracle was determined by the measure of her faith in gathering. In this case, the only limit was the limit of what she made available to God. When one container was filled she set it aside and went on to the next empty vessel, until they were all filled.

The oil miraculously flowed as long as the vessels were gathered, assembled, and ready. When the people of God are gathered in faith, assembled in order, and ready to receive, they will see God work among them.

One more thing to consider: all those borrowed vessels also had to be emptybefore they could be filled with oil. We can be too full of ourselves, too strong in ourselves, for God to really do His work in. Charles Spurgeon said, “A full Christ is for empty sinners, and for empty sinners only… It is not our emptiness, but our fullness which can hinder the outgoings of free grace.”

God can work miracles through our emptiness – as long as faith is ready to receive His filling. His strength is perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 4

And Elisha said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. (2 Kings 3:14-15)

Three kings came to the prophet Elisha asking for God’s help and guidance. Their armies were stuck in the dry desert, facing a thirsty death before they ever got to battle. Elisha had no respect for the kings of Israel or Edom, but because of the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, he agreed to seek God for their need.

When Elisha sought God for a prophetic word to speak to the three kings he said, now bring me a musician. It was a remarkable thing to say. When Elisha wanted to become more sensitive to the leading and speaking of the Holy Spirit, he asked for the service of a musician.

We know that Elisha was annoyed when the king of Israel first approached him on this matter (2 Kings 3:13). Perhaps this troubled his mind and spirit, and he needed some calm and God-honoring focus that music has the potential to bring. He sought to spiritually build up himself through “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16).

We don’t know the name of the musician, but when the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha and he prophesied, bringing a promise of deliverance to the three kings. As the musician played the instrument, he probably never thought that God would use the notes and melody to bring a great spiritual and military victory. Yet, the musician did what he could do and God used it, and in at least a small way it helped to change history.

Our God is a singing God who loves music (Zephaniah 3:17, Mark 14:26). We are made in God’s image, so we have a natural attraction to music. We can do ourselves much spiritual good by listening to God-honoring music and by worshiping Him in song.

– This speaks of the great spiritual power in music.
– This speaks of the great power of giving our gifts to God.
– This speaks of the great strength of what seem to be small or unexpected things.
– This speaks of the great importance of worshipping God in song.

Make use of this great, wonderful, God-given, and God-blessed spiritual resource.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 3

Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. (2 Kings 2:14)

Elijah was the older prophet, the mentor to Elisha. When Elijah was about to finish his work and leave this earth, the younger prophet asked to continue on the ministry of his mentor. Elijah said that would happen, if Elisha would stick with him until then end.

Elisha did, and when Elijah was carried up to heaven he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” (2 Kings 2:12) This meant that Elisha understood that the real strength of Israel was not found in its literal chariots and horsemen. The real strength of Israel was found in God, and in the prophets and men who proclaimed God’s word and demonstrated God’s works.

As Elijah was carried to heaven, his mantle (something like a big, long, scarf) fell to the ground. The younger prophet Elisha took the mantle of Elijah and asked a question: Where is the LORD God of Elijah?

Elisha wisely knew that the power in prophetic ministry did not rest in mantles or fiery chariots. It rested in the presence and work of the Living God. If the LORD God of Elijah was also with Elisha, then he would inherit the same power and direction of ministry.

This was a great question to ask. If God expected Elisha to continue on the ministry of Elijah, then He must be present for the junior prophet as He was for the senior prophet. It was as if Elisha could have asked the question more specifically:

Where is the God who kept Elijah faithful when the whole nation turned from God?
Where is the God who mightily answered prayer from Elijah?
Where is the God who provided miraculously for Elijah?
Where is the God who raised the dead through Elijah?
Where is the God who answers prayer by sending fire from heaven?
Where is the God who encouraged the discouraged prophet?
Where is the God who carried Elijah away into heaven?

The same God who did all that in the life of Elijah was ready to do great works in the life of the prophet who came after Elijah. Some of those great works would be similar to what God did through Elijah, and some would be different.

The same God is ready and willing to work in your life.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 2

Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” (2 Kings 1:1-2)

The book of 2 Kings begins in the reign of Ahaziah, king of Israel. In those days the 12 tribes of Israel were split into two kingdoms. The 10 northern tribes were a kingdom called Israel (with Samaria as capital). The 2 southern tribes were a kingdom called Judah (with Jerusalem as capital).

All the kings of the northern kingdom were bad. This included Ahaziah, who inherited the spiritual disaster of King Ahab. Israel was in decline and God’s judgment would soon be upon the northern kingdom.

One day, Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria. Ahaziah probably leaned against the wooden screen over a window in his palace. The lattice broke and he fell from the second floor to the ground. Most people don’t plan for such things, but accidents happen to both kings and peasants.

Accidents happen, but how we respond to the tragedy reveals where our trust is. King Ahaziah said this: “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” He didn’t turn to God or inquire of the LORD, the covenant God of Israel. Instead, he turned to the pagan god of Ekron who was named Baal-Zebub.

It’s a fairly reliable measure: in a time of trouble, you will turn to your god. If you worship material things, you will look to them in crisis. If you worship drugs or alcohol, that is where you will turn. If your god is pleasure or entertainment, you will try to run to them when your world feels seems to fall apart. Here, Ahaziah showed he was a true worshipper of the pagan god Baal-Zebub because he turned to him in his trouble.

What a worthless god he sought! The name Baal-Zebub literally means, “Lord of the Flies.” Maybe they thought this god had the power to drive flies away or send them, but this “Lord of the Flies” seemed to have become a god who was commonly worshipped, even by kings.

It’s been said that when we reject God, it’s not that we believe in nothing – but that we will believe in anything. King Ahaziah was too proud to call on the Creator, the loving and gracious covenant God of Israel, but he was not too proud to grovel before a god of disgusting flies.

Brothers and sisters: in good times and bad, seek the LORD. He is perfectly revealed to us in Jesus Christ and is full of beauty and truth. He will come to the one who seeks Him (Matthew 7:7), and He will draw close to the one who draws close to Him (James 4:8).

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 1