“Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren. And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt into it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went down to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the LORD: “I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.” So the water remains to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.” (2 Kings 2:19-22)
The men of Jericho had a problem. They had a great town, but they could not get good water or grow decent food. Why would they say it is a “pleasant situation” if the water was bad and the ground was bad? It was probably a town of good people who worked hard. It probably was a beautiful scenic area with good grazing land. It had lots of really great features. But the nearest source of water was polluted and they had to go further away to get clean water.
They had just spent three days looking for Elijah the prophet who had been taken up to heaven by God in the chariot of fire. What a sight that must have been! Elisha hung with Elijah and got the double portion of the anointing that he was promised. He immediately began to operate in it. He told the men of Jericho they wouldn’t find Elijah and, of course, they didn’t. They knew Elisha had the power of God resting on him.
So they brought to him their water problem. Notice what Elisha did. He told them to first bring a NEW bowl. An unused bowl. This would be the very first time this particular bowl was used. And it was used in a miracle. Then they put salt in it. Salt has healing and preserving properties. Salt is an important substance in the earth. Third, Elisha went to the SOURCE of the water. He went to the root of the problem. He did not try to fix any symptoms, he went to the root because that is where the problem stems from. Fourth he cast the salt into the source water and SPOKE the Word of God into the situation. He said “Thus says the LORD: “I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.” He got the good verdict from heaven and spoke it into this situation. What was the result?
“So the water remains to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.” The people of Jericho just had their day-to-day lives changed forever. They got a real, tangible blessing from the LORD through Elisha.
As believers, we are the Elishas of our day. Jesus said the greatest of all the prophets was John the Baptist and the least in the kingdom of God through salvation in Jesus Christ is greater than him. This means that all of the miracles that all the prophets did down through the ages are just as possible for each one of us. Elijah and Elisha always SPOKE in the NAME OF THE LORD. The name of Jesus is the most powerful sentence you can utter.
Jesus told Jairus to ONLY BELIEVE when faced with the knowledge of his little daughter’s death. We too can look at the bitter water sources in our lives and speak the living Word of God over it in the Name above all names: Jesus Christ. We too can see real, tangible change in our everyday lives because Jesus lives. It is only because Jesus Christ LIVES that anything is possible to us. That is what separates Christianity from any other faith. We serving a LIVING God. Dare to believe God to heal your bitter water today…
Blessings everyone…
From the Heart of God... 