Cast Meal into the Pot

2 Kings 4 records a time when Elisha was sitting with ‘the sons of the prophets’, where his servant accidentally gathered wild gourds and added them shredded into a pot of pottage for them all to eat. Picking up at verse 40…

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. 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. 

We are exposed constantly to many ‘voices’, regarding an endless number of topics, coming from many sources – telecast & printed media, social media, churches, ministries, watercooler gossip, etc. Unfortunately, most, if not all of them, are wrong. And unfortunately, just like ‘the sons of the prophets’ exclaimed …there is death in the pot.

So how do we recognize the poison, and how do we prevail without harm? Just as Elisha did – cast meal into the pot!

The ‘meal’ is the truth found in the Bible – God’s Word. In John 8, Jesus said, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. He also said, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 

Reading the Bible – a solid version and not someone else’s translation – is one of the most important things Christians can do… and then pray for wisdom and understanding. (James 1:5 says when we ask God for wisdom, he will give it to us!) Then when we hear the ‘voices’ that contain ‘death in the pot’, we can remember what the Bible says – what the truth is- and prevail without harm.

Please, commit yourself to reading your Bible more than ever.