“And Elisha came again to Gilgal; and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were siding before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot and see the pottage for the sons of the prophets. 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 shere them into the pot of pottage; for they know them not. 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. But he said, Then bring meal. And be east it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot. And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. But his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men 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.” 2 Kings 4:38-4438And 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. 39And 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. 40So 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. 41But 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. 42And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, 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. 43And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kings 4:38‑44).
I – ELISHA, GOD’S REPRESENTATIVE MAN
We have in this short Scripture that which the Spirit of God delights to give. In the presence of ruin on man’s side, it was ever the delight of the Spirit of God to give us the remedies on God’s side. In this Scripture, then, we have utter ruin on man’s side presented to us, and, at the same time, the blessed remedies on God’s side.
That which marked the ruin on man’s side is characterized by two things: the first is dearth, and the second is death. On man’s side there is nothing but death and dearth; on God’s side there is nothing but life and plenty.
I want you to mark how full of deepest meaning every word of this passage is.
Elisha is God’s representative man on earth; God has never left Himself without a testimony on the earth, in the days even of the greatest failure and ruin. A little lower down, Elisha is called the “man of God.” Now, what is a man of God? A man may be a Christian and yet not be a man of God. A man of God is a man who, in a day of ruin, in a day of evil and wickedness, stands out for God. That which actuated every motive of the God-man on earth was always to do those things which were pleasing to God. He cared for God’s interest on this earth. Elisha, then, was a man who cared for God’s interests on the earth: he was God’s representative man. And where is he found? This leads us to another word of deep significance in our verse.
II — GILGAL
“Elisha came again to Gilgal.” Gilgal is the place of blessing. I speak now of moral blessing. Gilgal was the place where the reproach of Egypt was rolled away.
The man who is at Gilgal has eternal blessing within his grasp; the man who is not at Gilgal is a long way off from eternal blessing. Gilgal is the place of self-judgment ― a place where self is very little; a place where men, women, and children are on very bad terms with themselves; and if you are not at Gilgal, let me tell you, you are a long way off from God.
There are just two classes of people, and you, my reader, must belong to one of them. Either you are at Gilgal or you are not. Are you among those who are building on something they can do? That is the very opposite of Gilgal. If you want to think well of yourselves ― if you want to retain your own reputation in the world Gilgal is the last place you will come to: but the man who knows that he cannot stand before God, cannot bear to be weighed in the balance of the sanctuary ― Who knows that if he was thus weighed he would be found wanting ― that man is at Gilgal: for Gilgal is a place of Divine realities, and God must have reality. And you, my reader, must have reality too; and if you will not have reality in the day of God’s grace, you must have eternal reality in the day of His judgment, in the place where hope never comes.
You may be a sham and a hypocrite here, but there are no shams or hypocrites before the great white throne; all is reality there ― all is terrible reality in the lake of fire.
Oh, I ask you, on what ground do you stand I before God? Have you got into that sacred circle which encompasses every blessing ― the presence of God? People keep out of the presence of God ― hide, like Adam, behind the trees of the garden; behind their business; behind anything, to keep themselves out of the presence of God.
To come within the reach of that sacred circle, the presence of God, that is the way to get to Gilgal. Do not be afraid of the light of that presence. He will not accuse you: humble you He must; bring you how He must; show you what you are He must. The moment you are brought low in the light of God’s presence you are at Gilgal, the place of self-judgment, and within the reach of eternal blessing.
“And there was a dearth in the land.” Now a famine in the land of Israel was a decided mark of the judgment of God, for if Israel failed in what they undertook to do, namely to keep His law, then His governmental dealings must come in in judgment. But in spite of the famine there is always blessing at Gilgal.
And is there not a famine in this world ― a spiritual famine? Did not the rich young man in Mark 10 know what it was to experience famine? He had everything for time, and nothing for eternity. “My soul craves,” he seems to say, “something that shall be mine forever.”
Oh, dear soul, you are badly off if you have nothing for eternity!
This is a world that is full of five things physically: tears, and death, and sorrow and crying, and pain; and full of sin and death morally. The broken hearts, the yearning, anxious, careful, troubled faces on every hand, tell us what? That there is a famine in the land―that there is a want in the human heart!
But “the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.” These men, who were in external relationship to God, were at Gilgal, in the place of self-judgment; they had nothing good to say for themselves. It is a great thing not to have anything good to say for ourselves, for if your lips are not silenced in the day of God’s grace, they will be silenced in the day of His judgment.
These sons of the prophets were in the best of places, and in the best of postures, “sitting before him.” Restlessness is the mark of an unsatisfied soul; going about to make good our own case is the very opposite to Gilgal; because going about to establish our own righteousness is not submitting ourselves to the righteousness of God. You must be either a doer or a receiver, and
“Doing is a deadly thing―
Doing ends in death.”
Here they are “sitting.” Go back in thought for a moment, and picture that group of hungry men in the place of self-judgment, God’s representative man there with them. Israel is ruined, but God is not ruined.
Who is the first to speak in this group? Is it the sons of the prophets telling Elisha their need?
No. There was the representative of the living God, and he knows their need, he knows the dearth, the famine.
God’s representative broke the silence, and when you get in reality to Gilgal you let God do the talking: bow your heart, and let God have everything to say.
Elisha does not speak to them; there they are in their weakness, in their poverty, and he knows it all; lie speaks to his servant. What does that mean? He falls back on his own resources. It means that there never is a need that God has not resources to meet that need: there never is a want that He is not able to supply out of His own fullness. He has a provision now to meet all the necessity of the case.
III ― THE GREAT POT
Here we have Elisha, God’s representative man, speaking to his servant, falling back on his own resources, and what does he say? “Set on the great pot.” Why the great pot? Because everything connected with God is great. Every-thing connected with man is little. “God is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.” That is what faith says, and when the Lord Jesus was down here, and spoke of God’s provision for the needy, He does not say, “A certain man made a supper,” but “made a great supper.”
Again, when the Apostle warns the Hebrews, it is, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation.” When the Lord is spoken of as the resource for Israel in a coming day, it is as “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” He is “the great Shepherd” too; in short, dear reader, I announce to you a God who is a great God ― great in all His resources for you, and I ask you, do you know this God? “Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.” There is plenty with God to meet every need.
IV — THE WILD VINE
But, now, the next verses tell of evil, sorrow, and desolation ― of death and judgment. Here is a man who turns away from the place of self judgment ― turns away from Gilgal ― goes out in self-will; and, beloved reader, if you are riot in the place of self-judgment before God, you are in the path of self-will.
The prophet had said not one word about herbs; they were in the posture of weakness, of receivers, of doing nothing, and having nothing, but receiving all from the living God. And now one man goes forth into the field, to gather herbs, following his own thoughts, like Paul when he said, “I thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” Oh, my readers, are you governed and controlled by your own thoughts and the power of Satan, or by the Word of God and the power of the Spirit of God?
Here self-will displayed itself in activity ― “went out,” turned from the place of blessing to the field. What is the field? “The field is the world,” Scripture says. Is there anything in the world that is good? There is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life; and “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” Yet here this man goes out into the field. I pray you notice the simple language of Scripture.
He went out, governed by self-will, governed by the thoughts of his own heart. You may tell me he was governed by a good motive. I grant it. You may tell me he went in search of what was good. I grant it; for herbs in Scripture are always good things. But he went into the world in search of what was good. He went out from where he could have eternal blessing, and went into the world in search of what was good. Did he find it? He found a “wild vine.” Now the wild vine is the true picture of man’s condition, in self-will away from God, which only yields death, and ruin, and judgment.
I can tell you, my reader, as one who has tried, there is not such a thing in this world as true, abiding joy. The vine in Scripture is ever the figure of what produces joy. How vain the pursuit of joy in the world! How bitter the fruits, how terrible the remorse.
The world has no wine to offer, only “stolen waters.” Proverbs 9 gives us what Christ’s wisdom presents, and what is offered by “the foolish woman,” the world. He, Christ, says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the Wine which I have mingled.” And, my reader, if you only lay bare your heart before the Son of God, come to the Savior, open your heart and let Him in, I will tell you what He will bring into it―Divine, eternal gladness.
“Stolen waters are sweet,” and is not sin sweet? Do you not roll it as a pleasant morsel under your tongue? You know you have found it sweet, but listen to the end: “Her guests” ― the world’s guests ― “are in the depths of hell.”
Why do you think they are called “stolen waters?” Because every sin you indulge in, you indulge in at the expense of the glory of God, and you are a robber, robbing God of His honor. For why were you created? Was it not for His honor and glory? Oh, beloved reader, believe me, there is not in the world such a thing as joy; you can find poor transitory pleasures of the moment, but there is no wine there. Where is there wine? In heaven with Jesus there is wine, there is joy; and if you do not know Him you have never known joy. Fleeting pleasure you may have known, but deep, divine, eternal joy you have never known. Yet you may know it now, this moment: if you come to Him, He will put eternal gladness into your heart.
“And gathered thereof wild gourds.” The gourd is a symbol of man, satisfied with his own doings. The man that is away from God is the man that walks in darkness and ignorance, ― “Knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” “Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them.” This man was totally ignorant, did not know what he was about. An ignorant man, away in self-will, away from God, doing for himself; and once more I say,
“Doing is a deadly thing―
Doing ends in death.”
The result of this busy, uncalled-for action follows: ―
“They cried out and said,” O thou man of God, there is death in the pot.” How solemn! oh, how solemn! We preach the coming of the Lord often ― we have the bright, the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord to receive us to Himself, but there is another side of the picture too. Do you know that we are all dying men and dying women! It is only a question of days, or months, or years, and then, if the Lord delays His coming, you must die, I must die; there is not one who can stand up and claim exemption.” For as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.” You know you have sinned, and the soul that sins must die. Have you ever looked it in the face? Over every man, woman, and child in this city this sentence of death hangs! Have you ever weighed in the light of eternity the vanity of the moment of your stay upon earth? What is our life? It is even a vapor.
Oh, dear reader, death is an awful calamity to the unconverted man. I should be afraid to die if I did not know Christ as my Savior! For death is a reality, and after death there is the judgment, and then the sentence, and then ― the lake of fire. You may seem to have health and strength, but the seeds of mortality are in you.
The Lord give you to face the truth, and then there is the blessed remedy here.
V ― The Meal
“But he said, Then bring meal.” The man who could meet the dearth could meet the death. God’s representative is here, and he says, “Well, if you have done your worst, it is only an opportunity for God to do His best.”
What is the meal? Christ in humanity is the meal. He came from heaven ― from glory. He knew what the death and the judgment were, and what does He bring. Life! He comes from glory, He goes down under all the death, under all the judgment. He was cast, as it were, into the pot.
“Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection from the dead.” One man brought in the ruin and the death, but another man came down into the scene, went into conflict with the one who had the power of death, overcame him, spoiled him of his power, and delivered them who, through fear of death, were all their life-time subject to bondage. Whoever you are, I can tell you, on the authority of God’s own Word, Christ died for all. He was the meal that was cast into the pot, and what did He bring out of the grave? He brought life and incorruptibility out of it! That is what Christ has done!
Has He not triumphed? Has He not gotten the victory? He has! He has broken every barrier down, and now to a Christian to die is gain. What gain! For the only link the believer has with a groaning creation is the body, and when death comes it is only to break the last link and to set me free. For He gives the victory, He sets me free, He gives everything for time and for eternity. He has done everything. The Savior loved, the Savior died, and then there is that cloudless morning of the resurrection.
I ask you, my reader, has death any fear, has the grave any quiver of dread for you? Or is death only a cloudless passing into His own bright presence? For the Christian the brightest moment is the moment that he passes away to be forever with the Lord.
You would not like to die without Christ, would you? You would not dare to? If you knew assuredly that this would be your last night on earth ― and it may be ― if you knew your head would never again be raised from the pillow in life, would you dare to lay your head tranquilly on your pillow without knowing that you had Christ?
I will tell you one thing. I would not dare to die without Christ; and I will tell you more ― I would not care to live without Him either. And if you knew you would be saved next week ― and there is no warrant in Scripture far knowing any such thing―you would have lost what eternity could never recover for you: a week’s walking with, a week’s enjoyment of, the Son of God! For salvation is not merely being rescued from hell at the last; salvation is learning to know the Son of God and walking with Him, being made like Him now. Will you dare to live another day on this earth, that lies under the judgment of God, with your soul in your own keeping? I would not, I dare not, and I counsel you not to either.
“And He said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat.” There is enlargement now; it is not for the sons of the prophets only, but for the people; it is not salvation for the few, but for the many. Go and tell them all, Christ says, of the victory, tell them of the triumph, tell them what I have accomplished.
There is not a single atom of ruin and judgment on man’s side that He has not gone under, and risen out of, a victor.
Do you think it is a weak Christ you have to do with? Oh no! no! You are either under Satan and weakness, or under Christ and power. It is a victorious Christ, a triumphant Christ. Will you be ashamed of Christ? Ashamed of the Son of God in glory? Can it be that you would be ashamed of the One who has all power? Oh, come out now on the side of a victorious Christ, on the side of the One who had a pathway of shame and a death-crown here for you, but left you a pathway of life and glory.
If you are not for Christ, you are against Him; and can you be against the One who died for you? Oh, bow your head, and heart too, to Him. He is sitting there, King of Glory, till His enemies be made His footstool; will not you bow now? Will you wait to be made His footstool? “Pour out for the people.” Why pour out? What does God want you to do? Eat. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” That means owning this One who has been down under death ― owning I need that death, and appropriating it to myself.
What will your poor souls feed on if you refuse to feed on Him? The husks that the, swine do eat? “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Do not leave it till to-morrow. Tell me, have you a keener appetite for the things of this poor passing world than for what God in His grace presents to you? Will you be a blessed, a satisfied man or woman, now and forever; or will you continue in all the misery and desolation, the want, the famine, of a rejecter of Christ?
“Blessed is the man that putteth his trust in Him.” Will you not taste and see that He is good, and have that blessing for your own?
“Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete.”
E. P. C.