2 Kings 4 (Part 4) Bible Study (Elisha Purifies the Deadly Stew) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Do you have a copy of God's Word in your hand?

Make it a habit to bring your Bible to church.

And I am an advocate for a physical copy of God's Word.

Do not be surprised if eventually in history this Bible

will be recognized as a hatebook, as it has been in many

parts of the world. And if everything becomes

digitized, that means most things are going to be under the

control of those who do not view the Bible the way you do.

So carry physical copies of God's Word in your hand at home.

It's much more difficult for that to be seized by those who

consider this Bible to be tagonistic and hateful.

So you have a copy of God's Word.

There's nothing sinful about an iPad or an iPhone, But whatever

format you have, let's come together now to Second Kings

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4. Second Kings chapter 4,

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 38, and we will read to the end of this

chapter. This is the final study of this

chapter, but it is certainly not the conclusion of Elisha's

miraculous ministry. Second Kings chapter 4,

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 38. And Elisha came again to Gilgal

when there was a famine in the land.

And as the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, he said

to his servant, set on the large pot, and boil Stew for the sons

of the prophets. One of them went out into the

field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from

it in his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up

into the pot of Stew, not knowing what they were.

And they poured out some for the men to eat.

But while they were eating of the Stew, they cried out.

Oh. Man of God, there is death in

the pot and they could not eat it, he said.

Then bring flour. And he threw it into the pot and

said, Pour some out for the men, that they may eat, and there was

no harm in the pot. A man came from Bell Shalisha,

bringing the man of God bread, bread of the first fruits, 20

loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack.

And Elisha said, Give to the men that they may eat.

But his servant said, How can I set this before 100 men?

So he repeated, Give them to the men that they may eat.

For thus, says the Lord, they shall eat and have some left.

So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left

according to the word of the Lord.

Lord, we ask that you help us in this study.

Thank you for your presence, Lord, and we trust that this

word is your voice, and it has the force and the power to

infuse the graces that we need to be who you called us to be.

So Lord, we pray for a mind that understands, a heart that will

burn, and lives that will conform to the things that we

will explore together by your help.

We thank you for this provision of spiritual food, and we eat of

it, trusting that it will nourish and strengthen us for

your glory. In Jesus's mighty name we pray

Amen and Amen. The fact that these two

miracles, miracles of provision, took place in a place called

Gilgal, should stop us in our tracks.

Why? Because we want to develop the

ability to study reflectively, to look back and to compare and

to think and to meditate. And if we have been doing that

in this short series of Elijah's life, then we would recognize

something in Gilgal being mentioned here.

What you will notice is that between Second Kings chapter 2

2 Kings 2 · chapter mention

and 2nd Kings Chapter 4, Elijah performed significant miracles

in the very same locations that Elijah and Elijah travel past

and. Through before Elijah was

transported into heaven. Do you remember Second Kings

2 Kings 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, how this pair journeyed to that destination?

If you want to see it for yourself, go to chapter 2 and

look at verse one. You'll realize and you'll be

reminded that Elijah and Elijah began from Gilgal.

And in verse 2, we're told that they went from Gilgal to where

anybody remember? What does it say in your Bibles?

Bethel and after they traveled to Bethel, we were told that

they went where in verse 4. The reason why I'm asking is

because I want you to be engaged.

Good. Jericho and then from Jericho

and verse 7 we read that they arrived at their final place,

which was where the Jordan very good.

Now recall and retrace the steps of Elijah's miracles.

Right after Elijah ascended into heaven, what happened at the

Jordan? The river split into, did it

not? And after the Jordan he went

where to cure the waters? Jericho.

After Jericho, what happened there was a miracle of judgment

that was proclaimed against a large group of young boys, and

it took place where Bethel. And now we come to our study in

Second Kings chapter 4, and we are about to see what God is

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

going to work in and through Elijah in a place called Gilgal.

So the series of supernatural events took place in the reverse

order of the original journey that Elijah and Elijah shared.

Is that significant? Yes, it is significant.

Why is it important to recognize that?

I believe because the Lord miraculously moving in these

places was His way of validating Elijah's ministry in the very

same areas where Elijah once had influence.

And so this would first of all strengthen Elijah in the

beginnings of his ministry, but it would also encourage the

people of God, namely the sons of the prophets who were located

and studying in these precise places, to see how God

demonstrated this important truth that his work continues

even though his men pass on. God's work and his program

advances with or without his men.

If his men pass on into glory faithfully, or if some of those

ministers were disqualified due to unfaithfulness, God's work

goes on. And that's the overarching

lesson by that simple observation.

But we have been learning these past few weeks that with each of

these miracles there is a message.

There are other truths that we draw from them.

And that is certainly the case with these final miracles in

this chapter. And so I want us now to closely

examine what we can take from these two brief accounts and

trust that the Lord will speak to us as he always does.

But listen, the the way that we're going to properly

interpret and apply what we just read together is by

acknowledging a very crucial ingredient and detail that is

brought to our attention in the very first sentence of what we

read. Look back at verse 38 and Elisha

came again to Gilgal when there was a famine in the land.

If you read too quickly, you'll miss so much of the depth of

what we will discover with these miracles.

This condition sets the stage for these interventions from God

to carry meaning and greater impact and understanding of who.

He is and what he asked of us. There was a famine in the land.

And it's very likely that this famine is the same one that's

described in Second Kings chapter 8, verse 1.

2 Kings 8:1

So look at Second Kings chapter 8, verse one.

2 Kings 8 · chapter mention

We read this in part last in last week's study, but let's be

reminded in Second Kings 81. Now, Elijah had said to the

woman whose son he had restored to life, Arise and depart with

your household and sojourn wherever you can.

For the Lord has called for a famine and it will come upon the

land. For how long?

Seven years. That's a long time.

A few key points to take away from this.

Number one, we're told the duration of this famine, and it

was, as you said, seven years when Elijah was the chief

prophet in Israel. There was also a famine that

Israel experienced. How long was that famine?

A little over three years, James tells us three years and six

months. So we have here another famine

with Elijah's successor, and it was double the time of the

famine under Elijah's ministry. Secondly, we're told, who is

responsible for this famine? What did Elijah say?

He said for the Lord has called for a famine.

Famines were not a regular occurrence, nor were they normal

events in the life of Israel under the Old Covenant.

Why is that? Because the Law of Moses tells

us that the presence of a famine is a manifestation of God's

judgement against His people for their unrepentant idolatry.

And if you need a proof text which you should have, turn to

the book of Deuteronomy and notice what is told in verse 11

or Chapter 11 rather, and verse 16.

It makes it explicitly clear. This one of the clearest

warnings about famines in the Bible, especially for those who

are under the Old Covenant. Deuteronomy 11, verse 16.

Deuteronomy 11:16

Notice what Moses says before the people even entered into the

land of promise. Take care lest your heart be

deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship

them. Then the anger of the Lord will

be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so

that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit,

and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is

giving you. So whenever there was a famine,

it was chastisement from heaven. And it was a way in which God

caused the people to experience discomfort so that they would

repent and turn to men, be restored to His perfect and

goodwill for them. So stepping back now and

connecting these insights, understanding Elijah's ministry

in the famine under his ministry and during his ministry now,

Elijah's ministry and the seven-year famine, what can we

take away from this concerning the people of Israel?

A very disheartening truth that despite the triumphant,

miraculous, massive miracle that took place on Mount Carmel that

brought victory to the name of the true God.

And conquered Baal ISM. The people did not truly repent.

They didn't truly repent. It was momentary, it was

undeniable. It was.

Moving it was impressive, but it did not produce what God is

after lasting repentance. And because they did not truly

repent from their sins after such an incredible demonstration

of His grace, the Lord will discipline them further.

And how would he do that? He's going to now bring another

famine that will last twice as long.

Twice as long. And this is an important lesson

for us, you see, To revisit sins that we have vowed to never

entertain invites greater discipline from our loving

Father. The Lord God loves us too much

to keep us in our sin and to keep us in a state where we

don't learn from our past sins. And this is especially true for

the sins that He has disciplined us about.

You know, there are some people who deceive themselves in

potentially entertaining things that they have done before,

thinking that they are able to survive the consequences of sin

that they faced before. That wasn't so bad.

I mean, it was a little bit embarrassing.

It hurt me a little bit. It caused me to forfeit the

trust of some people that I love.

But here I am. It's not so bad.

Maybe I can do it again. Maybe I can try harder, try

better. Maybe I can I can be successful

this time around. It's amazing what our minds are

capable of thinking when it comes to sin.

And what I want to tell you remind you is that this is an

example that if you truly belong to the Lord, He will not treat

you so indifferently. He won't.

So they rebelled, time went on, they didn't learn the only

increase in their apostasy. So the Lord said, OK, you didn't

learn with 3 1/2 years, let me bring 7 years and let's see if

this will change you now. So the Lord is very calculating

in how He deals with us as His children, and He loves us too

much to leave us alone or to not change things in order to change

you. However, that's not the only

thing that we learned from this famine.

Let's go back to our text, our main text, and I want you to see

that in verse 38 we are reminded that there is a remnant alive

during this destitute time. How do we know that?

Because we read here that the sons of the prophets were

sitting before Him, being Elisha.

We talked enough about the sons of the prophet to know who these

group of people are. They're prophets in training.

They are ministers in training. And the fact that they were

sitting before Elijah tells us what?

Well, to sit before somebody is a consistent posture in the

Bible that denotes the humble reception of instruction.

So though there is a national drought, you have the sons of

the prophets in Gilgal. Doing what school is still in

session. They are humbly and with

eagerness, wanting to receive wisdom and insight and knowledge

concerning who their God is. And Elijah was faithful and

loving enough to provide it. And so as there is hunger going

on, we see that there is a spiritual feast taking place at

the same time. And the posture of the sons of

the prophets reminds us of a truth that you and I know by

heart. It's found in a statement that

the Lord gave to His people Israel before they entered their

promised land, and Jesus echoed it in the early stages of his

ministry. Man cannot survive on bread

alone. But what by every word that

comes from the mouth of God? You know what that truth doesn't

teach? That food is unnecessary to

life. That's not what the Lord is

saying by sharing that. What He is saying, though,

instead, is that you cannot know the fullness of life if your

life is merely about materialism and provision and prosperity.

You can only unlock what Jesus calls the abundant life when you

know how to position yourself with constant nourishment of

His. Word, you and I know many people

who make their life about living by bread alone.

And such individuals, unfortunately, no matter what

they possess, no matter what they enjoy, we'll never tap into

all that God wants to grant them.

Unless they are willing to believe what this word has to

offer and engage with it to the degree that they experience it.

So people often ask, like, how? How do I get myself to be

consistently and uninterruptedly devoted to the Bible?

How? How do I get there?

How do I stay there? And my answer is always the

same. It never changes.

Here it is. I'm convinced that I can't truly

live without it. I'm convinced of that.

It's not a matter about what I feel, it's about what I know.

I'm convinced of that truth, that I am the most alive when I

am the most. Invested in His word and you

know what it's like. Have you ever been through a

season where you've distanced yourself from the word?

You feel how you shrivel up inside, do you not?

Temptation becomes stronger, worldliness becomes more

alluring, your flesh flares up with greater strength and

tenacity. There is something powerful

about the Word, every word that comes from God.

So people say, how do you do it? I'll tell you how I do it.

I can't survive without it because the Bible tells me if I

just live by bread, saving up for bread, accumulating more

bread, finding different ingredients for bread, if that's

what my life is about, then I will not truly be alive.

I'm, I'm existing, but I'm not living.

And with that, I have never, ever, ever watched somebody who

lived by bread alone and was attracted to their way of life.

Have you ever, ever. In fact, such people come off as

lifeless to me, Lifeless. The vanity that they're devoted

to the emptiness. While those who feast on the

Word of the Lord, I'll tell you, they are radiant, are they not?

They are energized by and satisfied with what God has

provided us, His eternal Word. And before we move on, there's

something else that we need to address.

From verse 38, though, you have this remnant that is showing us

the preciousness of God's Word as they sit at the feet of a man

who represented God's Word. You learned that they were still

somewhat impacted by this famine, right?

How do I know that? Look at the menu of what's there

at the seminary in Gilgal. What does Elijah instruct?

Set on the large pot and boil Stew for the sons of the

prophets. This is not a gourmet meal.

This is not a banquet. And if you're not convinced of

that because, well, it's a large pot, look at the ingredients.

Look at the scarce resources in verse 39.

One of the sons of the prophet had to go out into the field and

try to find somebody to throw in there to make it a little bit

more meaty. So what I'm trying to tell you

here, what I'm trying to bring your attention to is that these

faithful men of God, these people who represented the, the

small remnant in Israel, we're not completely exempt from the

sufferings around them. And I was thinking about this

and, and, and I thought like, Lord, you, you could have

preserved this remnant the way you did with Israel and Egypt.

You set up a whole city and you protected, it was called Goshen

while everything crazy was going on around them.

Why is that the why is that not the case here?

Why are the cupboards a little bit emptier?

What's going on? And here's the lesson, a lesson

that you know very well that the Lord will sometimes allow even

his most faithful to taste a little bit of the sufferings of

this world for sanctifying purposes.

He will permit that, He will allow that from time to time,

yet at the same time we could take comfort in the fact that He

will never abandoned us in such a condition.

He will never allow us to drift away in such circumstances.

He will always be near and close enough to provide and to move on

your behalf because He is good and He promised to be by us.

And that's what we see with this miracle.

So Elijah tells his servant, remember, look, he says he said

to his servant, it's very likely that his servant was who, what's

his name, such as the letter G Ghazi.

It's very likely that he's addressing Ghazi and he's

telling Ghazi, Ghazi, I want you to prepare something for these

students. So as Ghazi is.

Preparing to do that you have one of the sons of the prophets

who takes it upon himself to help he's not asked to help

they're going to be served but he says you know what I want to

I want to do this and we see a wonderful heart in this man

right verse 39 one of them went out into the field to gather

herbs so as he's making this initiative as he's trying to aid

he goes out and we read here that he finds a wild vine and

gathered from it in his lap full of wild gourds what are wild

gourds a family of vegetables that.

Are like cucumbers and squashes those kind of vegetables that

perhaps helps with the imagination of the story and it

explains why he got so excited because he just fills his shirt

with it and he wobbles back to the site and he.

Is excited about this discovery and he doesn't wait to cut them

up and to throw them into the soup.

And everything looks well until you read the ominous final words

of that verse. Look at the last few words of

verse 39, not knowing what they were, unfortunately, as you and

I read. These are harmful vegetables,

and they will end up poisoning the source of food that these

men are ready to eat. And I believe that there are a

few lessons to draw from this. There are some practical lessons

and there are some spiritual ones, and I want us to consider

both. On the functional side, it's

important to take something from this concerning those who are

devoted to studying God's Word. Here it is.

The pursuit of spiritual knowledge should not cause us to

overlook our pursuit of gaining practical wisdom.

You have some good hearted Christians who might have a

passion for theology or might even have their vocation in the

ministry, but they excuse. Himself to be neglectful of real

life skills and general knowledge of this world.

It's actually common. So again you have these good

hearted believers who justify ignorance in matters of this

life that hinder them in many ways.

And they justify it because, like the sons of the prophets,

they are serious students of God's word or they are very

seriously dedicated to the service of the Lord.

And So what happens? They they become disabled in

other crucial areas of life. They they don't know how to

manage their finances. They don't have social skills.

They don't have social skills in the church, and they certainly

don't have social skills outside engaging with the world.

They don't know how to plan for the future.

They don't know how to discern a fraud or a scam.

They don't know how to accomplish basic life skills.

Why all under the pretense of spirituality?

Because you have over the years sheltered yourself from real

life world and then you struggle in the world.

And this is again far too common.

And I assure you that if you are somebody who is like that, you

will eventually hurt yourself. You will eventually harm others,

so you must quickly learn that being spiritual does not mean

God calls you to be ignorant of your dealings with the affairs

of society and of life itself. On the spiritual side.

What we can take from this from the student at Gilgal is that

you cannot make judgements by mere appearance.

So he saw these vegetables and he thought they looked good, and

without much investigation he just took them and he threw them

and he ate them with 100 other men, and they put themselves in

Great. Peril.

So here's a spiritual application.

Just because a minister looks good, just because a ministry

sounds good, does not mean that you should, without filtration,

digest everything that they have to offer or even put it in your

mouth to begin with. If you're not careful, the trap

that this man fell into physically is a trap that many

have ensnared themselves with spiritually.

They've allowed themselves to be caught up in things, to invest

in things, expose themselves to things that put them in great

danger. You know, Paul told us in 2nd

Corinthians 11 that the servants of Satan masquerade themselves

as servants. Of righteousness.

False teachers. You know what that means?

That means that there are many false teachers out there that

come off as genuine, that seem to be holy, that will claim that

they align themselves with the truth when in fact they are

agents of the devil. Why should have this man, when

he stumbled upon this wild vine, at least at least been

suspicious? Any idea?

There was nothing else meaning what we read in Second Kings 81,

The Lord called for a famine that at least should have caused

him to stop and think. Where is this coming from?

What is this all about? But because he let his guard

down, he was a mindful of the word of the Lord in that moment.

He introduced himself and others into something that was harmful,

and it's no different to how many people react and expose

themselves to spiritual, spiritually dangerous food.

I recently read a comment from a man who was writing on a video

on an unfortunate video of a minister who was recently

exposed for being verbally and physically abusive to what his

family and his adult children are now.

Exposing him out in the public and to many people wasn't a

surprise because this individual, when he preached

from the pulpit, came off very, very aggressive.

Very demeaning, ugly, harsh. He preached verses, he actually

preached books from the Bible. But when he would, when he would

teach it, it was woven with a crude language and harshness in

his tone and condemnation. But what moved me about this

comment was that this man admitted that he had followed

this minister. 'S preaching for years and

throughout the years, he discovered.

Based on what people said around him, the closest people, namely

his family, he was becoming angrier, he was becoming more

critical, he was becoming more arrogant.

And by the grace of God, it was illuminated to him that the

connection between his behavior was what he was connected to in

terms of his spiritual diet, and he separated himself from it and

it changed him. To think that you and I can just

eat anything that's presented to us, that's offered to us, that's

popular, that's known, is as silly as believing that you can

put any kind of food in your mouth and not expect it to

affect you. So we are called to be careful,

not be mindless, not be careless, to be discerning, to

be slow, to be brains. If the apostle Paul had some of

his audience take his word and compare it to the scriptures,

how much more everybody else that's running around with a

microphone and an Instagram page.

So we read this and we were supposed to also learn something

else about it. It's so important to see it in

this way as well. What if you have been somebody

who throughout the years have exposed yourself to spiritual

junk? What happens if?

You have not been careful with what you eat if that is

something that you are aware of about yourself.

The next two verses give us the exemplary solution.

What happens verse 40 and they poured out some for the men to

eat, but while they were eating of the Stew, they cried out, O

men of God, there is death in the pot.

How do they figure that out? We're not told.

I wonder if some people started getting sick.

I wonder if some who knew of the vegetation tasted and they said,

whoa, whoa, whoa, this is this is not good.

This is the deadly stuff. However it occurred, they cry

out to the man of God. And why is that important?

Because the man of God at this time was a representative.

He was God's conduit. Of the Word of God.

He symbolized the word of God. Do you remember what Jehoshaphat

said in Second Kings 312 when they were stranded in the desert

and somebody mentioned, hey, Elisha is not too far from you.

He said, let's go to him, for the word of the Lord is with

him. So these sons of the prophets

knew where to go. They went to the man who had the

word of the Lord, trusting that he would have the solution to

their trouble. And they were right.

What does Elisha do? He said in verse 41, bring flour

and they threw it into the pot and said pour out some for the

men and that they may eat and there was no harm in the pot.

Talk about an act of faith on the part of the sons of the

prophet. Imagine realizing that there's

poison in it and all your teacher does is take flour,

throw it in there, says it's OK, now you can eat.

Would you be hesitant? To take another bite.

Well, again, they trusted the word of the Lord.

Ultimately, if they didn't trust in the flour, they didn't trust

necessarily in Elisha. But in whom Elisha represented

and spoke on behalf of. What's the solution here?

The word of the Lord and the word of the Lord from Elisha's

mouth is no more powerful than the written word of God that you

have open in your hands right now.

I love that verse in Ephesians 526 where we are told about

Christ's love for the church, that He has sanctified her by

cleansing her. How?

Through the washing of what? The Word.

That's how He sanctifies His bride.

The cleansing of the washing of the Word.

Jesus said in John 1717. Sanctify them by the truth.

Your Word is the truth. Have you again grown up in a

church setting, or probably a different faith altogether and

your mind is still cloud? It's difficult to grasp certain

things. You don't have the joy that the

Bible promises. You don't have the security that

the Bible promises. You don't have the confidence of

the Bible promises. Are you somebody besides

doctrinally? Are you somebody that has a mind

fogged by filthy thoughts, by self sabotaging ideas?

If so, the solution is the same, the nourishing and the cleansing

power of the word of God. And, and you know that and I've

talked to people say I know that, but I can't seem to

escape. I can't seem to, to get over

these false notions of who God is, of what he's done for me or

these immoral dark ideas. Why can't I overcome them?

And I, I think this is a helpful picture.

Have you ever taken a cup filled to the brim with a different

substance, maybe even a dirty cup, brought it to a running

faucet and allow it to sit under there?

Have you ever seen a cup filled with such substance substance,

the moment it is touched with one drop of that clean water,

transformed and become completely clear itself?

If so, I want to know what kind of water supply you get because

I've never seen it. You know what does happen as you

keep that water positioned patiently under that running

faucet? Over time it goes from dark to

less dark comes clear until it shares the same substance of

that clean source. OK, you're engaging with the

word of God. Let me add this.

Give the word time to work. To cleanse your conscience, to

cleanse your subconscious so I know you might be visited by

dreams that you don't want. Give the word time to clean you

up. Be patient with the Word.

You know, Timothy was told to be patient in the preaching of

God's Word. So as much as it is possible for

a truth in a sermon or in your own personal reading to change

you and to shift you, that's possible.

Just like Elijah's one time word over that Stew.

More common than that is the faithful commitment to your

exposure to God's Word and it healing you and restoring you

over time. It has cleansing power.

Trust in it. Trust that it can do something

in you right away and trust that as you invest in it for the rest

of your life, it will change you day by day.

Now here's what's interesting. The sons of the prophets were

not the only remnant in Israel at this time.

Look at verse 42, we read a man came from Bal Shalisha bringing

the man of God bread of the firstfruits, 20 loaves of

barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack.

And Elijah said, give to the men that they may eat.

But his servant said, how can I set this before 100 men?

So he repeated, give them to the men that they may eat.

For thus says the Lord, they shall eat and have some left.

I told you not too long ago that whenever you and I come across a

town or the name of a region in our Bibles, to trust that it's

been included there to invite you to explore it further.

Because if you are faithful in that, it can most definitely

enrich your understanding of God's Word.

See. Listen, much of what people

desire. Depth in the knowledge of

Scripture requires the discipline to dig you will never

plummet the depths of Scripture if you're engaging with the word

of God is you version verse of the day you're not the Bible was

not meant to be read and studied like a fortune cookie.

So when you come to a text like this and here's what here's what

happened to me. I'm reading this earlier today

and I find a man came from thou Shalisha and I think I I know of

some place in the Old Testament notable names that are repeated.

I don't remember ever reading about a place called Thou

Shalisha. So I just thought is there

another place where Bal Shalisha is referenced and I discovered

there is not one place where Bal Shalisha is mentioned.

But there is a place where Shalisha is mentioned and only

in one other place. So turn with me to First Samuel

1 Samuel 9 · chapter mention

Chapter 9 and I want you to see this reference.

This is the only place where you'll find this name Shalisha.

And you'll discover that it's not a town, it's actually a

district. It's a region.

First Samuel 94 If you are one to take notes in your Bible, I

would as a reminder maybe write this reference First Samuel 9

four by Second Samuel 442 so that you would never forget it.

Look what it says here. And he passed through the Hill

Country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha,

but they did not find them, and they passed through the land of

Shalim. But they were not there.

They passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

This is talking about Saul when he went to go find.

His father's donkeys notice that's where Shali Shah is

mentioned, only there. So we study First Samuel and

we've probably passed through that, didn't consider Shali

Shah. Now we come to the second Kings

and we see that OK. Balshali Shah is mentioned now

if Balshali Shah, this is where we find some insight.

If Balshali Shah is the same region as Shali Shah First

Samuel 9, then we discover yet another heartbreaking

realization of the decline of Israel's fidelity to the Lord.

Why? Because Shali Shah over time was

renamed. Shali Shah was renamed from the

days of Samuel the Prophet to Elijah the Prophet in a way that

honored false deities. Shali Shah was confirmed to mean

thrice. So it's very likely that Baal

Shali Shah means Thrice Great Lord, and it's very possible

that this was a worship center to false demonic deities.

So it's. Come to the point now where you

have Israel renaming designated places to honor false gods, and

that might discourage us until you realize that a man came

from. Baal Shalisha to do what?

To help the remnant, to help the ministers of God who remained in

Israel. Now there's a keyword.

I'm going to ask you what it is in this man's introduction that

should cause us to dig even deeper.

What word stands out to you about his offering?

Very good. He didn't just bring food.

He didn't just bring supplies. We're told that he brought the

first fruits of his bread. Now first, first to cause you to

think, why is it that this man not only brought his supplies,

but the first of whatever harvest he was able to gather

during this famine? Then you realize that there are

many, many, many instructions and laws in the Old Testament

that asked for the first fruits from the people of Israel.

And here's one of them, Deuteronomy chapter 18.

Deuteronomy 18 · chapter mention

Let's turn there to see what possibly this man was observing

in terms of his obedience to God's Word.

The 1st. Fruits.

He came with the first fruits. Look what we're told here about

the first fruits of the common people of Israel and one of the

responsibilities with it, Deuteronomy 18, verse three.

Are you there with me? And this shall be the priest do

from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an

ox or a sheep. They shall give to the priest

the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach.

Pause. So whenever they went to the

House of God and they were to bring an offering to the Lord,

there was a portion of that animal sacrifice that was

designated to the Levitical priest.

That was their way of being compensated by the Lord through

the offerings of God's people. But it didn't stop there.

First four, the first fruits, not the leftovers, the first

fruits of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the

first fleece of your sheep you shall give him.

For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to

stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons

for all time. So every Israelite, whenever

that season came, they were to take the first fruits, set it

apart, go to the House of God, give it as an offering, but also

give some of their crop to the priest themselves.

And I believe. That's what this man is doing

here. But here's what's interesting.

He gave it to Elijah. Who's he supposed to give it to?

So why isn't he giving it to the priest?

Do you guys? Remember what happened after the

Kingdom split into two? What happened to the Levites and

the priests who lived in the northern part under the reign of

Jeroboam? They moved where?

To the southern Kingdom, to the Kingdom of Judah.

Why do they move to the Kingdom of Judah?

Because that's where the temple resided and they were not going

to buy into this false worship. And Dan and Bethel, they, even

if they had to pack their bags, even though it was inconvenient,

they made their way towards Jerusalem so that they can honor

God the way he called them to be honored.

And so it's very possible that this man with great challenges

could not find his way to Jerusalem and he could not find

any priests left in Israel. And if there were any priests,

they were very likely corrupt, They were very likely

compromised. And he believed that they

weren't worthy of his aid, of his donation, of his offering.

And so listen, what you find here with this man from Baal

Shalisha is that he is he is seeking to try to obey what God

asked of him to the best of his. Ability and what he he sought to

do is to find Elijah, who was a faithful minister, and to give

that portion of his first fruits to him and the sons of the

prophets. So many people in the Bible are

not named and yet move me deeply, this man included.

If there was anybody who had an excuse not to obey the law,

particularly this law, it was this man.

Why? Two factors.

One, no priest around. Most of the leaders are

compromised 2 When did he give the first fruits?

What happened in verse 38 that's going to that sets the stage for

how these miracles take place. There's a famine.

There was a famine. Imagine what you could have told

yourself to soothe your conscience.

OK, look, the Kingdom is split in two.

I, I don't think the law of Moses foresaw this.

I think this is just something that happened.

And, you know, I can't really do anything.

There's no clear instructions of what should I do at this point.

And on top of that, there's a famine.

Very, very scarce resources. I, I can't, I can't do this at

this point. I'll do it at another time.

He didn't want to honor God another time.

He wanted to honor God now. And so he thinks, OK, what can I

do? Elijah is here, the sons of the

prophets are here. I can, I can express my devotion

to the Lord in this way and trust that God will be pleased

with it. You know, this man serves as a

rebuke for all of us who make excuses for our disobedience.

Because let me put it this way, worship, true worship, boils

down to this. If you really want to honor God,

you're going to do all that you can to honor God.

It just comes down to that. You know, Paul, when he wanted

to visit the Thessalonians, it came to the point that he tried

over and over again until he learned and he let the people

know. In Thessalonica, Satan hindered

me. It took Satan himself, not his

minions, not his hordes of demons.

It took Satan himself to stop Paul from going and being with

the brethren in Thessalonica. If Satan stops you and you have

no control over the matter, OK, that's a legitimate reason.

This man shows us here that God is worthy.

God is worthy to bulldoze over every excuse so that He would be

recognized and honored. He's inspiring.

And I praise God for this church.

I praise God for this church. Here's a very small example.

Our circumstances here in our location are not the best.

We don't have parking. We don't have the most

convenient service time on a Sunday.

And yet people come because they want to come and worship God.

They want to honor God. And that moves me every single

time because in these past years, I've never heard one peep

from one person about the difficulty of these

circumstances, which in reality and in comparison to what our

brethren are suffering in the world is not a problem.

Right? There are believers in China who

walk miles to get to a service. And we see that with this man.

And he's not the only inspiring person in this brief report.

Elisha, Elisha shines yet again with his Christ like character.

In what way this man from Bal Shalisha bringing him the bread

of his first fruits? And how does Elijah respond at

the end of verse 4042? And Elijah said, give to the men

that they may eat. How tempting it would have been

to say thank you and just, you know, stuff it in your pocket

and have Gehazi hide a little bit more.

The first thing, the reaction of this man of God is what about

these students? Listen, that's what true

leadership looks like. To aspire to be a leader and to

occupy any position of leadership means that you are

devoted and have been gifted to take care of those who are under

your leadership. You don't pursue any position of

leadership so that you can be served.

If you have that desire, it's because you are eager to be a

blessing to those who would benefit from how God has

empowered you to be a leader. And that's what Elijah is

demonstrating here. He he immediately, as a reflex

says, what about them? How can we take care of them?

And the response is common. We've seen it in the New

Testament on more than one occasion.

But his servant said, how can I set this before 100 men?

So we know that there are 100 students in Gilgal and he only

had what, 2020 loaves of barley? And he says this isn't going to

happen. And Elijah repeats, set it

before them, they're going to eat.

And he honors that word, and a miracle takes place.

And not only that, there's leftover.

Does this miracle sound familiar, by the way?

It should if you read the Gospels.

But before I get there, let me say this.

This multiplication, this wonderful intervention from

heaven would not have been possible had that man from Bao

Sha Li Sha not obeyed God. Do you realize that?

What if this man stayed home? What if this man thought to

himself, yeah, this first, first thing, it's not going to work.

There's division. There's a drought.

That's it's it's pointless. What if he had done that?

He doesn't do that. He goes out to the best of his

ability. He provides what he is able to

provide. And I am certain that he didn't

think I'm going to bring this to Elijah and he's going to do

something and it's going to multiply and feed everybody

else. Never underestimate what your

obedience can do, especially your obedience and trying in

difficult times, especially when excuses run.

Through your mind, I hesitate to share testimony, personal

testimony. Sometimes I hesitate because my

my desire anytime I get up on this pulpit is for every eye and

every ear to be targeted towards the Lord and to be placed on the

Lord himself. But from time to time, I hope it

encourages you. I remember one time when I was

first saved, didn't have a car. The first church that I was

attending faithfully was a bigger church and the only way

to get there was through commute.

I had to take more than one bus and.

I don't know what. It was, I was trying to think,

even today, what was it that made me late for church that

day? But I was late for church that

day. And I remember, though I can't

remember the reason, wrestling of whether or not I should go to

church. And we're commanded to be with

the people of God, right? So whatever was there, I swatted

away. I put my big boy clothes on and

I made my way to church. And as I got there, I arrived,

obviously late, the service already started.

But I'm walking towards the entrance.

And I'm, as I'm walking towards the entrance, there's somebody a

few feet away from the entrance, a young man who's leaning

against the wall of the church and smoking.

And he caught my attention because I've been there long

enough to recognize the young people there and, and who

consistently go. So I knew that he was a visitor.

So I was already late, but I thought, I just want to ask who

this guy is at least. And so I introduced myself and

he was kind enough to introduce himself.

And we got talking and he told me that he was visiting, told me

that he was going to church that day because his mom made him go

to church. And so we talked a little bit

and at that point I began to share a just a brief version of

my testimony. I said, look, the service is

still going on. Would you like to go and sit

together? And I usually don't sit where he

end up sitting. I usually sit close to the

front. But I said, would you like to

sit together? And he said, sure.

So we go and we sneak in a little bit and sat in a specific

row. And I didn't know who we came

with. I knew who his mother was.

But as a service ended, we get up and I shook his hand again.

So it was nice meeting you. And his mom was on the other

side and she introduced herself and we got talking.

And very quickly she opened up and she told me that she had a

brain tumor and she recently discovered it.

And she was terrified. And so in that moment, I was

talking to her and I was talking to the sun at the same time, but

my attention was mainly on her. And I just shared about How I

Met her son. And as she was opening her

heart, Is it OK if we can pray together?

Can we pray for you right now? And she welcomed that.

So we prayed and we got connected online.

From time to time, that mother would message me and she would

tell me to continue to pray for her son.

And she was so excited that we were able to meet and she would

send encouraging messages from time to time.

And she was a blessing to me in many ways.

I remember leaving church that day and I thought to myself,

what if I stayed home? What if I just stayed home?

I don't know where she is. I don't know where her son is.

Don't let excuses through obedience sabotage potential

testimonies. This man came with 20 loaves and

it fed 100 men. Jesus multiplied food, did he

not? It's hard to read a story like

this and not think about the Lord Jesus.

And as much as there are resounding similarities, there

are notable differences. Look back again here at verse

42. A man came from thou, Shalisha,

bringing the men of God, bread of the first fruits. 20 loaves

of barley. 20 loaves of barley 20 loaves that multiplied and

fed 100 men. Did Jesus have more or less food

to work with? Less.

Now, what about the people that he had to feed?

We read here that there was a hundred that Elijah had to take

care of. How much for Jesus?

Well, on two separate occasions, 14000, one 5000, and we're just

talking about the men. We're not including the woman or

the children. So we're talking about in the

thousands. And yet when you come to the

Gospels with this background in mind, because you read through

your Old Testament, you realize something about Jesus.

He's greater than all the prophets, effortlessly able to

feed the multitudes with even less than when Elijah had.

And not only is he greater in every way, but when you connect

the new with the old and you realize that Jesus didn't just

appear on the scene out of nowhere.

He always existed. He was the source of every

powerful miracle and every act of supernatural provision.

That's who Jesus is. This man obeyed God's word and

God did a miracle through it. A little boy came up to Jesus

selflessly, and God honored his selflessness and did a miracle

with it. Do not think so small of your

small obedience. Do not think so little of what

consistent consecration can do for the glory of God.

Do not think that every time we gather, every time we do

something in the name of the Lord, Whatever ministry you're a

part of, that is just another day.

Sunday school teachers, those are not just a few kids stuffed

in a classroom. God can multiply that in ways

that you can imagine. Hospitality team that feeds us

every week. Don't think so little of that

food. You have no idea how that can

bless somebody in a time of need or you have no idea how that

food was the means by which somebody stayed and received the

fellowship and the council that would change the trajectory of

their life. Bible study leader, There's 10

people that show up. There's a famous minister who

was invited last second to preach at a youth crusade and

when he preached it, the gospel, only one person respond to that

message. And that one person was warned.

Weirsby, who became the pastor, at least one of the pastors at

Moody Church and wrote many commentaries, One person

responded out of hundreds of people and that person became a

man of God. These stories have been

preserved for us to encourage us, to strengthen us to believe

that the God of miracles here is still the God of miracles today.

Amen. Let's thank him for his

goodness. We're moved by these

testimonies, and we trust that you've intended to keep them in

your eternal word so that throughout the ages, your people

would hear what you have to say for their own lives.

And we've heard your voice today.

Oh God, help us be like this man from Bal.

Shalisha, we recognize that we live in a city that glorifies

death, that dishonors the sanctity of marriage, that is

growing in greater corruption. Regardless, help us honor you

the way we can honor you, to bless you the way you deserve to

be blessed despite obstacles or hindrances.

So, Lord, may there be no excuses culturally.

May there be no excuses personally that would rob us of

the potential of being a source of blessing.

We thank you again for everything that's been shared.

We pray that they would resonate and that they would marinate our

hearts that these things would bleed into our lives and be

lived out as a sweet smelling fragrance unto you.

We worship you and we give you thanks.

Again, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Let's worship the God who can

multiply and do miracles, shall we?

Praise team, can you help us as you have so wonderfully helped

us before this Bible study began?

And let's sing with all our hearts, all our minds, as we

close the service together.