2 Kings 2:19–22 (NKJV)
19 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.”
20 And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
21 Then he went out 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.’ ”
22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.
Often times we go through life and everyone around us just thinks we have it all together. They look at us, our families, our jobs and just assume that our life must be great. However, sometimes we think to ourselves, “if only they knew what life was really like on the inside. Then they’d have second thoughts.”
It’s easy to appear to be in a good place in life while struggling with inner turmoil. That’s similar to this story we read in 2 Kings 2:19-22. The men of Jericho recognized that their city was in a good location, but the water was bad and the land could not produce any crops. Therefore, the people were in danger of dying of starvation and thirst. We also can be in a place in our lives where we look good on the outside, but are lacking productivity and struggling with great internal pain and frustration.
This short Bible story teaches us two impactful Bible principles on how to find lasting healing that results in a fruitful life that is a true reflection of a heart of peace and contentment.
- You must be willing to become a new person. Elisha said, “bring me a new bowl” (v. 20). Surely there were thousands of usable bowls in the city of Jericho, but Elisha needed a new bowl. Elsewhere in Scripture, we are compared to bowls or vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Timothy 2:21). When we come to Jesus all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We must not be content to simply correct this or that bad habit in our life. Instead, we must be willing to submit to Jesus as Lord and receive the radical transformation of heart, mind, and character that comes through His Holy Spirit. When Elisha told the men to put salt in the bowl he was foreshadowing the experience of being renewal that happens when Jesus lives within (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 1:27). Jesus Himself said, “have salt in yourselves” (Mark 9:50).
- You must deal with your problem at its source. The story tells us that Elisha “went out to the source of the water, and cast the salt in there” (v. 21). The results of the problem in this story were that the land did not produce crops and the people were in danger of going hungry. The root of the problem was the bad water that could not bring refreshing and nourishment to the land or to the people. That is the problem that Elisha purposed to deal with. In our case, the source of our problem is our heart and mind. “ Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life ” (Proverbs 4:23, ESV). The Bible speaks of the heart interchangeably with the mind as the seat of our thoughts, feelings, and decisions. By nature, our hearts are hostile towards God (Romans 8:7). Our heart can cause us to have a negative outlook on life (Matthew 6:22-23). All of the evils that plague society flow from the hearts of men and women (Mark 7:21-23). That’s why in the work of salvation God begins with the heart. “ A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh ” (Ezekiel 36:26, KJV 1900). Our daily prayer should be that God would create in us a clean heart (Psalm 51:10).
When we recognize that the root of all our problems in life is that our very thoughts, feelings, and decisions are not in harmony with God’s glorious desire for our lives, then we are ready to come to Him to be healed. Often times we try to change our situation by focusing on externals first. When we do this the change we see is often temporary and ultimately unsatisfying. But, when Jesus heals us, the transformation is lasting. Notice that the text says that “the waters remain healed until this day” (v. 22). Will you come to Jesus just as you are and allow Him to transform you from the inside out?