DoublePortion_October2023_8.5x5.5_REV.indd

milkweed, pigweed, and johnsongrass.Typically, humans would not be in danger. Sadly, however, the desperation of the school of proph ets put them in danger. Remedy from the flour- Reacting quickly, “Elisha said,‘Get some flour.’ He put it into the pot and said,‘Serve it to the people to eat.’And there was nothing harmful in the pot” (2 Kings 4:41).Though often in a manner more veiled, the OldTestament points to the Gospel just as the New Testament does.We see this at work here, as the poisonous plants represent deadly enticements disguised as harmless enjoy ment.Too often, however, these worldly pleasures spring the sin trap. Left unbridled, sin brings death, both physically and spiritual ly (Romans 6:23, James 1:15). Once Elisha put the flour into the pot, the fatal quality of the noxious plants was removed. Certainly, this was symbolic, as divine intervention would be necessary to neutralize the deadly plants. Likewise, divine intervention through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, is the only antidote to the lethal results of sin. Gift from a traveler- The situation improved even more when the prophets were provided additional food to go along with the restored stew. As the Bible says, “A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain.‘Give it to the people,’ Elisha said” (2 Kings 4:43). Observe carefully that these loaves came from the first fruits of new grain. Technically, these portions were set aside for God (Leviticus 23:20) and the Levitical priests (Numbers 18:13, Deuteronomy 18:4,5).Yet, because true faith in the northern kingdom was in such a state of disarray, the bearer of the loaves brought them to one he considered to represent real spirituality there. At any rate,

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