Prayer and Praise. Sept 17th 2025.
2 Kings 2:v15-end
Water, Salt, bear attacks and bald men.
Maybe this is not what you would expect at Prayer and Praise or perhaps these types of stories are ones that put your friends off when they read the bible.
It is next in line for the story of Elisha. Sometimes when we come across such stories, as we take a few minutes we can see the meaning or the principles.
Beginnings.
Elisha is by himself. Elijah has been taken to heaven.
Question is – what will Elisha do. What type of ministry will he have now he is all by himself…
Jewish rabbis talked about a rabbi having disciples. Where did they get the idea from – it came from Elijah and Elisha’s relationship. So Elisha and Elijah were seen as a model for discipleship.
To recap.
Elijah calls Elisha.
Elisha is with Elijah – and he also serves him.
In 2 Kings 2, Elijah asks him – Tell me what can I do for you, before I am taken from you.
Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit (2:v9), Elisha replied.
By doing so, he was saying that he wanted to carry on Elijah’s ministry.
To become like him and to do what he would do.
And that is the model being repeated by Jesus for his disciples – be with him, become like him, do what he would do if in your situation.
So what will Elisha do?
These two stories may seem random but they are sharing – what kind of prophet will he be?
The water and the salt.
Different applications
The people of the city – the elders most likely – say our town is in a good place, but the water is bad… Elisha asks for a bowl and salt, throws it in and declares that the Lord has said he has healed this water…
Basic human need.
As we start, human need is brought to Elisha – the water is bad, the town is in a good place, help us.
The passage already grabs us and asks: what is your practical personal need today – in this place; or the need of your family… and have we brought it to the Lord. In the Lord’s Prayer – the model how to pray – we read ‘’give us our daily bread’’.
Practical daily need. What is yours today. In the response time, is that to lay before the Lord again.
Healing.
Elisha says – the water is healed.
Bad water is made good.
Healing. When people describe healing we can think only of physical but there are many more dimensions to healing – probably 7 you could say
Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, death (prepared for death), and creation.
So again, the passage asks us – where does a community need healing? And where do you need healing? Where there is a spring of bad water within you at this time? Something bad flowing from within?
Yet when we think of the followers of Jesus – healing was not only limited to him – but his disciples did what he did. And have done since…
So how can you be a person of healing? Into what situation that the Lord is drawing you into – like Elisha was drawn into – and how can you bring healing into that situation. It is through the Lord’s power – but the Lord uses us, and his power works through us.
Healing. So where do you need healing – or where can you be a person of healing….
Creation
This healing is environmental. It is the water that is bad.
Why is the water bad?
There are two possibilities and maybe both. First is – the end of Joshua 6 – where Joshua pronounces a curse on the rebuilding of Jericho. The town was rebuilt under King Ahab – two kings before Elisha. But the city is still suffering.
The second possibility is to do with the curses on the land – as stated in Deuteronomy 28. In that Moses had declared that if the people turned to follow other gods, then the land would be cursed – it would experience various things, like famine and plague. So this spring could be bad – as a symptom of all that is wrong across the nation – the pollution is sin and esp idol worship – and the land is affected.
It isn’t just Deut 28. In places in Isaiah, Amos and Hosea God says again and again how the land suffers, reflects the sins of the nation.
Probably this is summed up in the well know words said by God to Solomon: 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14
Look again at what had happened. Elisha has been staying in Jericho as others looked for Elijah. The elders come to him. He represents the LORD. And Elisha asks them to go get a bowl and salt. In sacrifices, Lev 2 says – add salt as a sign of the covenant. The true covenant.
They turn to God, the salt they use, a reminder of the covenant they are part of. And he heals the land…
The nation has turned away. The land suffers. Yet if the nation will turn to God like the town elders of Jericho did, then the land will be healed as well as the other spiritual blessings.
Yet there are is another dimension we can receive I think.
In the OT, there places and promises of a new heaven and a new earth. So there are the promises of land being healed when sin is repented. But there re long term promises of a new heaven and new earth in Isaiah 65. God is going to restore things back to how it was before the Fall.
And then in NT we see this spelled out very clearly. The cross has a cosmic redemption not just a personal one.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. Romans 8:18-21
And of course Rev 21 and 22 : I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
This is the plan for the kingdom to come. So when we read this is water spring being healed, it points to God’s long term plan – creation redeemed, liberated.
This is where we are going. We often read the bible, as CH Wright said as if there is no Genesis 1 and 2, only 3 to Rev 20. Yet there is a New Creation and earth promised…
So this inspires us – of what will be! That the curse on creation will be lifted. The creation will become new. Which is amazing.
This provokes a question.
If God places such regard on his creation, surely we as disciples of Jesus, who highly value what he created and for whom it exists? We should look after his stuff?
And so that brings us around to healing – how can we be a healing person or community towards creation? Is it through our spending, our off setting, is it our lifestyle choices…
Creation. How can you not only be a person who delights in what God will bring,
not only a person who seeks to be a good steward of his creation
but how can you help bring healing?
Bears and bald head.
Elisha leaves Jericho and goes up to Bethel. And he is shouted at by some youth, boys some translation, and then Elisha looks around at them, calls down a curse and 42 of them – so it was a large group – are mauled by two bears.
Thirza was asked to do a short paper on Goldilocks and the three bears. There Goldilocks got away, here these youths did not.
We read it and we think of children. Yet the Hebrew word for ‘’youth / boy’’ can mean a range of ages. So for example, the same word is used of King Solomon when he asks God for wisdom recognising he does not know enough. It is the same term used to describe the spies sent by Joshua. They are responsible for their actions. Also 42 suggests a large group – for anyone who has encountered gang culture – they were aggressive and a threat.
You could say it is a great story for men who are bald or going bald like me. Be careful how you talk to us!
But in fact, this is about Sin and Judgement.
They mock Elisha. The Lords representative. ‘’Go on up baldy’’ can be mocking him because Elijah was known for loads of hair. They want to insult and intimidate him.
Bethel was also the royal centre for false worship. They knew he would act like Elijah and challenge it and Samaria. Mocking him – ‘’go on up!‘’ meaning ‘go and try and do what you can. It will make no difference, we won’t change!’
There is no turning back to God – like the elders etc did in Jericho – this is defiance against him. The defiance continues like it did in Elijah’s day.
So what will Elisha do– is this a new era. No, the worker has changed, but God has not. He remains holy, expectant and caling on the people to humble themselves, seek his face, pray and turn from their wicked ways.
It is a sign of judgement, on sin, rebellion, as it happened in Elijah’s day. God has not changed the worker is different, the message is the same. And judgement falls. The young men are mauled – not killed – hoping they learn from this and turn.
Sin and Judgement. For us. How do we respond to sin when it confronts us. It says ‘’he turned around, he looked at them, and he spoke.’’ I am not saying we call down a curse. Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute (Matthew 5).
But when sin confronts us, do we just keep walking and make no comment.
Will we confront moral pollution? Will we say something which something anti-semitic or racist is said, when gossip about someone is shared, when your friends suggest you watch a movie or a social media clip that you think is wrong…
To finish.
2 Kings have two strange stories. But there are about daily needs, healing, creation, sin and judgement. What is your response?