Jump Start  #686

2 Kings 4:39 “Then one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were.”

The Old Testament, especially the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles are full of fascinating stories. We will spend a few days looking at some of the lesser remembered stories.

Our passage today concerns Elisha and the sons of the prophets. There was a famine in the region and food was scarce. The men went out into the fields to find what they could to eat. Grapes, herbs, gourds and such like would make a poor man’s stew. That was dinner for the night. Apparently some of the things gathered were poisonous. This was not done intentionally, it was an accident. As soon as they ate the stew they realized it wasn’t right. One cried out, “there is death in the pot.” Elisha fixed the problem by adding some meal to the stew.

There are two lessons to be shared here:

First, people can be hurt by innocent but wrong actions. The thought was good, but what was brought in wasn’t. It was poisonous. Sometimes good intentions do not turn out so good. A wrong word, an improper action, a forceful suggestion—all intending to do good, can divide people, hurt feelings and cause tension, in the church and in the family. The only way to survive is through grace and forgiveness. Without those two concepts, our hurts can become mortal blows to our relationships. Few things are more Christ like than forgiveness. Anyone can be generous. He doesn’t have to be Christ-like to do that. Many can be kind who know nothing of God’s way. But forgiving—that’s something that belongs to God and it is the core of what God is all about.

Sometimes we do not see the harm that could be done to others because our intentions were noble and good. Poisonous stew was not the result of some conspiracy to murder the prophet. It was an accident. Yet, people were made ill. We need to recognize that we may have hurt others and be the first to apologize and try to make it right. Simply saying, “I meant no harm,” doesn’t ease the pain of bellyaches or heartaches. Refusing to apologize or acknowledge harm done, even when a person didn’t mean it, only worsens the situation. Those hurt are hurt more by the silence of those who caused the problem.

Second, the expression from our verse, ‘they did not know what they were,’ is very telling. It involves much more the bad mushrooms, gourds and other wild things. Hanging out with people “not knowing what they were” is a sure way to get into trouble. Co-workers invite us out for a night of fun. The fun quickly turns into wrong. What a mess we are now in.

Many dive into religious books, often recommended by friends, thinking that it has to be ok, it’s about God or the Bible, only to swallow some false ideas, critical attitudes and have the seeds of doubt planted in their minds. How innocent a book looks sitting on a self in a religious bookstore. The reviews are great. People are talking about it. Without sharp eyes and a careful alertness, the poison of false teaching suddenly makes us realize that there is “death in the pot.”

It’s important to know. Throughout the N.T. the warnings of being “watchful,” “careful,” “beware,” “be alert,” and “be sober” are found. Those warnings are for all of us. I read once that rat poison is only 2% poison, the rest is good food. It only takes the 2% to do a rat in. What if it’s only 2% of a song, a movie or a book that is bad? Only 2% is spiritual poison. If it’ll kill a rat, it can certainly sicken our souls.

The sons of the prophets didn’t know what they were putting in them. It made them sick. It seems that we ought to know what we are putting in us—and I’m not talking about food, but thoughts, attitudes, decisions, choices, influences.

Bad stew—watch out for it. It’ll make you sick!

Roger