Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20040104.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part XXXVI: Enjoying God's GOOD And AMPLE Livelihood For Separation From Apostasy
(2 Kings 4:38-44)
  1. Introduction
    1. When Scripture instructs us to depart from apostasy and live rightly, we may wonder if we can afford to do so as separation from sin may limit how well we can "network" to find a good and ample livelihood.
    2. In the days of Israel's apostasy, the prophet Elisha ministered to reveal God provides good and ample livelihood for those who live righteously amidst apostasy (as follows):
  2. Enjoying God's GOOD And AMPLE Livelihood For Separation >From Apostasy, 2 Kings 4:38-44.
    1. When Israel departed from God to heed Baal, God's people violated the Law and thus experienced God's judgment by way of a famine, 2 Kings 4:38a with 1 Kings 16:29-34, Deut. 5:7 and Deut. 28:15, 23-24:
      1. During the days of the prophet Elisha, the people of Israel in the Northern Kingdom departed from serving God to worship Baal, 1 Kings 16:29-34.
      2. God had warned Israel such disobedience would result in famine, Deut. 5:7 with Deut. 28:15, 23-24.
      3. Accordingly, a famine came in Israel during the days of the prophet, Elisha, 2 Kings 4:38a.
    2. Yet, Elisha and the prophets with him were devoted to God, not Baal, so God revealed He would supply them good and ample provisions for separating from Baal in CONTRAST to apostate Israel, 4:38b-44:
      1. For their separation from Baal and their devotion to God, the Lord signaled He would supply Elisha and the prophets of God with him with GOOD provisions, 2 Kings 4:38b-41:
        1. In Gilgal of the Northern Kingdom, Elisha with other prophets of God began to eat a stew of plants gathered from the wild due to the shortage of good food in the famine, 2 Kings 4:38b-39.
        2. However, one of the plants collected was considered poisonous, and when this fact became known after the prophets had started to eat the stew, they cried in terror for Elisha's help, 2 Kings 4:40.
        3. Elisha was then used of God to cast meal into the pot to purify the contents of the stew, making what had once been inedible actually good for food, 2 Kings 4:41.
        4. Thus, for being separate from Baal, God kept the godly separate from the harmful effects of bad food during a famine, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 546.
      2. Also, for their separation from Baalism and their devotion to the Lord, God showed He would supply Elisha and the prophets of God with him with AMPLE provisions, 2 Kings 4:42-44:
        1. Baal was considered by his worshippers to be the god of fertility, one to supply ample food, Ibid.
        2. However, during the famine, ample food was in short supply as was noted when a man gave the God's prophets 20 helpings of good food, but not enough to feed all 100 of them, 2 Kings 4:42-43a.
        3. Yet, Elisha told the man serving the food to give it out and God would supply all the food each man needed, 4:43b; in the process, the 20 helpings filled up 100 men with some left over, 2 Kings 4:44!
        4. Thus, where Baal, god of fertility could not help, God miraculously supplied enough for the godly.
    3. This record of God's good and ample supply in apostate times was duplicated by the supreme Prophet of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His similar miracles in Israel many years later:
      1. When Jesus turned the water to wine, He used water in the pots people placed for washing their hands to purify themselves of defilement before entering a home, cf. John 2:6-11. This revealed Jesus was willing and able to purify what had been considered unusable for consumption to provide a good supply for His people as Elisha had done before Him!
      2. Then, when Jesus multiplied the boy's lunch to feed the five thousand, He showed He was willing and able to supply enough food out of what had humanly been too little as Elisha before Him, John 6:5-13.
      3. As both of these miracles had occurred in the former Northern Kingdom, in Galilee (John 2:1; 6:1), Jesus showed He would supply good and ample food for His followers in apostasy as had Elisha!
Lesson: Though Israel disobeyed God in turning to the false god of fertility in Baal only to see God bring her famine of GOOD and AMPLE food, the men of God who looked to the Lord and not Baal enjoyed GOOD and AMPL E supplies of food IN the famine for their SEPARATION FROM Baalism!

Application: May we realize that GOD will ALWAYS REWARD a life of SEPARATION from sin and error in the midst of apostasy so that we can ALWAYS AFFORD to LIVE a life that pleases Him!