2 Kings 2:19-22 – Being a God’s salt-filled jar in the world

The first miracle that Elisha did after the departure of Elijah was the parting of the Jordan with the cloak left to him by the latter. In 2 Kings 2:19-22, we come to the second miracle that he did in the city of Jericho. In this passage, the men of the city approached him and told him saying,  “Behold now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.” They told him that while the city may look good on the outside, there were two problems. Firstly, the water of the city was bad and secondly, the land was unfruitful.

By the way, Joshua 6:26 tells us that this city was cursed by Joshua after the Israelites had broken its wall and conquered it. It could well be that since then the land had been barren due to the bad water. The land might have looked pleasant, but its water was the source of the problem. The word “unfruitful” could refer to two things - the water was the cause of a woman’s barrenness, as well as rendering the land unproductive.

The fact they approached Elisha indicates that they recognized he had the prophetic mantle of Elijah, and that he could do something about it. And indeed they were right. Elisha requested a new jar filled with salt. So they brought it to him. He then took the new jar filled with salt, went to the spring of water, and threw the salt in the water, declaring, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.’” The result is stated plainly in verse 22. It says, “So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.”

What is significant in this account was the restoration of the water in Jericho using a new jar filled with salt. Like the bad water of Jericho, sin had contaminated the world. What is needed to help heal the world are plenty of new salt-filled jars. We believers with Christ living in us are God’s new salt-filled jars. In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul referred to regenerated followers of Christ as earthen vessels. He said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” Furthermore, in the Gospels, we are also called to be the salt of the earth. Salt has been known for its healing as well as its preservative quality. As new jars filled with the salt of the Gospel, we can be God’s vessels to bring spiritual healing and restoration of fruitfulness in the life of the sinful people in our fallen world. Will we be God’s salt-filled jars?  Remember, this is every believer's calling. Let’s do it!