Become the detoxifying powder of the world
2 Kings (11) Be the detoxifying powder of the world
(2 Kings 4:38-44)
<Become the detoxifying powder of the world>
There are two miracles performed by Elisha in the text. The first miracle is ‘the miracle of detoxifying the soup in the pot’ (verses 38-41). One day, Elisha spoke to the servant at the Prophets School in Gilgal. “Hang up a large pot and make soup for the disciples of the Prophet” (verse 38). At that time, a man cut a pumpkin from the field and put it in a pot for boiling soup (verse 39). And while I was eating soup, the seminarians suddenly shouted. “Prophet Elisha! The cauldron has the poison of death.” At that time, Elisha had to bring the powder and threw it into the pot, and the soup was completely detoxified.
The fortress is also poisoned with death in many foods. Agricultural products covered with pesticides and food mixed with preservatives and colorants are overflowing everywhere. Dokdo of such food is a problem, but poison of the heart is a bigger problem. How are people's hearts torn by wrong political engineering? Who should play the role of detoxifying powder that removes that poison? saints must do. Saints must become the light, salt, and detoxifying powder of the world, as well as a healing agent and a peace offering.
The problem is that there is a limit to human judgment, so it is not easy to distinguish between truth and evil. So, more important than good judgment is the touch of forgiveness and reconciliation. True truth must be directed toward the final good. What results in discord may be correct logic, but not true truth. In order to realize the true beauty of human society with true truth rather than correct logic, the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation must be laid at the foundation of correct logic.
In the early days of the Korean church, when they evangelized, they said, “Believe in Jesus and go to heaven!” After liberation, he said, “Believe in Jesus and be blessed!” The slogan we need the most right now is “Believe in Jesus and be reconciled!” When labor-management confrontation, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the generation gap prevent our bright future, the saints become the detoxifying powder of the world that has destroyed them and are sprinkled as a healing agent for society.
<Leave the material problem too>
The second miracle mentioned in the text is the miracle of feeding 100 students of the Seonji School with 20 barley loaves and a bag of vegetables (verses 42-44). The miracle of feeding 5,000 people with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish in John 6 is called the “miracle of five fish”. The miracle of feeding 4,000 people with 7 loaves and a couple of small fish in Mark 8 is called the 'miracle of seven loaves, two or three fish', and 100 students of Seonji School with 20 barley loaves and a bag of vegetables (sack) mentioned in the text. The miracle of feeding them is called the 'miracle of twenty-byeong-one-chae'.
One day a man came from Baal Salisha and offered Elisha the first loaves he had made, twenty barley loaves and vegetables in a sack. Elisha gave it to the seminarians to eat, and his servant Gehazi said, “How can you give this to a hundred people?” Still, when Elisha brought the word of God and made him eat it, a miracle occurred, even more than he had to eat (verse 44). This miracle is a model of the miracle of Obyeong-ear, showing that there were pious supporters who took an interest in the eating problems of Seonji School students and helped them even during the religious darkness of the time.
The text also teaches that when God's servants do God's work, God takes responsibility for their life. Therefore, believers must have a clear biblical view of material matters. No matter how much you deny it, “How do you use the substance?” The question is, “What is the level of faith? What are your values? It is one of the most obvious indicators of what it is like to be human. If you say that you have good faith and spend a lot of money on your own body, and are stingy in the life of dnabe (dream, sharing and giving), then the authenticity of that belief will inevitably be questioned.
Have bold faith to entrust your material problems to God through a life of sharing your material well. Then God will pay close attention to his needs. Hudson Taylor, a missionary in China, had few patrons when he left. But God faithfully provided for his needs. So he said. “When I was doing God’s work according to God’s will, I never lacked God’s support.” Such a confession was a consistent confession made by the forefathers of faith, and it should also be our confession.