“The men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day according to the saying of Elisha, which he spake” (2 Kings 2:19-2219And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. 20And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. 21And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. 22So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. (2 Kings 2:19‑22)).
Perhaps there is scarcely a sin that man is capable of that God has not noted in His Word; this shows how thoroughly He knew what was in man. Many have no question that man is a sinner, but man’s entire helplessness toward God is a truth which few will admit. It is this truth which this brief record of one of Elisha’s miracles in the name of Jehovah strikingly illustrates.
No doubt the great point in it is the readiness and power of God, in grace, to bring in healing in Israel, where all is death and barrenness. Elijah had been God’s faithful witness to the nation’s terrible departure from God, but now he had ascended into heaven, after crossing Jordan, the river of death and judgment. This Elisha saw and knew to be the secret of his power. The first thing after this that we find Elisha conscious of was that Jericho was a place of barrenness and death. But he knew also that there was power in God to heal and that when the people took their true place of owning such to be their condition, He would heal. Here we see man in his helplessness, his inability to bear fruit, and the absence of spiritual life, because he is dead in trespasses and in sins.
Barrenness
The acknowledgment to the man of God was, “The situation ... is pleasant ... but the water is naught, and the ground barren” (vs. 19). The sun shone upon it, showers descended from heaven, seasons passed in proper succession, but there was no fruit. All who passed by, while noticing the pleasantness of the situation, could not fail to be struck with its perpetual barrenness.
Such is man. His circumstances are often pleasant; he is surrounded with kindly influences, providential mercies, and untold comforts and advantages, yet toward God there is no life, and consequently no fruit. Men have to learn that “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-87Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7‑8)). He may be a nominal professor of Christianity, surrounded with exemplary Christians, and exposed to the influence of some of their privileges, yet is he fruitless, like a barren fig tree. There is no life; not as some would have it — a little life and a little fruit. No, “the water is naught, and the ground barren.”
Many will allow that man can do nothing unless assisted by God, as if he had some innate power of holiness which only needed help. However, it is not help from God, but life which he needs, for “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:33Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)). And as to fruit-bearing, Jesus taught even His disciples that they must abide in Him, as a branch abides in the vine, or they could not bear fruit. He said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:55I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)).
At Jericho, then, it was not a question of digging, dressing or irrigating the land, but the bringing in of something entirely new. The gospel of the grace of God is not an improvement of the Jews’ religion, but a new order of things altogether. The gospel makes no demands on man in order to be blessed, but brings to him freely everything that he needs.
A New Cruse
The prophet says, “Bring me a new cruse and put salt therein.” It was something new, for it was meeting the need in pure grace, and to illustrate it a new cruse must be brought. Salt teaches us several things. It is clear, first, that “salt is good.” Second, it has “savor” and can season or preserve. Third, it was to be mixed with the sacrifices: “With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.” (See Luke 14:3434Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? (Luke 14:34); Lev. 2:1313And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. (Leviticus 2:13).) Its goodness, savory qualities and association with all the offerings clearly tell us of the holy grace of God to us in Christ Jesus. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)).
However, it is not the knowledge of the letter of Scripture, but the application to the soul that man needs for healing. And so we read that Elisha “went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” (vss. 21-22). Observe here the two things in this illustration which are often presented to us in the Scripture for peace and rest of soul: the work of Christ and the Word of God. The salt was applied to the spring, and then it was said, “Thus saith Jehovah, I have healed these waters.” The ground of peace is the work of Christ on the cross, while the sole authority for peace is the Word of God, and therefore it must be only on the principle of faith. The Word of God declares that “whosoever believeth in Him [the Lord Jesus Christ] shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:4343To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)), and “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 10:1717And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)). Thus, the person who takes his place by faith before God as a helpless and guilty sinner then looks to Christ as the object of faith. He reposes on the blood of Christ as the ground of peace and rests on the unalterable Word of God as the authority for peace. They are cleansed from all sin, are justified from all things, are children of God, and “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ now is risen and at the right hand of God in virtue of what He did on the cross for us, and He has sent down the Holy Spirit, “that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Cor. 2:1212Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1 Corinthians 2:12)).
C. H. Mackintosh (adapted)