The Sinner's Deep Need Met by the Saviour's Boundless Grace

 •  6 min. read  •  grade level: 5
 
"And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot."—2 Kings. 4:38-41
WE get here man's utter ruin, and God coming in and displaying His grace, taking man out of ruin. His great delight is in a display of need that He may unfold His boundless resources. The first thing we get is "Gilgal," the place of blessing; it is a blessing when man is humbled before God; man does not like to be humbled, but if he wants blessing he must take the place of a receiver before God. The sons of the prophets were there in their helplessness and want. The servant of God was there and able to meet their need, because He could command the resources of God; remember a sinner can have no need that God cannot meet. Elisha says, "Set on the great pot," God is coming in now to satisfy their need, and so it is in accordance with His mind to use the word great; everything according to Him is great. His great love wherewith He has loved us." He has prepared "a great feast," &c.—He loves to satisfy, not according to your need, but according to His own great love.
Now mark, the sons of the prophets had nothing to do in the matter, except to partake of the feast when prepared. They were not told to do or feel anything, neither is the sinner. He must come to God owning his great want, that he is ruined, lost, and he will find it God's great delight to satisfy every desire of his soul. Have you, reader, ever yet been brought to this knowledge, "I am in want.”
See now what trouble one young man brought by doing what was not required of him, Elisha told his servant to prepare the food, but we find “one went out into the field to gather herbs." The field is the world, he may have been earnest, as many a man is to be saved; but he had to learn, as every sinner must, that he could not do one thing to save himself! he went to gather herbs: very good things. Man may have many good points, morally speaking; he may be very amiable, very honorable, but this will not do for God; but the question is, Can anything good be got in this world for God? A. man may be very religious, but religion is not God, and if he sows to the flesh, he must of the flesh reap corruption. There are pleasures in the world, but they are only the “pleasures of sin for a season," and" the end of these things is death.”
Look at the picture of man's ignorance in Eph. 4:17, 18, 19. The apostle is warning the Ephesians against walking as other Gentiles, and how is that? “In the vanity of their minds having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts." What did the young man get? A lap full of wild gourds—the pleasure of sin for a season—and he shred them into the pot, and they knew them not; is not this in accordance with the verse, “through the ignorance that is in them." But as they were eating they discover there is death in the pot. And who have they to turn to? Oh, the man of God is there, and he does not fail them in their time of deepest necessity. His answer to their cry is, "Bring meal." Meal is a type of Christ. So he puts in Christ, for Christ can meet man in his deepest need and bless him.
The deeper the need, the greater the delight of God to meet it. "Where in abounded, grace did much more abound." Into this world where man brought sin and death by sin, the lord Jesus came and "tasted death for every man." “One died for all." Now, my friend, is there not death in the pot? The sentence of death has been passed on every man, “for all have sinned." Have not you gone, as this young man did, into the world? You may have done so with the best intention, but what did you get? You could only get death! And death is not the end, for after death the judgment, to all who are not in Christ Jesus. Bat Jesus Christ has come down to meet your need. By meal being cast into the pot, in the place of death we get life; in Christ w have life. “I am the resurrection and the life," He says.
You must own that death has come in, and that Christ is the only One able to meet that, and remember He has overcome death, but it will not do to stop here. “And he said, Pour out for the people that they may eat." This is the same thing as, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel." Remember God has prepared that we may eat-do not leave the feast that God has prepared for you untasted. “O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." Jesus says, “Come." He is waiting with His heart of boundless love to receive and welcome you, and says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.”
Someone was dying, but all was dark to her mind as to the future. She knew not the love of God; her brother read to her the 10th chapter of John's gospel. "Oh!" she suddenly called out," “I see it all now, Satan has been deceiving me. I see now—God is satisfied with Christ's work, and I must be satisfied, and I am satisfied dear Jesus!” Shortly after this she fell asleep in Jesus. One more instance of need satisfied. A young lady was for a long time, in a very distressed state of mind because she was not saved, she had no peace. Her sister was telling this to a friend, who said, “Tell her HE (Jesus) IS OUR PEACE." The word went home to her soul. She found feelings and circumstances had nothing to do with salvation. Christ has finished the work, God is satisfied, for “by one offering, He (Jesus) path perfected forever, them that are sanctified." Only trust in the Lord, own before Him your need, and you will find. Him able and longing to satisfy it all with His deep boundless love.
M. L. E. B.