2 Kings 2:19

2 Kings 2:19 says, And 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.  After Elisha became Elijah's replacement as a prophet, the people of Jerico told him that there was little water in in city and that the ground was barren, even though it was a pleasant city.  The people accepted him as a prophet and came to him for help.  If a preacher or teacher is replaced in the church today, we need to accept them unless they begin to teach or preach something that goes against God's word.  Verse twenty adds, And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.  Elisha had them bring him a new cruise, or bottle, full of salt, which would imply there may have been water but that it needed purifying.  If this were the case, a bottle full of salt wouldn't purify much unless God worked through it.  Our works today in and of themselves may seem insignificant, but if we are doing what God calls us to do, He can bring about great results.  Verse twenty-one continues, 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.  Elisha took the salt to the spring or source of the waters, cast it in, and said that the LORD said He had healed the waters, and they would no longer bring death or leave the land barren.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we have the Living Water flowing through us and should no longer be spiritually thirsty or barren.  Verse twenty-two concludes, So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.  The water was healed, or made pure, as Elisha said it would be, but it was God Who purified it.  We cannot heal anyone of their sin, but we can tell them about Jesus Christ Who can.  Verse twenty-three states, And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.  As Elisha was on his way to the city of Bethel the children met him and began to mock him, pointing out his baldness.  Matthew Henry says that since they couldn't assassinate his character, they condemned his physical looks.  People still do the same thing today, trying to dismiss our witnessing for Christ based on our physical appearance.  Verse twenty-four adds, And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. Elisha turned back and cursed them in the name of the Lord.  I believe that he was condemning their actions toward a man of God and not just acting from a personal anger toward them.  We need to be careful that we don't allow personal feelings to guide our actions toward others.  Two female bears came out of the woods and killed forty-two children.  Again, this wasn't simply because they were taunting Elisha, but was because they were taunting God as well.  Those who will not put their faith in God and believe His word will one day face the ultimate destruction, which is an everlasting separation from God.  Verse twenty-five continues, And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.  Elisha went on to Mount Carmel and then returned to Samaria.  We need to continue to do what God calls us to do and go where God sends us, no matter what obstacles we may encounter along the way.