A Spring That Could Not Give Life
After the mantle of Elijah fell upon Elisha, he remained in Jericho. The people of the city came to him and explained that their water source was “naught,” apparently meaning it was unsuitable for drinking or irrigation. As a result, the land had become “barren,” incapable of sustaining life.
Elisha instructed them:
“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 1:19-22).
The Barren Places Within Us
Because of sin, we are all “naught” in a sense. Sin separates us from God, and if we remain in it long enough, the ground of our lives can become barren. We lose our spiritual vitality. The things that should produce faith, hope, and joy no longer bear fruit.
Yet just as salt possesses properties that can purify in specific physical ways, the divine intervention we call the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to be purified and made fit to once again dwell in the presence of God.
Hope at the Source
The miracle in Jericho reminds us that the Lord does not merely work around what is broken. He purifies it at its source.
There is always hope through Him. No life is so damaged, no heart so hardened, and no soul so unsuitable that He cannot bring it back to life. Kristin M. Yee Taught:
“You may feel at times that it’s not possible to be redeemed, that perhaps you are an exception to God’s love and the Savior’s atoning power because of what you are struggling with or because of what you’ve done. But I testify that you are not beneath the Master’s reach. The Savior ‘descended below all things’ and is in a divine position to lift you and claim you from the darkest abyss and bring you into ‘his marvellous light.’ Through His sufferings, He has made a way for each of us to overcome our personal weaknesses and sins. ‘He has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.’” 2
Grounded and Reaching High
- Main idea: Christ heals what sin makes barren. Like Jericho’s spring, our lives can become living sources again through His redeeming power.
- Practical takeaway: Instead of believing you’re beyond repair, bring your deepest wounds to Christ. He restores life by healing the source, not merely the symptoms.
- One question to ponder: What “barren” place in my life have I assumed cannot change, and how might trusting Christ’s healing power transform it?
Lead image by Faran Raufi on Unsplash
- Interestingly, once we have been purified, we are instructed to be the “salt of the earth” where we can help carry out the other two functions of salt: to preserve and flavor.
- Kristin M Yee, “The Joy of Our Redemption“, General Conference, October 2024
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