A New Bowl of Salt
by Olubi and Sarah Johnson
20/11/05
2 Kings 2:19-22
19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.” 20 And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.‘ “22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke. NKJV
Here, we see Elisha the prophet healing the waters and the land of the city of Jericho by putting salt from a new bowl into the source of the waters.
This speaks prophetically of what God is doing right now concerning the church in Nigeria.
This revelation of ‘a new cruse or bowl of salt’ was given by my wife, Pastor Sarah Johnson on Sunday 20th. November 2005.
The city is Nigeria: a pleasant land, with abundant human, material and mineral resources.
The water is the life of God flowing from the church: it is bad. It is contaminated by covetousness and rebellion. So bitter water is springing from the church:
James 3:10-11
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? NKJV
This is causing the ground of the hearts of the people in the nation to be barren or unfruitful: we do not see much fruit of honesty, integrity, productivity and efficiency in national enterprises and affairs. Rather we see much corruption and inefficiency.
The recent arrest and escape from bail in London of Governor Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa state is a glaring and painfully embarrassing example of this.
Mismanagement of the airports causing foreign airlines sometimes (particularly recently) not to land at our airports is another.
Mismanagement of the Nigerian football association leading to our losing a place in the world cup is a recent third example.
Of course there are many others.
So in this hour God is raising an Elisha prophetic ministry that is calling for:
Salt—a type of the love of God:
Col 4:6
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. NKJV
Eph 4:15
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, NIV;
In a new cruse or bowl: a new application of the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus to walk in love:
John 13:34
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. NIV
1 John 3:23
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. NIV
John 20:31
31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. NKJV;
To be poured into the source of the waters: the hearts of those in positions of leadership in the body Christ.
John 7:38-39
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” NKJV
This will cause the waters flowing from the church to be healed and no longer bring death and barrenness to the nation. Rather the water, coming from the church, which is the temple of the living God, will bring life and fruitfulness where it flows to:
2 Cor 6:16
For we are the temple of the living God NIV;
Ezek 47:1-9
47:1 The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side. 3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in-a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. NIV
