Experiment: prepare frozen concentrated grape juice in a pitcher or other container;
Kids: look at this liquid. It’s quite yummy. Taste and see. What colour is it? What happens if I put in something else?
>> Pour some lemon juice into the grape juice and see the purple juice turn into another colour (red).
Oh it has turned into something different. I dare not drink it anymore. It may give me a tummy ache. That’s why we should not simply mix stuff together as it may turn into something bad.
Hmm … let’s see what happens if I add some magic powder in.
>> Add some baking soda to the red-‐coloured juice and see it turn back to purple.
Oh look! It’s gone back to normal! And is as good as ever!
Today we continue our story with Elisha and some water that had turned bad.
2. STORY: Elisha & the Bad Water (2 Kings 2:19-22)
In the first story, the town was suffering because of bad water. Because of the bad water, the land was unproductive … nothing could grow well, animals were dying. When the people asked Elisha for help, Elisha asked for a new bowl. He took the bowl, put salt into it, and poured the salt into the river, declaring the Lord’s healing over it. And the water became pure!
Water represents the Word of God (Eph 5:26). Sometimes though, the Word of God is not taught correctly. There is mixture of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, the Law and the Good News about Jesus. One day we will think that God is good and loves us so much. Another day we think that He is angry with us and wants to punish us. This ding-‐dong will make it hard for us to grow well in our relationship with God.
But just as Elisha asked for a new bowl, Jesus came to give us a New Covenant.
Elisha asked for salt to be put into the bowl. In the Old Testament, all the offerings to God had to be sprinkled with salt before being burnt (Lev 2:13; Ezekiel 43:24). It is a picture of the perfect offering – holy and acceptable before God. Jesus is our perfect offering. He is perfectly holy and acceptable to the Father. He fulfilled all the requirements and penalties of the Law on our behalf.
When we read God’s word in the New Covenant, we see Jesus’ finished work on the Cross. We are washed and made clean. We can grow and be fruitful!
God declared through Elisha,“I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.” Because of Jesus, God has said that He no longer counts our sins against us! (Rom 4:7-‐8) And that He has sworn not to be angry with us and never to punish us again (Isaiah 54:9).
Thank you Jesus!
Memory Verse: <use activity/game to help kids memorise Rom 4:7-8 or Isaiah 54:9>
3. ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS
Quiz Review: Elisha & Elijah; Elisha & the Widow’s Oil; Elisha & the Bad Water (refer past 2 lessons)
