Take advantage of their presence | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: May 01, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 51

“The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.'” And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.” (2Kings 2:19-22NIV)

What city is being referred to in this text? It is Jericho. Yes, it is the same city of Jericho that Joshua cursed when he was leading the children of Israel to possess their inheritance. (Cf. Joshua 6:26)

Now what was the testimony that the men of the city gave to Elisha, the man of God, who was just staying there for a while? It was that even though the city was well situated, the water was bad and the land was unproductive. Why was that so? Though we are not given any specific reason in the account, it is evident from what we have in the bible that it was the curse of Joshua that put that city in that terrible condition.

Yes, Joshua’ curse was meant to rest only on anyone who would attempt to rebuild Jericho. But is it possible for a man to be cursed and for the works of his hands and the people in his life not to partake in the curse on his life, to one degree or the other? It is impossible.

So, when Hiel decided to rebuild Jericho during the time of King Ahab, the curse of Joshua not only rested on his life and family but also on what he was rebuilding. So, he lost two of his sons, according to the statement of the curse, and also brought barrenness and bitterness on the city he had rebuilt. (Cf. 1Kings 16:34)

In any case, when Elisha the man of God came to Jericho, after he had just been endued with God’s anointing to be the lead prophet in Israel, the men of the city were smart enough to take advantage of his brief stay. How? They drew his attention to the true need of the city. And was that? A town hall? No! A museum? No! A gigantic synagogue for religious meetings? No!

What, then, was the true need of the city? Healing! The land needed spiritual healing above all else. And the men of the place were wise enough to know that if the city was spiritually healed, every other good thing that was supposed to be happening there would start happening. So, they would not allow Elisha’s stay in the land, though it was brief, to amount to nothing for them. That was why they unitedly approached him for help. And he helped them by ridding the land of the curse of barrenness and death that was at work in it.

Centuries later, another man in that same city would do something similar. He would take advantage of the passing of another anointed man of God through the city. The man’s name was Zachaeus. And the man of God that was passing through Jericho during his time was Jesus. (Cf. Luke 19)

Now, of course, it wasn’t the healing of Jericho that Zachaeus wanted at the time; rather, it was the healing of his own soul. Yes, he was wealthy. But he was also a man that was lost in sin and wickedness and seriously wanted salvation. So, when he learnt that Jesus, the Saviour, was passing through his city, Jericho, he was not going to miss the moment. No, he did not know how to approach Jesus. He was even too short and small to be able to push his way through the crowd to personally see or meet Jesus. But he knew that he could climb a tree and get a good view of this man of righteousness. And that was exactly what he did.

Interestingly, God, who sees every heart, took note of Zachaeus’ zeal and seriousness in receiving salvation. So, He made Jesus stop right under the Sycamore tree that the man had climbed in order to call him down and to have a feast of salvation at his home. Hallelujah!

What is the point of all this, then? It is that we must be smart and sensitive enough to know when and how to take advantage of the presence of any person of power or importance that God sends our way. See, the coming of certain people into our lives may only take a moment and never happen again. But if we recognise the roles God wants them to play in our lives during that moment and humbly request that they play them, the effect may be something that we and generations after us will enjoy forever.

So, among the prayers you should be offering is that God will always enable you to recognise those people that you need to take immediate advantage of their appearance in your life for your elevation, healing or salvation and also teach you how to wisely and humbly relate to them. Otherwise, when such people come your way, you may not give them the right kind of attention or you may not make the right demands on them. My prayer is that you will never again miss your opportunity for elevation, healing or deliverance, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cheers!

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