Dr Paul Allen

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage , that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God , there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof." ( 2 Kings 4:40 )   The "sons of the prophets" studying under Elisha became hungry, so Elisha told them to "see the pottage" ( v. 38 ), evidently a soup primarily made of lentils. However, one of the young students proceeded to gather some wild gourds and grind them into the pottage, carelessly assuming that their attractive appearance and taste would spice up the otherwise dull meal. When the more mature students took the first sip, however, they realized the alien ingredient was poisonous , and cried out, "There is death in the pot!"   There is a parable in this experience. Modern Bible scholars often want to spice up the old truths of Scripture with some new and superficially attractive concoction...

Image via Wikipedia "And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God , which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee , on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither." ( 2 Kings 4:9-10 )   This sparsely furnished little room, built by a kindly woman and her elderly husband, was the prototype of all the so-called " prophet 's chambers" that have been built for traveling teachers and evangelists ever since.   Little did this simple farm couple anticipate what fruit their kindness would bear one day in this very room. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers" the Bible says, "for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" ( Hebrews 13:2 ). In the first place, to show his appreciation, Elisha prayed that the Lord would give them a son, and God miraculously an...