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Death in the Pot

Bill Fix
07/26/15 - Sun PM

• Details of the Story
  • Famine in the land impacted ability to find good food
  • Lapful of wild gourds
• Colocynth (aka Bitter Apple, Bitter Cucumber, Vine of Sodom)
  • Banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991. Taking even very small amounts of colocynth can cause severe irritation of the stomach and intestine lining, bloody diarrhea, kidney damage, bloody urine, and inability to urinate. Other side effects include convulsions, paralysis, and death. There have been reports of death following ingestion of just 1-1/2 teaspoons of the powder.
  • In a diluted form, some use as medicine for constipation, liver problems, gallbladder problems, & sciatica, but its effectiveness is suspect.
  • Was used to cause abortions in ancient Egypt
• Somewhat like parable of the Wheat and Tares – Mt. 13:24-30
  • Difficult to tell difference until it was too late.
  • Pulling up tares would have pulled up wheat as well.
• We must take care that we do not allow any death in our pot…
  • Allowing false teaching into the church – Mt. 7:15-20
  • We must discern between truth and error – Jn. 8:31-32
  • Are we feeding on Bread of Life or Satan’s snackfood? – Jn. 6:48-51
  • Words – Keep out idle talk, pointless arguments– 2 Tim. 2:14-17
  • Good intentions mixed with ignorance is dangerous
• Prov. 14:12
• Antidote for Death in the Pot
  • Elisha performed a miracle by cleansing stew of the poison by adding flour.
  • God can cleanse us of our impurities.