God again disciplined Israel by withholding fertility from the land and producing a famine (v. 38). The people were not only hungry for bread but also for what would truly satisfy their spiritual hunger, namely, the Word of God. The wild gourds were similar to Baalism. They looked attractive but proved disgusting and deadly when imbibed. Scripture compares meal or bread to the Word of God because it is what satisfies people's most basic needs (cf. Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4).
In Elisha's day the people of Israel had turned from God and His Law. This had resulted in a spiritual famine. The people were hungry spiritually and to satisfy their need had swallowed Baalism. It looked harmless enough, but it proved fatal. God's prophets helped counteract the deadly effects of Baalism by making the Word of God available to the people. People need the Word of God (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4).
"This event shows the power to make the harmful innocuous (cf. Lk. 10:19) as well as God's care and provision for his own."29
