2 Kings 3:1-27
Moab Rebels Against Israel
1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?”
And he answered, “By way of the Wilderness of Edom.”
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?”
So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”
12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”
But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
14 And Elisha said, ”As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. 15 But now bring me a musician.”
Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ 17 For thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ 18 And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19 Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
20 Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered; and they stood at the border. 22 Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood. 23 And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!”
24 So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they entered their land, killing the Moabites. 25 Then they destroyed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth intact. However the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. 27 Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great indignation against Israel. So they departed from him and returned to their own land.
When Jehoram the son of Ahab took the throne of Israel, he did get rid of the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made, but still did other evil as his Jeroboam had done with other idols of golden calves. He still encouraged the people to worship other (1 Kings 12:28, 32, 33) lifeless gods. Therefore, the LORD stirred up the king of Moab against him to rebel against Israel’s control of them. When Jehoram heard this he quickly formed an alliance with Jehoshaphat king of Judah to defend against the rising revolt. Jehoshaphat asked for a word of the LORD for their predicament of marching around for a week without water and being stalked by wild animals. Elisha was named as a prophet who could bring them such a word for a desired victory that they sought against Moab. Elisha made it clear that he would not have come to help just evil Jehoram, but for Judah’s sake because of Jehoshaphat. God directed Elisha to have them dig trenches for water to collect for them to satisfy their thirst as well as to defeat the enemy. There was no wind or storm to see, but the trenches filled with water from out of Edom somehow anyway as a proof of God’s hand in this coming battle for victory. In the morning light the Moabites saw the sun glaring off the water as if it was blood from the armies of Israel and Judah attacking each other as they supposed. This led them to become fools who rush in without further thought in their assumptive arrogance. They were sorely routed by Israel and left in a hurry as their numbers swiftly dwindled in battle. As commanded by the LORD, the Israelites spoiled the land, stopped up the wells, and felled down all the good trees in order to keep the Moabites from living there again. The king of Moab watched the battle turn against them and thought to appease their nonexistent gods by offering his heir as a human sacrifice. It did no good. They left with great wrath against Israel whom they had failed to rebel against and they went back home in utter defeat and without hope. This demonstrates the failure of rebellion against the Lord and His people which will be finalized in the last battle when Jesus Christ, the loving Word of God, comes to lead the victory against all who rebel against Him and His people in disobeying the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7, 8-9, 1 Peter 4:17) of God’s Son and the King over all His chosen people. We are called to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12) by bearing testimony (1 John 5:11-12, Revelation 12:11, 17) to the truth in Christ our King (John 14:6, 18:37) who alone delivers us from the wrath on sin (1 Thessalonians 1:8, 9-10, Romans 5:9, 10) to come, knowing fully that the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) is His and in Him alone!
