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2 Kings Chapter 3
Moab Rebels Against Israel
Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah
when Jehoram another son of Ahab began his reign over Israel. He
wasn't as bad as Ahab but still was evil and did not follow the God
of Israel. Perhaps he saw the judgment upon his father and decided
to let up a little by removing Baal, but his heart still was not
toward the Lord.
- 2Kings 3:2 And he
wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father,
and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his
father had made.
- 3 Nevertheless he
cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made
Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
Some have said that he kept the worship
of calves but was not as evil as Ahab and Jezebel his mother.
- 2Kings 3:4 And Mesha king of Moab
was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred
thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
- 5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was
dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
Previously Moab paid tribute to Israel
with rams, lambs and wool but decided to stop and rebel after Ahab
died. This was enough to start a war, when goods and services are
removed. Moab continually oppressed Israel in the days of the
judges. They were no threat in the days of David and Solomon.
He went about to get an army ready to
go up against Moab.
- 2Kings 3:7 And he
went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king
of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against
Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my
people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
- 8 And he said, Which
way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the
wilderness of Edom.
He was able to get Jehoshaphat and the King
of Edom to help. Jehoshaphat did the same with Ahab years before as
told in 1 Kings chapter 22.
- 2Kings 3:9 So the
king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of
Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and
there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that
followed them.
- 10 And the king of
Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings
together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
Without food and water for the army and
the cattle, the king of Israel assumed the Lord was going to deliver
them into the hand of Moab. Looks like he at least didn't consult
the false prophets but he didn't consult the true prophets either,
just went.
- 2Kings 3:11 But
Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that
we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of
Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of
Shaphat, which 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.
Jehoshaphat remembers to seek out a
prophet of the Lord and we shall see that Elisha boldly knows how to
handle the situation as the one who was anointed to continue the
service of Elijah. When Jehoshaphat learned that Elisha was
available, he knew that Elisha was a true prophet of the Lord.
- 2Kings 3:13 And
Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with
thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the
prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him,
Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to
deliver them into the hand of Moab.
- 14 And Elisha said,
As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were
it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of
Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
Elisha boldly told the king of Israel
that if Jehoshaphat were not present, he would not have had anything
to do with him. Jehoram seems to ignore the insults and expressed
his fear of the Lord delivering them into the hands of Moab after
Elisha told him to go consult the prophets of Ahab and Jezebel.
Which of course were false prophets of Baal.
All these kings that did evil really
knew what they were doing and rebelled against God deliberately.
Why? It's hard to understand. They did evil until they got into
trouble then sought out the Lord only if necessary. Then they went back
to doing evil again and again.
The use of music in worship was used
here. David played music for Saul at one time when he was troubled.
Sometimes music that is for the glory of The Lord will stir our
hearts and help us to pray and worship God. Some of us are motivated
by the preaching of the word, by praying in the Holy Spirit but also
music has been used many times to set the mood for worship and
hearing from God. God has different ways to reach people.
- 2Kings 3:16 And he
said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
- 17 For thus saith
the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet
that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both
ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
- 18 And this is but a
light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the
Moabites also into your hand.
- 19 And ye shall
smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell
every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good
piece of land with stones.
- 20 And it came to
pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that,
behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was
filled with water.
So many miracles happen within the
nation of Israel. God used prophets that are true to Him. If it
wasn't for Jehoshaphat, Elisha would have ignored the king of Israel
because of their sins of idolatry and consulting false prophets of
Baal. Defeating Moab was easy for God to do. They didn't have to
fear.
- 2Kings 3:21 And when
all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight
against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour,
and upward, and stood in the border.
- 22 And they rose up
early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the
Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
So we see the water that miraculously
came from the country of Edom served two purposes. One to refresh
the armies of Israel, Judah and Edom; the other purpose was to
appear to look like blood to the armies of Moab.
- 2Kings 3:23 And they
said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have
smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
- 24 And when they
came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the
Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward
smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
- 25 And they beat
down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man
his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of
water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left
they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and
smote it.
- 26 And when the king
of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with
him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even
unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
- 27 Then he took his
eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered
him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great
indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and
returned to their own land.
Looks like the king of Moab was so desparate
to win and overcome this loss that he sacrificed his own son to his
own god as a last resort. They were defeated in this battle and
returned home to Moab. The sacrifice was for nothing. Moab served
the false god of Chemosh who could not do a thing to help them. DC
2 Kings Chapter 4
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