Three kings set out to war against an enemy of all three of them. All three decide it’s a great idea. Not one stops the plan to invade and conquer Moab with “how about inquiring of the Lord?”—until they are in trouble. “Who knows a prophet who is reliable?” The King of Judah is the only one asking but even he jumped into this war plan without first asking God about it so he, too is stuck in the desert with his comrades. King Jehoshaphat, King of Judah maybe less sinful than the other two kings but sins are not ranked in God’s eyes. A sin in a sin. Not asking God first what He wants for His People is a sin which lands all of them in the middle of the desert with NO water in sight while leads to no hope on the horizon of surviving. The King of Judah remembers who he worships and asks; what about asking God? The other two kings just sit in the dust wondering when they will die while blaming God for their current situation.
Have you ever been in a challenging situation when all hope has seemed to vanish and you do not know what to do next? Is God our last resort or the first call we make?
2 Kings 3
Moab Revolts
Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. 7 He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
“I will go with you,” he replied. “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
8 “By what route shall we attack?” he asked.
“Through the Desert of Edom,” he answered.
9 So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.
10 “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?”
11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?”
An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
12 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 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”
“No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.”
14 Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. 15 But now bring me a harpist.”
While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. 17 For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18 This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. 19 You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”
20 The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.
21 Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. 22 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red—like blood. 23 “That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”
24 But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. 25 They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it.
26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. 27 Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Elisha shows fearless faith! As a prophet, Elisha knew and believed God. He trusted and obeyed all that God said and told him to say. He is called up into the presence of not one, but three kings and asked for his help to “inquire of the Lord”. We see Jehoshaphat’s respect for the Lord’s prophet Elisha which demonstrates the continuation of God’s gracious covenant with David.
Elisha’s greeting to all the kings was a challenge to the kings’ faithfulness, but Joram’s reply still smacked of unbelief: “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab!” When we don’t know God and His best and don’t inquire of what God wants; we assume the worst. This is a human response who does not revere God. When it came to confronting kings, we see that Elisha was as fearless as his mentor, Elijah.
God’s Story is woven into all who trust and obey Him!
“Elisha’s abrupt call for music in the face of a military crisis reminds us of God’s unorthodox approach to the defeat of Jericho (Joshua 6:1–17). The music highlighted God’s participation. The music of the harpist also quieted the prophet’s mind and heart and helped to facilitate his communion with the Lord. Then Elisha revealed God’s plan. The miracles recorded in the next few chapters are primarily revelations that magnify God’s grace and mercy.” –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible
Finding ourselves in the Story of God begins with our humility before God. We acknowledge who He is with who we are not—God. Only God was, is, and always will be God! We are not God. We are not all knowing, all seeing, or all powerful. We are made in His image, but we are not God, the Maker of all things. All we are or ever hope to be comes from God who molds and shapes willing believers who have become His children. God is our Father; we are His sons and daughters, joint heirs with Christ! Even the demons know God and His Son, Jesus—and they tremble at His Name!
When we humble ourselves before God, repent of our sins to God, with a willingness to trust with a joyful attitude of obedience—God blesses us with His wisdom, insight, with more understanding of life here as we prepare for eternal life with them there in heaven.
God also sees us in the desert of our mistakes and messes with a glorious way to walk through it to the other side. There is nothing we have done that God will not forgive. The King of Moab pitifully sacrificed his first-born son as a sign of losing. He knew he was losing the war with Israel and Judah. God sacrificed His One and Only Son as the Way for all the world to win the war over sin! Jesus took our place for the punishment of sin we deserved! Jesus gives us the victory with a new life!
So, the next time, before doing anything of significance, do what Jesus, our Savior, Lord, King of kings, and Lord of lords did while he walked on earth to teach us how to live through it all—Ask God first what HE wants us to be and then do. God will answer a humbled heart who desires Him and wants to know His will.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”—Jesus, Matthew 6:33
“Inquire of the Lord” before our daily war with the Enemy whose goal is to distract, deceive, and destroy our faith in God. Satan and his demons pounce on our challenging circumstances to draw us away from God. On the other hand, God uses our circumstances in our imperfect world to build our faith with lessons that turn our messes into messages of His love, mercy, and grace that assures our hope of eternity with Him. So, who do you choose as your first call as your first line of defense? I pray it is God!
Lord,
I love you because you first loved me. I am forever grateful for your love. I choose you because you chose me to be your daughter made possible by the King of kings, Jesus! You are the Source of love, power, wisdom, and grace that gives real Life to my soul. Why would I call on anyone else but you? Here I am. I’m yours. And I’m listening.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 