2 Kings 3 -- Why Not Consult God FIRST?

When Moab decided not to fork over its annual tribute to Israel, Ahab’s son Joram knew he had to man up and go to war or he’d lose all respect.  He even asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him, and they also were joined by Edom as they set to attack Moab from the desert.  But after a 7-day march, they seemed surprised to discover that they’d run out of water for their animals and themselves!  Joram cried out that God was handing them over to their enemy.  Yet they hadn’t bothered to consult the Lord!  Judah’s king asked for a prophet of the Lord, and Elisha “just happened” to be with the army!

 

He directed them to dig pits all over a valley, and the next morning rain from the distant mountains came flooding down the valley, filling the pits and giving them the water they needed.  The scouts for Moab, however, saw the rising sun in the east reflecting off of the water, looking the color of blood.  They decided that the three armies had fought among themselves and destroyed each other, and they hurried out to collect the spoils.  The freshly hydrated army, though, took on the attackers and defeated them, then followed God’s commands to completely ruin the land of Moab, stopping up springs, tearing down cities, cutting down all of the trees, and casting rocks in every good field to insure that Moab could no longer be economically viable.

 

Seeing his impending defeat, the king of Moab, in desperation, took the drastic step of publicly sacrificing his oldest son and heir-apparent to their god to try and stave off defeat!

 

The whole chapter left me with questions:

 

Why did Jehoshaphat agree to work with Israel to begin with?

 

Why did he not consult God before beginning the 7-day march through the desert, rather than waiting until they were out of resources?

 

Why was Elisha with the army, seven days from home?  Probably because God put him there for a reason.  Elisha did say that he disrespected the king of Israel, but was acting because of Jehoshaphat’s presence.  That’s grace in action.

 

God didn’t have to make it rain right where they were, either.  Instead, He caused rain in the nearby mountains so that water would flow to their location without the enemy knowing it!

 

Father, thanks for the reminder that I too can be a person who points others to You even in the midst of non-Christians.  Thank You also for reminding me of the importance of consulting with You before beginning any major undertaking.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford