2 Kings 3

2 Kings 3

Life in Israel after Ahaziah was not much different than it was when Ahaziah had the throne. Jehoram continued in the ways of the kings before him, doing what was evil in the sight of God. He led Israel down the same path that Jeroboam had begun when the kingdom first split. He then began to experience his share of troubles as king. Moab, a nation that had been a supplier of lambs and wool for Israel, decided to rebel. They had not been satisfied with the way that they had been treated in the days of Ahab, and when they got the opportunity to do so, they broke ties with Israel. Jehoram, however, was determined to rein them back into service for Israel, so he joined forces with Jehoshaphat in Judah and the king of Edom.


The three nations marched into battle against Moab, but before they ever arrived, they ran out of supplies, most importantly water. They knew that they could not survive much longer without supplies. Jehoram was ready to give up, believing that God had sent them out to battle so that they all might die because of the evil that he had done. Jehoshaphat, however, asked if there was a prophet nearby that they could speak with, knowing that he would speak the word of God. The prophet they found was Elisha.

Due to the fact that Jehoshaphat had come to the aid of Jehoram, the word God gave through Elisha was for their benefit. He was going to give them the strength they needed to survive their journey and then give the Moabites into their hands. The text alludes to the fact that this would not have been the case if Jehoram had gone up to battle by himself. Because of his disobedience, God would have probably allowed he and his men to be defeated by the Moabites. Since Jehoshaphat was with him, and he had done well in following God’s commands, however, God decided to spare both he and Jehoram, giving them what they needed.

The next morning, the men found a pool of water that had miraculously appeared for them just as Elisha had predicted. They were able to get the refreshment that they needed to continue and made their way toward Moab. The battle went in their favor, and they had great success over the Moabites. Although they did not actually take care of the king of Moab, retreating when they saw him sacrifice his son, they were able to do great damage to the Moabites.

Once again, there is a contrast drawn between the kings of Israel and Judah. Whereas those in Judah generally followed God’s commands and received blessings for it, the kings of Israel chose to turn away from Him. As a result, they experienced times of unrest, including plagues and wars. God was trying to draw His children back unto Himself, but they continued to push away from Him. Even when they saw how God continued to bless those in Judah, knowing that the only reason they were granted success in their battle against the Moabites was due to Jehoshaphat’s presence, they continued to turn away from Him. In the same way, God is reaching out to people today, and there are many who continue to ignore Him. It is hard to watch people continue to reject God, but we must remember that our job is not to convert them, for only God can do that. We must be faithful in giving them the message, showing them the truth of the Gospel. It is then up to them to decide what they will do it, and as hard as it is to watch, there will be many who choose to reject it.

Matt