Jehoram King Over Israel

Jehoram became king after the death of his brother Ahaziah, who was childless. Though he did evil in the sight of the LORD, he still put away an abomination that his father had made. This did not go unnoticed by the LORD.

Although his wickedness was less bad than that of his parents, he “clung to the sins of Jeroboam. His perseverance in sin is underlined by the remark at the end of the verse: “He did not depart from them.” He remained an unbeliever.

Moab Rebels

The Moabites were great cattle farmers and had been subject to the kings of Israel for many years. Israel had compelled them to pay a large tribute of cattle. The death of Ahab was the reason for Mesha, king of Moab, to withdraw from the power of Israel over him (2Kgs 1:1).

Moab is a picture of (the lusts of) the flesh. He submitted, but only for a short time and then rebels. That is always what the flesh does. Our flesh does not subject itself to God (Rom 8:7). It always desires wealth, power, prestige and pleasure. When the flesh comes to assert itself, we are the losers.

Israel had lost a lot when Moab rebelled. Their animals and their wool were blessings that God gave. If these blessings are enjoyed apart from God, they serve the flesh. If they are sanctified for God, they can be used to the glory of God. When Moab, the flesh, asserts itself, the lambs, the rams and the wool, the sacrifices, are lost for service to God. In spiritual application, this means that the resemblance to the Lord Jesus (lambs) and the devotion that is beneficial to others (rams’ wool) disappear. Wool also speaks of being cleansed of sins (Isa 1:18b).

Jehoshaphat Is Willing to Help Jehoram

The loss of income due to the Moab rebellion led Jehoram to mobilize an army. He wanted the Moabites to be subject to him again. He also appealed to Jehoshaphat to go to battle with him. Jehoshaphat responded favorably to this request. He had also responded earlier, in the same way, to a request from Ahab to go along with him. He promised his cooperation with the same words he also spoke to Ahab (1Kgs 22:4).

Jehoshaphat seems not to have learned anything from what he experienced with Ahab. Believers learn with difficulty from their experiences. Abraham and Isaac also made the same mistake twice. We are only surprised if we don’t know ourselves well.

Jehoram asks which way they should go up. The non-spiritual believer Jehoshaphat advises to take a detour along the south side of Moab to attack him from that side. This also obliges the king of Edom, who at that time was subject to Jehoshaphat, to participate.

The answer to subject this rebellious king to the authority of the king of Israel again was not in the united armies of these three kings. In application, this means that the flesh cannot be controlled by the flesh. That is a useless and damaging waste of time. They must learn to call to God. That is where they will need to be brought.

Elisha Is Consulted

The three kings set off together. Then something happened that they haven't taken into account at all: after seven days there was a lack of water. If a believer goes out with unbelievers, this can only lead to a lack. God cannot give a blessing in this way.

Jehoram reproached the LORD about this. He never took God into account, but when things went wrong, he blamed God. That’s how many people are today. Without water it is impossible to overcome Moab, the flesh. This is the situation in which the greater part of Christianity, i.e. the professing church, finds itself. They try to bring into subjection all kinds of expressions of the flesh that cause destruction. Without the water of God’s Word, however, that is impossible.

Then it turned out that Jehoshaphat was a believer and thus distinguished himself from Jehoram. He asked for a prophet of the LORD. Jehoram did not answer him; but one of his servants, one of the common people does. Jehoram himself apparently did not know of a prophet of the LORD. The servant referred to Elisha who apparently had gone with the army. The LORD will have made it clear to Elisha to join them.

Jehoshaphat knew him and that the word of the LORD was with him. The three kings go to him. Elisha hadn’t been a target of kings, like Elijah. It was because their fate depended on him, that they come to him. We see that here, Elisha was not called upon to appear before those men. It was the other way around; the great men of the earth went to the man of God.

Elisha’s Counsel

Elisha was a man without fear. Without any respect for the high company, he said to the king of Israel that he wanted nothing to do with him. There was no spiritual connection. He even said sarcastically that Jehoram should go to the prophets of his parents. Jehoram’s answer was what he had said earlier that his predicament had been ordered by the LORD.

Elisha said once again and more strongly that he didn’t want to have anything to do with Jehoram. The man remained wicked. The acknowledgement that the LORD had brought about the situation had not led him to repentance. All he wanted was to get out of this miserable situation, nothing more. It is because Jehoshaphat was in this company that Elisha didn’t turn around and leave. It seems, however, that he was so indignant by Jehoram’s attitude and also by that of Jehoshaphat that his mind had first to come to rest. For this he needed melodious, soothing music.

Spiritually minded believers are not able to speak a word from the Lord in every circumstance. Sometimes such agitation may have arisen in the mind that it is necessary to come to rest first. There must be harmony in a situation of discord. This rest can sometimes be obtained by a melodious instrument. Christ is the heavenly harp player Who gives peace to troubled minds. Christ is the keynote to which every need in our lives can be attuned, so that the distress can be borne and there is promise of a solution.

While the music is played, Elisha came to rest and the LORD’s hand came upon him. He then started to speak and declared what needed to be done. In the valley, a picture of the place of humility, trenches must be dug so that the trenches could be filled with water. Digging trenches so that they can be filled with water while there is drought, speaks of faith. Digging speaks of taking away earth. Dirt that prevents water from entering the trenches must be removed.

Everything that can prevent water from flowing must be removed. In practice, this means that room must be made for the Word of God, of which water is a picture (Eph 5:26: Jn 15:3). Water is also a picture of the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:37-39). Room for the Word of God also means room for the Spirit. Word and Spirit always work together.

When trenches had been dug, they could be filled with water to save the kings and their armies and cattle: the more trenches, the more water. In that way they would be able to defeat Moab. What a lot of ‘earth’ sometimes needs to be removed from our lives and that of the local church before the living water of the Word can flow into our lives and the local churches.

The digging does not fill the trenches with water. All we can do is make room for the water. By a miracle of the LORD, by the faith with which the trenches are dug, these trenches shall be filled with water. There are no accompanying, impressive signs, but when obstacles are removed, the way is cleared for the blessing of God. He will miraculously fill our lives, if they are lived in humility, with His presence.

The filling of the trenches with water is seen as a matter that is “a slight thing in the sight of the LORD” (2Kgs 3:18). The grace of God goes even further, for He would give Moab into their hand. If our lives are lived in the power of God’s Word and God’s Spirit, the result will be that the flesh is overcome. The victory will be total. God does not do half a job.

Moab Slaughtered

The water began to flow around the time when the morning grain offering was offered in Jerusalem. The grain offering speaks of the Lord Jesus. All blessings that God allows to flow are based on God’s value of the Lord Jesus and are connected with Him. God counts the value of all things in the world accordingly.

The Moabites only saw what the Israelites were doing. They had no idea what was really happening. That can only be perceived by faith. The Moabites believed that the Israelites were getting ready to attack. That is why they were mobilizing all those who could fight, even if they had minimal capability. They didn’t realize that they would be beaten even more thoroughly. When they got up in the morning, they saw that the color of the water was as the color of blood. They came to the wrong conclusion from this and thought that they would achieve an easy victory and take a lot of booty.

The waters that meant life for the three kings meant death for the Moabites. Thus the Passover in Egypt was a feast for Israel, but for the Egyptians it meant judgment. In the same way, during the exodus from Egypt the cloud was light for Israel, but it was darkness for the Egyptians. The world and the flesh know nothing of the things of God (1Cor 2:14). What is refreshment for God’s people is death for the world.

The Moabites revealed themselves and threw caution to the wind. By the time they discovered what was really going on, it was too late. For them there was no escape from defeat. The Israelites destroyed Moab, their fields, water sources and trees according to the word of Elisha in 2Kgs 3:19. Through the refreshment of the water they were able to destroy Moab’s sources of strength. The offspring of the flesh, which comes forth from the flesh, also dies. The only way to fight the flesh is through the Word of God - applied by the Spirit of God.

The king of Moab still tried to break through to reach the Edomites to try to form an alliance with them. However, he did not succeed. He even came into such extremity that he sacrificed his heir to the throne, perhaps a young man, to his god Chemosh. Perhaps Chemosh would be softened by this sacrifice to provide a better outcome.

There was great wrath against Israel, perpetuated by the LORD. The cause of this was the Israelites’ desire for revenge, which was so great that Mesha, king of Moab, felt compelled to commit this atrocity. The Israelites had forgotten that the LORD had shown mercy to them. They took revenge in a disproportionate way and thereby presented God, the God of His people, as unmerciful. This false representation of God could not go unpunished. How His wrath was expressed is not mentioned. However, it became clear to the people that they could no longer stay in Moab and returned to their own country.