2 KINGS LESSON 3


     We will begin this lesson in II Kings 3:1 "Now Jehoram the son of
Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years." II Kings 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."

     Jehoram was the last of the line of Ahab. All of the kings of
Israel were evil, and he was no exception. He was not as evil as some
of the others, however. He did not do away with the golden calves, but
he did stop the worship of Baal, by destroying the image of Baal. It
was, probably, the terrible end that came to Ahab and Ahaziah, that
caused him to tear the image of Baal down.

     II Kings 3:3 "Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not
therefrom."

     This is speaking of the calf worship. It is strange, but they
tried to worship God and these calves all at the same time. It
appears, the reason they kept the calf at Bethel, and the calf at Dan,
was to keep the people from going to Jerusalem, and worshipping at the
temple.

     II Kings 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."

     Now, we see the reason for the revolt of Moab. The tribute Moab
paid was excessive.

     II Kings 3:5 "But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the
king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel."

     Moab did not fight Israel for their independence, until after
Ahab was dead, because Ahab was a very strong opponent. He was, also,
very cruel, and might have wiped their people out, to get their
animals and other wealth.

     II Kings 3:6  "And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same
time, and numbered all Israel."

     This numbering was, possibly, taking stock, to see how many
military they could muster in case of war. Numbering the people
without God's permission was forbidden.

     II Kings 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."

     Jehoshaphat had made an agreement with Ahab, when he was still
alive. Jehoshaphat would help them, because of this earlier agreement,
and because Moab was their mutual enemy.

     II Kings 3:8 "And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he
answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom."

     One of the main reasons that Jehoshaphat chose this direction,
was because Edom was a dependency of Judah, and would let them pass
with no conflict. Edom was an enemy of Moab, themselves, and some of
their troops might join them in the battle. Going by Edom was not the
shortest route, but was, probably, the safest.

     II Kings 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."

     In the last lesson, we mentioned the fact that Edom did not have
a king. They were ruled by a deputy that Jehoshaphat had set up. It is
interesting, here, that they have gained enough strength that they
now, have a king. It is, also, interesting that they join the battle
with Moab led by their king. Israel's troops will be in the front
lines, because this battle is really theirs. Judah will back them up,
and then, the troops of Edom will back up Judah. This was such a
tremendous amount of troops, you can see it would be easy to run out
of water. This means they were travelling 7 days, to get to the area
of the battle.

     II Kings 3:10 "And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD
hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand
of Moab!"

     The fear of the king of Israel, is because of what happened to
Ahab and Ahaziah. He realizes that it was not God, who sent them to
this war, but their own desire. He fears the LORD will be angry with
them and destroy Israel, Judah, and Edom.

     II Kings 3:11 "But Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a
prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire 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."

     Notice, it is Jehoshaphat who calls for the prophet of God. It
appears, that everyone knew of the miracles Elijah had done. They did
not, however, know much about Elisha, except that he served Elijah.

     II Kings 3:12 "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 knew that this man of God would be the one they
needed to see. Jehoshaphat, a man who did right in God's sight, was in
very bad company with these two evil kings.

     II Kings 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."

     Elisha first reprimands Jehoram for his evil ways. He reminds him
that his father, Ahab, and his mother, Jezebel, had brought the
worship of Baal into the land. Even though Jehoram had torn down the
statue of Baal, he was still an evil king in the sight of the LORD.
Notice, that Jehoram says, it was the LORD who brought these three
together. He is afraid the LORD will destroy them, as he did Ahab and
Ahaziah.

     II Kings 3:14 "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."

     The only thing Jehoshaphat did that was displeasing to the LORD,
was the times he made alliance with the evil kings. It appears, the
LORD forgave him for that, because he was righteous in God's sight.
Elisha would not have even answered the kings of Israel and Edom, but
will speak to Jehoshaphat.

     II Kings 3:15 "But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass,
when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him."

     Music definitely has a place in worship. The beautiful spiritual
songs in the church prepare our hearts to receive the message God has
for His people. This is the reason for the minstrel here. Elisha will
listen to the soft music, and get his mind off the world. The music
will have a calming influence. Elisha would close out the world, and
listen to the Word the LORD speaks through him.

     II Kings 3:16 "And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley
full of ditches."

     We remember, they were out of water. These ditches would hold
water for them.

     II Kings 3:17 "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."

     We are not told where the water comes from, but we can assume
that the water flows into these ditches from another spot. It may rain
heavy in another place, and flow the water into the ditches. It is not
important how the ditches are filled with water. It is a miracle from
God.

     II Kings 3:18 "And this is [but] a light thing in the sight of
the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand."
     Elisha explains that filling these ditches with water is a minor
miracle. The great miracle that will take place here, will be the
Moabite defeat by the Lord. He will deliver the Moabites into their
hands.

     II Kings 3:19 "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."

     This is not a commandment to do these things, but rather
prophetically speaking of what they would do. The Moabites were not
living for God. This is speaking of a total destruction of the land,
which would have to be rebuilt.

     II Kings 3:20 "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."

     The early morning was the time of the morning sacrifice. It
appears, there had been heavy rain in Edom, and the water flowed into
the ditches from there.

     II Kings 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."

     It seemed, that the Moabites had gathered all the men of the land
who were old enough to fight, and gave them armour. They quickly
covered the border, where the enemy was coming from.

     II Kings 3:22 "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:" II Kings 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."

     It appears, these ditches did more than supply water to them. The
ditches, possibly, had red clay at the bottom, and the water on it
caused it to appear to be blood. It could, also, have been a sunrise
of redness that caused the water to look red. They knew that Israel
had broken away from Judah, and they thought some of the rivalry
between them had sprung up in battle. They want to believe these three
kings and their men had turned on each other. They want it so badly,
they had convinced themselves that is what happened.

     II Kings 3:24 "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."

     The Moabites had run in on Israel expecting to take a spoil, and
instead, the Israelites killed many, and the others retreated. The
Israelites did not stop the battle, when the Moabites ran. They
followed them into their land to destroy them.
     II Kings 3:25 "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
Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went
about [it], and smote it."

     We see the prophecy of Elisha fulfilled here. They went through
the land destroying everything in sight. The good trees are trees,
that are useful to the people living there. They could even be
speaking of fruit trees. Kir-haraseth was a fortress, and could not be
broken down without the heavier rams and such. This is, possibly, why
it was not immediately torn down. The battering rams and the
catapults, which threw large stones at them, tore it down.

     II Kings 3:26  "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."

     The king saw that they were all about to die. The king takes his
strongest and bravest men, who had, probably, been his personal guard,
and tried to break through into the ranks of Edom, but they could not.

     II Kings 3:27 "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."

     In Moab, the eldest son of the ruler, who died, would take the
throne. The rule over the land was handed down from father to son.
Human sacrifice was offered by the heathen people, who surrounded
Israel and Judah. The sacrifice was of his eldest son, because he was
the most precious to him. This human sacrifice would have been an
abomination to God. It would, also, have been revolting to the
Israelites and those of Judah. It was certainly revolting to the
people of Moab. This drastic step so shocked everyone, that the war
ended. Israel, Judah, and Edom went home.


















                        2 Kings 3 Questions


1.  Who became king of Israel at the death of Ahaziah?
2.  How many years did he reign?
3.  How was his evil reign different from that of Ahab and Jezebel?
4.  What was the sin of Jeroboam mentioned in verse 3?
5.  Why had they kept the golden calf at Bethel and at Dan?
6.  Who was king of Moab at this time?
7.  How did they make their living?
8.  When did Moab revolt against Israel?
9.  What did Jehoram do to prepare for war?
10. Who did he send to for help?
11. Was he willing to help him against Moab?
12. Why was Jehoshaphat willing to help fight Moab?
13. Who chose the direction of attack?
14. Why did he choose this way, since it was not the shortest?
15. What suddenly comes to the king of Israel about the LORD?
16. Who asks if there is a prophet to consult?
17. Who did one of the servants recommend?
18. How did Jehoshaphat show confidence in the prophet?
19. Who did Elisha tell the king of Israel he should inquire of?
20. Who was the only reason Elisha would speak to them?
21. Who did Elisha ask for?
22. What is the benefit of soft spiritual music in church?
23. What did Elisha tell them to do?
24. What would the LORD do for them in this battle?
25. In verse 19, what did Elisha tell them they would do?
26. When did the water come into the ditches?
27. Who fought for Moab?
28. When the Moabites saw the ditches of water, what did they believe
    they were?
29. Who attacked first?
30. What did the armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom do, that fulfilled
    the prophecy of Elisha?
31. What did the king of Moab try to do with 700 of his choicest men?
32. What terrible thing did he do, when his plan of attack failed?
33. What effect did this have on everyone?