2 Kings 3 Call Elisha

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
2 Kings 3:“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.(b)”

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.”​

b. 2 Kings 3:11 That is, he was Elijah’s personal servant.

Easy English has a good commentary this morning.

So the two kings agreed that they would be on the same side. Their armies would be united in the battle. And they made their plans for the battle. They intended to attack Moab from behind. Judah’s king advised Joram to go through the desert in Edom. This would mean that they would ask the ruler of Edom to help them. It seems that Judah controlled Edom at this time (1 Kings 22:47). So there would be three armies to oppose the army from Moab.

The armies had expected to find water, but the stream in the area was dry. They were very desperate. There were three armies and many animals, so they needed plenty of water.

The king of Israel was afraid. He thought that the Lord had decided to act against Israel, Judah and Edom. He thought that the Lord had arranged for the armies to be in this hopeless situation. When they were weak, the army from Moab could defeat them easily.

So the king of Israel was without hope. But King Jehoshaphat was not without hope. He probably realised that his actions had been very foolish. He had agreed to support an evil king in battle. (This was not the first time that he made this error – 1 Kings chapter 22.) Jehoshaphat had taken his army into a desert. That was a dangerous place for a large group of people to be. In addition, Jehoshaphat did not ask the Lord for advice when he did all that. So Jehoshaphat made many mistakes, but he was still loyal to God. And Jehoshaphat trusted God. So Jehoshaphat knew that God is kind. He is pleased to help his people. He wants to forgive.

At last, Jehoshaphat was ready to ask God for advice. And a servant of Israel’s king told the three kings that Elisha was there. God had arranged that his servant, the prophet, would be there to help them.

So the kings went to see him. By that simple action, they showed that they were humble. Usually a king would order a*prophet to come. (Compare 2 Kings 1:9-17). But these three kings went to Elisha’s tent.

Elisha made it clear that he did not approve of the king of Israel. That king’s father (Ahab) and mother (Jezebel) had introduced false gods to Israel. And the king himself belonged to a false religion. Of course, Elisha did not really mean that the king of Israel should pray to false gods. Elisha was showing the king that those gods were without power. And the king had to agree that only the Lord, the real God, could help him now.

But Elisha did approve of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. Jehoshaphat, like Elisha, worshipped the real God. And Jehoshaphat was trusting God to help him. So Elisha explained that he would pray on behalf of Jehoshaphat.

Elisha asked a musician to play. That would make Elisha’s soul quiet. Then he would receive God’s message.​

I once heard that chapel music is designed to sooth the soul and make the heart ready for worship. Over the years... I've heard some chapel music that made me pray.... for it to stop. LOL.... seriously... I love chapel music.... I sing some old hymns out loud every now and then.... it does sooth the soul. David used music to sooth Saul's soul.

So Elisha told the king of Israel that he wouldn't have bothered helping if the king of Israel was the only one who needed help. Elisha really has no use for a king who causes his people to worship a shiny cow. Elisha made it quite clear.... he was only there to help Jehoshaphat.

This is from the blueletterbible.org site.

Jehoram of Israel asked Jehoshaphat of Judah for military advice because Jehoshaphat was more experienced in battle than Jehoram. The King of Judah advised Jehoram that they attack Moab from the south, going through the very dry desert of the Edomites.

The combined armies of Judah, Israel, and Edom had to travel a considerable distance to attack Moab from the south.

"Verse 9 mentions the king of Edom, but we have already been told in 1 Kings 22:47 that there was no king in Edom at this time. So 'king' here must refer to a vice-regent appointed by the king of Judah." (Dilday)​

Both Jehoram and Jehoshaphat believed there was a spiritual, divine element to their current crisis. Jehoram believed that God was to be avoided because of the crises, while Jehoshaphat believed that God should be sought because of the crisis.

So now... we have the armies of three nations.... stuck in the desert without water after marching for seven days in full military uniforms.... and Elisha is soothing his soul with harp music.....

I love the Bible... I never know what to expect... this is so exciting!

:coffee:
 
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