Valley of Blood...Elijah pt 18

https://billrandles.wordpress.com/2021/12/11/valley-of-blood-elijah-pt-18/ ^ | 12-10-21 | Bill Randles

[pastorbillrandles]

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. 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. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. ( 2 Kings 3:1-4)

The next King of Israel, Jehoram, was also a Son of Ahab, having succeeded his brother. He was evil but he did concede Baal’s defeat in the land of Israel, by removing the Image of Baal. However he then resorted back to the two shrines at Dan and Bethel, as being the State religion, and the King as the head of it.

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. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel. ( 2 Kings 3:5-6)

The vassal Kingdoms which had been subdued by David and Solomon had began to break away, and in this instance it was King Mesha , of the Moabites. He had long been under a heavy tribute, (more than a hundred thousand each of Lambs and Rams per year) to Israel, and wanted to break free of the yoke.

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. ( I Kings 3:7)

This is the same Jehoshaphat who had almost died, after aligning with Jehoram’s father, Ahab.

But to be fair, Judah had been raided by Moab as well, and Israel and Edom were all united in concerned about the growing Moabite threat.

The united alliance of Israel, Judah, Edom and Ammon set out on an expedition to deal with the Moabite threat once and for all. Inquiries were made and they determined that the best way to attack would be through the wilderness of Judea, and on over into Moab. But on the way through the exceeding harsh desert, the united armies ran out of water.

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. And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!( 2 Kings 3:9-10)

In an almost repeat of the scene in 1 Kings 22, a prophet is sought out of desperation for a Word from the LORD. This time no false prophets were consulted, rather it so happened that Elisha the prophet was among the armies.

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire 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. 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. ( 2 Kings 3:11-12)Thus the Kings went to interview the man of God.

There is a little bitter exchange between Elisha and the King of Israel, who was frightened and thought that the LORD had brought them out into this situation, in order to allow Mesha to kill them. Elisha told the three Kings that were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat, he would not so much as looked towards Jehoram. If Jehoram wanted direction, why not seek his own false prophets?

The prophet then called for a minstrel, and as the minstrel played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha and he prophesied.In effect this is what he told them, by the Spirit of the LORD,

*The coalition was supposed to dig ditches, all over the valley on the desert floor.

*Without any wind, rain or visible water, the ditches would fill with water to sustain and save the army, and all of the animals with it.

*The LORD will deliver Moab into their hand.

*They would wage total war, Beseigment of cities, cutting down good trees, stopping up wells, and destroying cleared fields by strewing stones around them.

The armies of the coalition began to dig holes, out in the desert. They filled the valley with holes, although they were almost crazed with thirst.

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: And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. 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.( 2 Kings 3: 22-24)

The Moabite army was observing all of this from a distance, anticipating the invasion. But they saw the pools of water as pools of blood, and assumed that the coalition fell into warfare with each other, and had a great self slaughter.

Based upon that mistaken notion,( That the water, was actually blood, they attacked and put themselves into a trap, which turned into a rout and a retreat. The armies of the three Kings, Israel, Edom and Judah had been made ready for them.

Everything Elijah prophesied came to pass; the miraculous provision of water, the victory over Moab, the slaughter, the cutting down of trees, capturing Moab’s strongholds, the stopping of wells, the coalition was able to experience everything the prophet predicted.

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 Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. ( 2 Kings 3:22-25)

All went according to the Word of the LORD by his Prophet, and by this Elisha was further established in Israel as a true prophet and representative of the living God, as Elijah was before him.

The campaign ended in the fortified city of Kiraseth, where the siege forced Mesha and the rest of his defeated and decimated army into an indefensible position. Mesha couldn’t break out and knew it was only a matter of time, before the allies broke through.

Being a pagan, he acted in sheer desperation. He erected an altar where all of the amassed armies could clearly see it. He then sent for his eldest Son, and offered him as a whole burnt offering unto Chemosh, the hideous “god” of the Moabites, in the sight of the Israleite, Edomite and Judaite armies.

Such Was the horrifying sight, that it deeply affected the idolatrous Edomites and Israel as well . The coalition fell apart right there on the spot, each party simply departing to their own land, leaving Mesha alive and the remnant of his shattered army.

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. 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. ( 2 Kings 3:26-27)

In the next segment we will explore possible meanings to “there was great indignation against Israel”….

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