ELISHA SERIES: A PROPHET OF THE LORD

The story of Elisha’s prophetic journey continues in 2 Kings 3. In 1 Kings 19:16, God told Elijah to anoint Elisha to be a prophet; however, in this chapter, we see him first called and recognized as a prophet by his countrymen.

King Ahab and Jezebel’s son Jehoram reigned in Israel, and it is stated that he continued the sins of Jeroboam, but he did remove the image of Baal from the land. Moab, a vassal state to Israel during King Ahab’s reign, rebelled against Israel by refusing to pay the yearly tribute. Consequently, Jehoram, not wanting to relinquish Moab’s sizable tribute, decided to engage Moab in battle, and he enlisted the help of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. Additionally, King Jehoshaphat engaged the king of Edom, a tributary of Judah, to join them.

While traveling with their troops through what was determined the best route in Edom, they experienced thirst, for there was no water in the area for man or beast. Mistakenly, King Jehoram thought God had brought them together for the defeat by Moab. However, King Jehoshaphat made this request, “Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him?” In response, an Israelite servant said. “Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah,” to which Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So, the three kings went to Elisha, who knew the evil practices of King Jehoram’s parents, and he was angry that the king of Israel came to him. King Jehoram voiced his fears to Elisha and Elisha told him that the presence of King Jehoshaphat was the only reason he was conversing with them.

The hand of the Lord came on Elisha in response to him asking for a minstrel to play, and he spoke the word of the Lord to the three kings. He told them, “Make this valley full of ditches. 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. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. 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.”

The next morning at the time the meat offering was offered in Jerusalem, the ditches were filled with water coming from the direction of Edom. When the Moabites assembled for battle at the border of Edom saw the water, it appeared as blood. Mistakenly they thought the three kings had turned on each other and fought among themselves. Hence, they came to the camp of Israel to gather the spoil, only to find themselves in a losing battle. Israel followed the word of the Lord given to them by Elisha and despoiled the land of Moab. Finally, in desperation, the king of Moab offered a burnt offering of his oldest son to the god Chemosh on the city wall. Seeing what the king of Moab did troubled Israel and caused them to return to their land.

Here are the nuggets that I gained from 2 Kings 3 as relating to Elisha and the kings of Israel, Judah, and Moab:

• God requires total submission to His laws, statutes, and commandments.
• God recognizes when you serve him half-heartedly.
• Check with God before aligning yourself with others.
• Accept advice from those that are experienced.
• If you haven’t consulted God first, don’t blame Him when you get into problematic situations.
• People recognize a true prophet of God.
• People will seek you when you are known to give an accurate word from God.
• A true prophet can discern the heart of individuals.
• Connection with the right person opens doors for you that otherwise would be shut.
• The presence of the righteous brings favor from the Lord.
• A skilled and gifted musician can set the atmosphere for the Word of the Lord to come forth.
• When your spirit is calm, you are open to hearing from God.
• God gives water to the thirsty.
• God gave Israel both water and victory.
• Divine intervention requires obedience to directions.
• God can cause movement that the human ear will not detect.
• God works in mysterious ways; He performs miracles that man can’t fathom.
• God will allow your enemy to be deceived to mete out His judgment on them.
• When you are fighting the enemy, destroy all of his resources
• With God on your side, you are sure to win.
• Move away from those that egregiously sin.