Covenantide

Category: Biblical Commentary

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 15)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 15)

    Jehu’s Purge

    I. Jehoram and Ahaziah of Judah (2 Kings 8:16-29)

    In the previous lesson, Elisha engaged the Syrians three times. First, he blinded Syrian raiders sent by Ben-Hadad, led them into Samaria and out of it, and ensured they no more would launch raids on Israel.  Second, Ben Hadad gathered up another army and laid siege to Samaria during a famine while Elisha was there, but God drove away the Syrians, just as Elisha had prophesied.  And lastly, Elisha traveled to Damascus to tell Hazael he shall be king of Syria and shall cause great destruction and sorrow upon Syria.  Hazael was the second of the three avengers God commanded Elijah to appoint back in 1 Kings 19, Elisha being the first, and the last being Jehu.  In this lesson, we will see how Jehu ended the line of Ahab, the consequences of Judah’s association with Israel, and how different the kingdom of Israel looked like under Jehu’s rule.  Before doing that, however, we need to look at Judah. The last king we followed there was Jehoshaphat, during the war between Israel, Judah, and Edom against Moab.

    16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children. 20In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21 So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents. 22 Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23 And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

    25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. 26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab. 28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth-gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

    These verses outline the deepening relationship between Israel and Judah.  Despite God’s warnings and punishments, Judah continued to associate with Israel more and more. This began with Jehoshaphat, who launched joint military campaigns with King Ahab, and then trade expeditions with Ahaziah, the son of Ahab.  Jehoram, king of Judah, followed in his foreign policy, marrying Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab.

    We will not spend much time on Jehoram of Judah, save to say that he is another evil king. He killed his brothers and many court officials upon his ascension and set up shrines and high places on the hills of Judah.  In short, he led Judah astray, and Judah was punished by it with dual revolts—one from Edom in the east, and one from the city of Libnah in the West.  Jehoram was so bad that he received a letter from Elijah, apparently written before his [Elijah’s] ascension, telling him he would die of a bowel disease, literally excreting out his own organs.  And he did, but not before the Philistines attacked Judah, killed every one of his sons save the youngest, Ahaziah. He died after eight years on the throne.

    Ahaziah took the throne as a young man of 22, and as a son-in-law of the house of Ahab, he did evil like the house of Ahab. It is here that we see the connection between Israel and Judah take its final connecting form, how close Ahaziah is to the kings of Israel. Joram is his uncle by marriage, after all, so its not unexpected when Ahaziah travels to Israel to visit Joram when he falls ill. The failure of Judah to obey God, to avoid yoking of themselves with the unrighteous, the attempted fellowship between light and darkness, is going to have disastrous events for the throne of Judah, starting with Ahaziah.  Now that we’ve caught up to the present in Judah, we’re going to head back north to Israel.

    II. Commission of Jehu (2 Kings 9:1-13)

    9 And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead: 2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; 3Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. 4 So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. 6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. 7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. 8For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: 10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

    11 Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. 12 And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. 13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.

    As noted earlier, Jehu is the third and final sword that God appointed back in 1 Kings 19, a commander in the army of Israel.  Elijah went immediately to Elisha, but did not go directly to Hazael and Jehu, as God told him in 1 Kings 21 that He promised to delay judgement on Ahab until the days of his son, because Ahab had humbled himself before God after allowing the execution of Naboth of Jezreel. As such, it fell to Elisha, who decided it was time for Jehu’s commission.

    Elisha has cut a path through Israel, from his beginning in the south near Judah, to his lodging at Dothan, to Samaria, to Damascus. Where Elijah’s travels had him constantly on the run, retreating and hiding, Elisha has been as straight as an arrow.  This makes it somewhat curious that Elisha chooses now to act through an intermediary, one of the sons of the prophets, rather than going himself, particularly since he himself has been given the spirit and ministry of Elijah, and this was Elijah’s charge. So, why did he act through an intermediary? Why didn’t he go himself?  There are a couple of possible answers. Maybe he was getting old and cannot move as fast as he knew he would need to; maybe he was busy; maybe he wanted this to be done clandestinely so that Elisha, famous and recently departed from one kingmaking, would not be announced to be heading to the army of Israel, which Joram might rightly understand to mean Elisha was preparing for a second kingmaking. Any and all of those possibilities could be true, but what is also true is that Elisha did not need to go. It is not the spirit of Elisha that makes kings, it is the Spirit of God, and it is not possessed by only one man, great as he may be.  All who have the Spirit of God can act for His purposes, and all can serve.  

    So, Elisha sends another with the Spirit to speak the Word of God to Jehu and anoint him as King of Israel.  He tells the prophet to go Ramoth Gilead, take Jehu into a separate room, make him king, and then run out in haste. He also gives him instructions on how to go and how to leave.  In verse 1, some translations have “tuck your robe into your belt,” others have “make yourself ready.” “Girding up your loins” involves taking your tunic or robe and tying it around your waist, making them into short shorts, so you can run. This is not done in preparation for speed walking, this is done for war and sprinting. And the prophet is going to need to sprint.

    The young prophet takes Jehu aside (more evidence for the secrecy argument), anoints his head with oil, and declares him king, repeating the message Elijah gave to Ahab in 1 Kings 21:19, that the whole house of Ahab would perish, and Jezebel will be eaten by dogs at Naboth’s vineyard, the vineyard she had murdered for. The blood that they had shed would be avenged. When the prophet left, the other commanders, their interest piqued, asked Jehu what he wanted, and called him a madman.  He doesn’t appear mad in any way, except maybe that he’s got his pants pulled up high and tight for running.  This is likely another case of “normal” being seen as insane. During times of madness, that which is evil is reckoned as good, and good reckoned as evil.  An Orthodox Monk named St Anthony the Great, from the 3rd century AD once said, “A time is coming,” when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, “You are mad; you are not like us.”” Despite his apparent “madness”, they want to know what he said.  When they asked Jehu what he said, Jehu told them “Oh you know, just crazy stuff.”  As he just ignores the oil dripping down his head. The commanders do not believe him, and they demand he tells them the truth. And then Jehu does just that—that God has made him King over Israel.  Jehu was reticent to reveal this—telling the king’s army you’re going to launch a coup against the king is a risky play—but instead of executing him for treason, they rush to be the first to tear off their clothes and spread them under his feet.

    Joram is clearly not a popular king-the constant raids from Syria, the famine, the recent rebellion of Moab, and the fact he got wounded and chose to recover at his palace in Jezreel, not at the front lines in Ramoth Gilead likely contributed to this. The nation is in economic decline, it had constant wars along its far-flung borders for decades now, and it is at war right now, which is why Jehu and the army are in Ramoth Gilead, and why Joram is wounded/sick in Jezreel. People are desperate for anyone with charisma and strength to stand up, take control, and move the nation in a different direction. Folks need someone to give them hope.  And so, the main army of Israel declares for Jehu against Joram.

    III. Joram of Israel Killed (2 Kings 9:14-37)

    14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. 15 But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel. 16 So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.

    While the positive sentiment might have been shared by much of the army, the conspirators could not assume that it would be shared across the nation.  The coup needed to be as stealthy as possible, and that meant an information lockdown. Jehu stopped anyone from going to Jezreel to alert the king of his treachery by instituting a quarantine of the whole camp. No one was to be allowed to leave for fear they would warn Joram, and now we know why the young prophet had a need to sprint as soon as he accomplished his mission.  Jehu is like a bomb you just lit the fuse on, and now you have got to get out of the blast radius.

    17 And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? 18 So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again. 19 Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. 20 And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. 21 And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? 23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. 24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him; 26Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord.

    27 But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28 And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. 29 And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

    30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. 31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? 32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. 33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. 34 And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter. 35 And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: 37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

    The Death of Jezebel (Dore)

    Jehu rode for Jezreel at great speed with a company of soldiers behind him.  The watchman from the city alerted Joram, and he sent a horseman to ask Jehu what his intentions were. Any number of things could have happened—it could have been that something terrible had befallen the rest of their army at Ramoth Gilead, or that such a great victory had been won, the war was over, but the question “is it peace?” indicates that Joram and others suspected treachery.  When the horseman asks the question, Jehu’s answer is “What have you to do with peace?”  Essentially, he is saying, “What has peace done for you? We are here for violence. Join us. You can either ride with us or be mowed down.” And it plays out the same with the second horseman Joram sends.  Joram’s messengers aren’t coming back, but joining up with Jehu.

    One has to wonder what was going through Joram’s head, if he was confused or concerned or worried. His messengers not returning, they are joining up with Jehu and coming back full tilt.  Now, both Joram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah came out to meet Jehu to ask what is going on.  Given their later questions on “Are you peaceful?” this is an enormously silly mistake. Jehu has a company of soldiers with him, and Joram meets him on the road, instead of calling down to him from the walls of the city, or Joram’s fortress. Both kings suspected that this was rebellion. Whatever the case, they met Jehu at Jezreel, at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. And Jehu finally answer Joram’s question of peace—“How can there be peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother and her witchcrafts are so many?”  In other words, how can there be peace with such evil? There cannot be.  Jehu grasps what Judah has failed to: you cannot have fellowship with evil, you must crush it.  Jehu shot Joram in the back, shot the arrow so hard it punched through Joram’s entire body, exiting near his heart.

    Most archaeological evidence suggests that bows that were used for warfare during this time usually had a draw weight of around 50 lbs, what we consider a medium weight bow. Evidence for larger weight bows like 100 pounders has been scant, and you cannot fire bows that heavy from a chariot. A close range shot with a lighter weight bow (50 lbs) can pass through an entire person. However, the arrow cannot hit a bone, nor can it hit armor. Even modern arrows with steel armor piercing points and crossbows with draw weight equal to the English longbow (160 lbs) struggle to punch more than a handful of inches through layered linen armor (gambeson). Add in other types of armor like scale, mail, or bronze breastplates? That arrow isn’t going through. So, either God imbued Jehu with supernatural strength, or Joram wasn’t wearing armor to this meeting, which is doubtful. This arrow is God’s arrow, and a little thing like physics is not going to stop it.

    The reason Jehu gives for his rebellion is Jezebel, her whoredoms, and her witchcraft. Scripture has before made a close association between idolatry and adultery, Israel and Judah are often compared to an adulterous woman who has betrayed her husband (i.e., God). But here, given her close association with pagan fertility cults, it is not a stretch to consider that she partook in those rituals herself, earning herself the moniker of “harlot.” “Jezebel” has been used as a synonym for prostitute, following a pattern established by the Jezebel of Revelation 2:20.  Is this the greatest motivation of Jehu? Almost certainly not. But it could help explain why the people are so fed up with this line of kings.

    Joram is thrown into the field for the birds to eat. Ahaziah escapes for a time before he is hunted down and killed, leaving both the thrones of Israel and Judah vacant.  And Jehu is just getting started.  He walks up to the palace of Jezreel. When Jezebel hears that he is at the gate, she puts on her makeup, and does her hair up.  Judgement has come for her, and she decides she wants to spend her final moments in an act of vanity. Others humble themselves before God, shave their heads in mourning, put on sackcloth and ashes. She does not even try to make things right with God, she lives for this world and this one only.  She does not plead for her life, she insults Jehu, God’s Sword.

    Jehu does not trade insults, he just looks to the palace and asks who in the castle is with him, and a couple eunuchs decide to throw her out the window. Eunuchs are famously attached to ancient courts because they can be trusted around the concubines. And because they cannot have kids, their futures are tied to the crown.  So even these, the most trusted of her people, betray Jezebel.  Jehu then tramples her with a horse and left her corpse lying there while he went inside to eat.  After he was done, he told his men to bury her, honoring her station as the daughter of a king.  But while Jehu had feasted, so did the dogs, who ate her. She does not get a burial, but rather, she becomes dung in the fields and alleyways of the city, fulfilling God’s prophecy.  What so far have we seen is Jehu’s attitude towards God?  Jehu acknowledges God’s authority and power, and obeys him, throwing Joram into the land plot of Naboth.

    Jehu’s Companions Finding the Remains of Jezebel (Dore)

    IV. Jehu’s Revolution Completed (2 Kings 10:1-17)

    10 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab’s children, saying, 2 Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour; 3 Look even out the best and meetest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house. 4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand? 5 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes. 6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up. 7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel. 8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning. 9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these? 10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath done that which he spake †by his servant Elijah. 11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

    12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way, 13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. 14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them. 15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah.

    In many stories, someone’s family is killed but a few escape; while the job is completed, those people come back to continue the cycle of revenge.  This is not one of those stories.  Jehu is thorough. There are 70 sons of the house of Ahab still alive, as well as all his court and allies.  Jehu threw down the gauntlet, and commanded his enemies to come at him via letter. This is basically a taunt: “Go on. Try it. You’ve got armies, put your best contender on the throne and let’s go.” The most dangerous thing to a coup is a counter-coup, and Jehu is getting all his enemies out in front of him.  The elders of Israel, however, were afraid of the guy who had just killed two kings, and so they tell him that they will serve him and do whatever he says; they will not fight.  Jehu puts them to the test: “Ok, then kill the sons of Ahab, those men and boys you raised, and send their heads to me.  Prove your loyalty.” And they did, sending the heads to Jezreel. Jehu lays them at the gate, then addresses the people showcasing his charisma.

    In his speech, Jehu exults the people. “You are righteous, you are safe from God’s wrath. I killed my master. And who killed these? Samaria and Ahab’s former allies. All are with me.” And Jehu turned around and killed everyone who remained of Ahab in Jezreel: his allies, acquaintances, priests, even those who had given the sons to him, as they had proven they could not be trusted.  Jehu then went to Samaria, and on the road he met with kinsmen of Ahaziah of Judah who were coming to pay their respects to Jezebel and the 70 sons of Ahab he had just killed. And he killed them too, leaving the royal house of Judah with very few offspring left.  When he arrives in Samaria, he kills all those who remain of Ahab.  None of these losses would have happened to the House of Judah had they obeyed God and stayed away. But they chose their own wisdom over the wisdom of God, tied themselves to unbelievers.

    V. The Massacre of the Prophets of Baal (2 Kings 10:18-31)

    18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. 19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. 21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another. 22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. 23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Baal only. 24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. 25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. 26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. 27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan. 30 And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. 31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin

    There was one group left who was very close to Ahab who could still be a thorn in the side of Jehu and that was the prophets of Baal.  Jehu lied to gather the prophets of Baal, all of them throughout the nation, all who were Ahab’s and Jezebel’s.  He told them he would kill them if they did not show up.  He dressed them in special garments that were easily identifiable and told them to filter out any who were not Baal worshippers. And then he sent 80 men to kill them all, and he destroyed the icons and carvings in the temple. He turned their temple into a latrine.

    So, this is a huge victory for the good guys!  Ahab’s line of kings is gone! Jezebel is gone!  The prophets of Baal that have afflicted Israel for hundreds of years are gone!  Their idols were burned, their temple is a public latrine.  We have a strong king, a warrior, one who speaks about God with respect!  He executes His law! Things are good, right? Right?  Wrong. Yes, Jehu did all that. He was a sword against evil and purged it from Israel. This was good, make no mistake.  But Jehu was not a man of God.  He did not walk in the ways of God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.  He returned to the worship of the golden calves, back to the ways of Jeroboam who made Israel sin. Because he had destroyed the house of Ahab and did everything to them that was in the heart of God, his sons were promised to sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. But only to the fourth generation.

    And it was during this time that God took away parts of Israel, gave them to Hazael of Syria. Everything east of the Jordan. Lands of entire tribes, torn away.  Israel did not receive prosperity from Jehu; he did not “fix” Israel.  For his 28-year reign, he replaced a great evil with a slightly less-bad evil; he sought neutrality for Israel in the same way Solomon and Jeroboam did.  And there’s no neutrality with God.  If you want real, lasting hope for the nation, you cannot find it in the strong arms of a godless king. We are not facing that at this day and age, and no Jehu has stepped forth to clear out the idols of our time. But I think it is entirely possible someone might, someone with charisma and power who offers hope to change things for the better. And that Sword may kill the evil we wish it to. But the power to give life to a nation, that’s only found with God, and in His Word.

    Note: This lesson was taught by Kyle Simmons

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 14)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 14)

    Elisha’s Ministry–Conflict with Syria

    I. The Syrians Blinded (2 Kings 6:8-23)

    8Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

    In this third lesson on the ministry of Elisha, we will look at events that take place in the latter part of Jehoram’s 12-year reign as King of Israel (852-841 BC).  In 2 Kings 8:1-2 Elisha tells the Shunamite woman whose help had been such a blessing to him and who son he raised from the dead that there would be a seven-year famine coming and he advised her to depart from the land for her own safety, which she does.  Gehazi, who had been stricken with leprosy on account of his greed in connection with the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian, reappears after departing Elisha’s company and at the end of the famine.  Given the frictions the Israelites had with the Syrians during most of Jehoram’s reign, it would make most sense if he came after peace had been restored between Israel and the Syrians.  All of these events took place during the reign of Jehoram.  With all that in mind, the famine was probably done by 845 BC, which meant that it would have started in around 852 BC.[1]

    The events described in 2 Kings 6:8-23 probably took place sometime during this famine period.  Israel’s weakness would have made it ripe for plunder by its neighbors to the north in Syria, hence frequent border raids into Israelite territory.  Elisha’s prophetic ministry was not only to the remnant of the people of God, but to the king and nation of Israel as well.  The king of Syria was looking for places to set up encampments inside of Israel, but at every place that they sortied into, they were met by the Israelites.  This gave the king of Syria the impression that he had a spy in his court, what we would day consider a counterintelligence problem.  In reality, God is giving that information to Elisha who is then transmitting it to the king, who acts on it.  When he learns that Elisha is the one providing this information, he decides that if he can separate Elisah from his connection to the Israelite court, then he would be successful.  So, he thus sends an armed incursion to Dothan, which is within ten miles of the Israelite capital of Samaria—well inside the nation, illustrating how ineffective Israel’s army was.

    The armed band arrives outside Elisha’s residence at night, and on the next morning, Elisha’s servant (possibly Gehazi, but not named) sees he and Elisha surrounded and despairs.  Elisha, however, does not despair—he prays to the LORD that the servant’s eyes be spiritually open to see that the LORD has a multitude of angelic warriors across the mountain who will protect them.  Then, in an ironic twist, Elisha prays that the eyes of the Aramean band be blinded so that they did not recognize him, nor know where they were.  In this dullard state—they probably were not totally blind—Elisha then leads them into Samaria.  When their “sight” is restored, they suddenly realize that they are in the heart of Israel’s capital surrounded by Israel’s military.  Joram, the King of Israel, is ready and eager to destroy them, but Elisha holds him off.  To slaughter captured prisoners would have been contrary to the biblical laws of war given in Deuteronomy (Deut. 20:11), namely that captured prisoners could be used as slaves, but were not to be slaughtered outright.

    Some things are worth pointing out in this narrative.  It is God who saves the nation, especially since Israel’s army was not doing an effective job of that.  To the readers of 2 Kings, languishing in exile, that would have been an important lesson to hear so as to not put their faith in kings and militaries to save a people.  Second, God also protects and preserves His own people.  That is something also that should be an encouragement to God’s people.   Lastly, there is an interesting contrast between Jehoram and Elisha in this episode.  Jehoram exhibits a typical tribal mentality—if our enemies are weak, then we should be merciless in destroying them, in exacting retribution from them.  Such a tribal mentality manifests itself even in our day, in that we want our enemies not simply defeated, but destroyed.  Yet, here we see Elisha, acting on behalf of the LORD, advocating for exercising mercy toward Israel’s enemies.  Yes, they needed to be defeated, but having been defeated, they are shown mercy.  In the New Testament, Christ would tell His disciples that in the Sermon on the Mount to foreswear retaliation (Matt. 5:39-42) and to love one’s enemies (Matt. 5:43-44).  Such mercy is balanced with God’s justice—in 2 Kings, it is consistent with God’s own Law—but it also reflects the greater mercy we have received from the LORD, as we too had been rebels toward Him but have been forgiven according to the work of Christ.

    II. The Syrians Flee (2 Kings 6:8-7:20)

    24 And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver. 26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. 27 And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? 28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. 29So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. 30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. 31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

    32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him? 33 And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?

    7 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then †a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

    3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? 4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 6For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. 8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household. 10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. 11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.

    12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. 13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see. 14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. 15 And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king. 16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.

    17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. 18 And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: 19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. 20 And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

    This next account is vivid in both its depiction of depravity and in the pathos of deliverance.  The famine that came upon Israel was not merely a happenstance, as we treat so much of our weather today; it was a judgment of God upon a heretical and apostate nation.  As moderns, we tend to think that if we can provide naturalistic reasons as to why something happened then that necessarily discounts God’s providence over it or in it.  The ancients did not have such hubris and would have seen some kind of divine hand in it.  In the ratification curses of the Deuteronomistic covenant, God promises that, “Thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven it come down upon the, until thou be destroyed” (Deut. 28:23-24).  In this case, exacerbating this natural famine was the siege that the Syrians laid against Israel’s capital of Samaria.  So severe was the combination of the two that people resorted to eating the unclean parts of unclean animals, and to cannibalism of family members.  In one case recounted here, two women agree that they will eat their children and one is upset when the other reneges, calling for the king to judge between them.  This is a perversion of the famous case in 1 Kings 3:16-28 showing Solomon’s wisdom.  There Solomon’s wisdom rendered justice and spared a life; here Jehoram abandons justice and shows his foolishness by vowing vengeance upon God’s prophet, Elisha, with his trusted advisor blaming God and questioning why they should trust the LORD any longer.

    A lesson for us here is to be wary of political leaders who claim they alone can save the people.  They cannot; only God can save.  For political leaders to make claims of being a savior or having their program be salvific is both fraudulent and blasphemous.  This is something that we should be mindful of in the corrupt politics of our own day, as we are not lacking in false messiahs.

    When confronted by the king’s advisor, Elisha prophesies that within the next day, people will be able to get real food for prices that are not ultra-high.  The king’s advisor scoffs at this, and Elisha responds with a second prophecy—the advisor will see this change, but not eat thereof.

    The description of the deliverance is almost comedic in a Shakespearian kind of way.  Four lepers discuss among themselves at the city gate their options.  If they go into the city, they will die of starvation like the rest of the city.  If they stay at the gate, they will die as well.  So, they decide to go into the Syrian camp in search of food, thinking they will either find food or be killed by the Syrians; what do they have to lose, since most of the options would result in them dying.  So, into the Syrian camp they go, only to find it totally deserted.  There was no orderly retreat; everything was left behind as the army left in apparent terror, believing that a convergence of mighty foreign armies was upon them.  The lepers find food and clothes, silver and gold.  They revel in their find, only to be conscience stricken shortly thereafter, sending word to the king regarding the withdrawal of the Syrian army.  The unbelieving king believes this is a Syrian ruse to get him to leave his city only to subsequently ambush his army.  Servants, however, impress upon the king to check out the account and they find it to be true.  Israelites come pouring out of the city and plunder the Syrian camp, resulting in the fulfillment of Elisha’s prophecy.  As for the scoffing advisor to the king, he saw the deliverance but was trampled to death by the streaming masses, in fulfillment of Elisha’s second prophecy as well.  The defeat of the Syrians was entirely the victory of the LORD, and His word fulfilled.

    III. The Shunamite Woman Returns (2 Kings 8:1-6)

    8 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. 2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. 4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. 5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

    This account brings us back to the faithful remnant of God.  It does say something about Jehoram at the end of his life that he is even interested in hearing about the great things that Elisha did during Jehoram’s reign.  We cannot extrapolate from this whether or not Joram ever repented or what his motive was in wanting to hear about the great things that Elisha did; the text simply does not give us any details.  The text does, however, show that despite his punishment with leprosy, Gehazi did maintain a faithful testimony to the work of God, a testimony that was corroborated by the Shunamite woman.  That would have been a reminder to Jeremiah’s readers to maintain a faithful testimony even as they were experiencing the punishment of exile to a foreign land.  It is still a remainder to God’s people in all ages to do likewise.  The restoration of the Shunamite woman would have held out to God’s people in exile the promise of a restoration to their homeland.  If Jeremiah did author 1 and 2 Kings, as we have supposed throughout this series, then the same author prophesied that the Exile would only last 70 years; there would be taken into Exile who would return from it and witness the beginnings of the reconstitution of God’s people.  For us, this picture has eschatological significance.  We see elsewhere in Scripture pictures of restoration for God’s people if they repent of their sins and return to faithfulness (e.g., Job 42:7-17), and while this is certainly possible within God’s providence, we should not view it as an automatic guarantee in this life.  It is a promise that will be fulfilled in the New Heavens and the New Earth when we are with the LORD Christ Jesus in eternity.

    IV. Elisha’s Prophecy of Hazael (2 Kings 8:7-15)

    7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. 8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 10 And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die. 11 And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. 13 And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. 14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. 15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

    What is interesting about this account is that while Elisha’s impact on the Israelite royal house has been limited, his impact on the royal house of Syria has been more marked.  Ben-hadad, who had fought with Israel on multiple occasions, now sought to know from Elisha whether or not he would recover from his illness.  Ben-hadad sent an emissary, Hazael, to Elisha bearing many gifts.  Elisha provides a cryptic prophecy: Ben-hadad will recover but not live.  The meaning to this becomes clearer in the verses that follow:  Hazael is a ruthless and wicked man who will ascend to power after Ben-hadad dies and will be the bane of Israel’s existence.  Elisha weeps, perhaps in part because with Jehoram reflecting on the miracles which the LORD has wrought and Ben-hadad consulting Elisha that was a flicker of hope that maybe things were turning for the better.  In looking upon Hazael, however, Elisha knew that was not meant to be and that Israel’s downward trajectory would continue unabated towards God’s judgment.  Although Elisha would not die for at least another 40 years, this passage is the last major passage talking about Elisha’s ministry.  It is with this that we will transition to the next major era in the history of Israel and Judah.

    [1] See Eugene H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests; A History of Old Testament Israel, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 366-368.

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 13)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 13)

    Elisha’s Miracles

    Note: This lesson was taught by Kyle Simmons

    I. The Miracle of the Oil (2 Kings 4:1-7)

    4 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

     A few things to note in this passage.  First is the existence of a community known as “the sons of the prophets.” Little is definitively known about this community, but given the Scripture references, they begin to emerge during the ministries of Elijah and particularly Elisha.  There are nine references to such a community between 1 Kings 20 and 2 Kings 9 (1 Kings 20:35; 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 7, 15; 4:1, 38, 5:22, 6:1, and 9:1), and the community seemed to exist exclusively in the northern kingdom of Israel.  Commentators have described the variously as a guild, a class, or a school, but it may be best to think of them as an organized remnant of the godly in Israel.  As most of these references are associated with Elisha, it is likely that he was the leader of this community.  The purpose of this community was to maintain faithfulness to the LORD and speak His truth to the nation in light of the apostasy and idolatry of the day.

    In this passage it is not surprising that the widow of one of these “sons of the prophets” was so impoverished that her sons were going to be taken into slavery.  If this is a community of the godly remnant, then people almost certainly had to make sacrifices for their faithfulness and, by not going along with the official religion, would be financially strapped.  What this episode shows is that God provides for His faithful servants.  Here it was not a handout, but the means by which she could raise the money to pay her debts.  Although this is a miracle, it was done in private. This preserved her dignity, while providing for her needs.  The care of widows and orphans is an important mark of the covenantal community, and in the New Testament, this can be seen in Paul’s description of the care for widows in 1 Tim. 5:2-16.

    II. The Shunammite Woman and Her Son (2 Kings 4:8-37)

    8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. 10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. 11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. 15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

    18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. 20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. 24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee. 25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: 26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. 27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. 28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? 29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. 30 And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. 31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. 32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. 33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord. 34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. 37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.

    Here is an account of another woman associated with the ministry of Elisha, this time a wealthy woman further to the north in Shunem.  Shunem is in the territory of Issachar, on the southern slope of Mount Moreh, near Jezreel.  The Shunammite woman recognized that Elisha was a genuine man of God, and she made her house into a lodging point for when Elisha was in the region.  She is not looking for anything in return, but Elisha does want to bless her in some way.  Elisha’s servant Gehazi recognizes that she has no children, and her husband is old, which means that when he dies, she could be left destitute, with no one to care for her.  So, God, through Elisha, promises her a son, which is born the following year.  Years later, that boy suffers some kind of ailment with his head and dies.  The woman puts him in the room where Elisha would usually stay, and then goes on a 17-mile journey to seek Elisha out personally, both to pour out her grief to him but also with an expectation that he can do something about it, which he does.  Like Elijah in Zarephath on the Sidonian coast (1 Kings 17:8-24), Elisha raises the boy from the dead.  In the case with Elijah, the miracle proved to the Zidonian woman that Elijah was truly a man of God and that the word of the LORD was in his mouth.  With the Shunammite woman, it proved her faith that the same was true for Elisha as well.

    It is worth noting that these miracles, and particularly the one regarding the Shunammite woman, point forward to the earthly ministry of Christ Jesus.  Luke 7:11-17 records Christ performing a similar miracle in Nain.  Nain is on the north side of Mount Moreh, near Shunem.  No doubt word of Elisha resurrecting the Shunammite woman’s son probably became entrenched as part of the local tradition of that area.  Jesus’s miracle was the first of three resurrections that He performed in His ministry, which included the healing of Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8:40-56) and of Lazarus (John 11:38-44).  Given the tradition associated with Elisha, when Jesus healed the son of the widow of Nain, it almost certainly would have been seen in the same light, namely as a confirmation that Jesus was indeed a man of God and that word of God was truly in Him.

    III. “Death in the Pot” (2 Kings 4:38-41)

    38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

    In this passage, we return again to the sons of the prophets community, this time in Gilgal, which is near Bethel, and was probably the center of the prophetic community.  Here, the failure of the one gathering the herbs to accurately identify the poisonous gourds could have led to the poisoning of the main community.  Had that poisoning been fatal, it would have struck a severe blow to the faithful witness in Israel.  Elisha’s response in curing the stew shows the graciousness of God in protecting and sustaining His people.

    IV. Feeding a Multitude (2 Kings 4:42-44)

    42 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

    Baal-shalisha is a village near Gilgal, in the hill country of Ephraim, so again, near to the center of the sons of the prophets community.  He is bringing food to the community but (in his mind) it is not sufficient to feed the entire community of one hundred or so men.  He is told nevertheless to set it before the community, which he does and the men ate and had bread left over.  This clearly anticipates Christ’s miracles of the feeding of the 5,000 at Bethsaida (Matt. 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14) and the feeding of the 4,000 at Decapolis (Matt. 15:32-39, Mark 8:1-9).  Again, this is a miracle of God providing for and sustaining His people as try to be faithful to Him.

    V. Naaman’s Leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-27)

    5 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. 9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

    15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16 But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord. 18 In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. 19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

    20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. 21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? 22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. 23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. 24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. 25But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. 26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

    There are a lot of things going on in this account.  There had been continuing frictions between the House of Ahab in Israel and Ben-Hadad, the king of Damascus in Syria.  It is in the course of these border frictions that a young girl was captured and made a servant in the house of Aram’s military commander, Naaman the Syrian.  When Naaman contracts leprosy, it is the servant girl who suggests he can be healed by Elisha, the prophet in Israel.  Rather than seeking him out privately, Naaman accompanies a diplomatic entourage to Samaria to first engage Jehoram, king of Israel, on the assumption that a prophet operating within Israel would actually be in the court of the king.  Jehoram’s spiritual blindness is such, however, that he completely misreads Syrian intentions and assumes that it is a provocation to initiate a war.  Elisha, upon hearing of the king’s reaction, sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate that there is a genuine prophet in Israel.  When Naaman comes to Elisha’s house, he is simply told to go and wash himself in the Jordan seven times.  At first indignant, he is confronted by his servants for his unbelief and backs down.  The washing in the Jordan actually heals Naaman by God’s grace, resulting in him being healed of his leprosy and in praising God.  Naaman’s confession of the true God and his newfound faith, contrasts starkly with the lack of faith of Jehoram and with greedy exploitation of Naaman by Elisha’s servant, Gehazi.

    This experience would have been a prophetic warning to Israel that without repentance, it too would become unclean and would be banished from God’s presence, but that if it repented, then it too would be blessed.  Indeed, God’s blessing is not limited to Israel alone, but would be expanded to include the Gentiles.  This incident would also prefigure the truth we see in the New Testament, that grace entirely is by faith alone.  It cannot be bought or sold.  This is especially true of the salvation extended to us by God through Christ Jesus.

    VI. The Floating Axe Head (2 Kings 6:1-7)

    6 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. 2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. 3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. 4So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. 5But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. 6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. 7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

    Elisha Recovers the Floating Axe Head

    Again we see God’s providence in providing for the community of the sons of the prophets.  In this particular age, iron tools probably were very expensive, and to accidently lose one could be financially costly, perhaps even to the point of risking indentured servitude to repay the debt.  Recovering the iron axe head, therefore, would have been cause for great rejoicing.

    VII. The Significance of These Miracles

    All these accounts beg the question as to why they are in 1 and 2 Kings, or, a better question is, “How do these narratives advance the overall theme of these two books?”  Remember, Jeremiah wrote these books to those in exile to explain why God’s chosen lost their land and were driven into exile.  These chapters notably deviate from the focus on kings.  The chapters on the kings focus on the retrograde actions they took or failed to take which contributed to the downward, unbelieving spiral.  These chapters, however, focus on the believing remnant, highlighting God’s miraculous providence for His faithful people.  To a people in exile, this provides a positive example for them to follow during their exile, namely to hold fast in faith to their God, who has delivered and will continue to deliver his people, and to follow true prophets speaking the true words of God.  This example is one that still applies to us even today.

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 12)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 12)

    The Moabite Rebellion

    I. Jehoram/Joram, King of Israel (2 Kings 3:1-3)

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

    As we begin this chapter, we need to revisit some of the chronology of Kings that we have covered to date.  The wicked king of Israel, Ahab (874-853 bc) and the good king of Judah, Jehoshaphat (873-848 bc), were roughly contemporaneous in their reigns, although Jehoshaphat lived about five years longer.  Ahab was briefly succeeded by his son Ahaziah, who reigned less than two years and continued the Baal worship that Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, had introduced into Israel.  Ahaziah died of injuries sustained in falling through a lattice in the upper chamber of his palace.  When Ahaziah wanted to know if he would recover, he inquired of Baal-zebub of Ekron, rather than of the LORD.  For Ahaziah’s unbelief, judged that he would die, according to the word spoken by the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:2-18).  Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram (also known as Joram) acceded to the throne.

    Jehoram (henceforth, Joram) is moderate relative to his father, mother and brother, but still a wicked king.  The reference in 1 Kings 3:2 to the “image of Baal” probably is an idol in the temple dedicated to Baal which Ahab built in Israel’s capital of Samaria for Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31-33).  He does not purge the country of Baal worship, but makes it lower key, while at the same time doubling down on the idolatrous worship of God that Jeroboam introduced (remember, idolatry can be either the worship of false gods or the wrong worship of the true God).

    II. Mesha’s Rebellion and Israel’s Response (2 Kings 3:4-8)

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

    During his reign, probably sometime around 993-992 bc, David defeated Moab and made it a tributary state.  When Israel and Judah divided into separate countries, Israel assumed overlordship of Moab, with Judah receiving the same over Edom.  Moab remained in that status until the death of Ahab in 853 bc, when it refused to pay the customary tribute (2 Kings 1:1), a refusal that would have been commonly interpreted at the time as an act of rebellion.  Moab’s tribute was probably in the form of livestock (lambs and rams) and wool given the reference to Mesha as a sheepmaster[1].  In the ancient world, trade was primarily handled as an interaction between kings, so Moab’s provision of livestock and wool was not simply something to enrich the royal house of Israel but would have had broader effect’s on Israel’s economy.  So, Israel needed to address Moab’s rebellion both to reassert Israel’s political predominance over its wayward vassal and for the sustenance of its own economy.  Ahaziah did nothing about this problem in his short reign, so by the time Joram took the throne, the rebellion would have been in its second year.

    The Plains of Moab

    6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel. 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. 8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

    Israel has a border with Moab, and so could have invaded Moab directly, but Moab had frontier posts along that border and was prepared to resist.  For this reason, an attack from Moab’s rear would be a surprise and would give the advantage to Israel.  To make this work, however, Israel needed to enlist the help of Judah and Edom, whose territories Israel would have to pass through.  Strategically, this was a sound approach.  Jehoshaphat is late in life, perhaps within a couple of years of passing away.  Nevertheless, he responds to Joram’s overture positively, despite the debacle that had occurred a couple years earlier at Ramoth-gilead which resulted in the defeat of the combined armies, Ahab’s death and Jehoshaphat’s brush with death.  In fact, Jehoshaphat’s wording is the same now as when he agreed to the earlier venture (“I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses”).  Unlike the earlier time, however, Jehoshaphat does not immediately suggest that they should consult the LORD.  Jehoshaphat’s willing to ally himself again with Israel is bad judgment, but it is also probably deliberate court policy.  Why would he do this?

    We asked this same question when we covered 1 Kings 21.  While the circumstances of this situation are different than the other case, the one point of commonality is that the basis for cooperation is ethnic kinship.  Jehoshaphat almost certainly is enamored with the influence that the previously united kingdom had had and is looking to recreate that by a conciliatory policy toward Israel and by intermarrying with the Omride dynasty in Israel.  What this overlooks, however, is that the division of the country was God’s doing and would not be overcome except on God’s terms.  If they are not agreed on the basics—in this case, on who God is—then such an alliance will not be lasting.  As the prophet Amos would say, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). The Apostle Paul said more directly later on: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14)

    Jehoshaphat’s attitude has parallels to our day.  In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was strong momentum among progressives to unite different Protestant denominations into one mega-denomination.  In Canada this actually happened and resulted in the formation of the Protestant Church of Canada.  The effort did not go that far in the United States, but it did result in the consolidation of several denominations over the course of the century.  That effort provided the backdrop to J. Gresham Madchen’s 1923 book, Christianity and Liberalism, whose 100th anniversary we just celebrated.  Madchen’s thesis is that orthodox Christianity and liberal Christianity are not two variants of Christianity but, in truth and in practice, are two separate religions.  His conclusion appears so trenchant today because we face the same kind of thing.  Evangelicalism over the last fifty years adopted a movement mentality, which, although it did not seek institutional unification among denominations downplayed differences so as to seek influence under a “big tent.”  As one example, in 1994 several prominent evangelical leaders including Chuck Colson and J. I. Packer signed a statement with several Roman Catholic leaders entitled, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” which highlighted unity in their activism on social issues; a separate follow-up document was signed in 1999.  Both of these documents were roundly condemned by many Reformed leaders because of how they glossed over profound theological differences.  The problem with all this—as with Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Joram—is that ethnic kinship is not sufficient a basis for ecclesiastical unity and ecclesiastical unity can only be done on the basis of doctrinal truth.  The temptation is to downplay biblical truth for the sake of ephemeral “influence” in society.

    III. Consultation with Elisha (2 Kings 3:9-12)

     9So 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. 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! 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. 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.

    Many commentators have noted that the distance from the borders of Judah to Moab is not as far as the description of a seven-day journey might suggest.  The seven-day length of the journey may reflect difficulties in logistically moving the combined armies, not the least of which was providing adequate water for the troops and horses.  The region south of the Dead Sea is particularly arid, and that was weakening the force.  Notably, it is only at this point that the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, suggests consulting a prophet of the LORD.  Conveniently, Elisha is nearby.  The text does not say so directly, but Elisha was probably shadowing the armies, possibly at the guidance of Elijah (if this incident took place before Elijah’s ascension, which chronologically speaking it may have). 

    Why would Elisha have been shadowing the armies?  Scripture does not say, but it may well be part of his ministry.  If so, it shows a good example that to minister to God’s people, one need to be walking with God’s people.

    IV. Elisha’s Prophecy and God’s Deliverance (2 Kings 3:13-20)

    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. 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. 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. 16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. 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. 18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. 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. 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.

    Note that Elisha’s sarcasm to Joram—if you are going to worship other gods, then consult them for your salvation.  Ironically, although the three kings did not consult the LORD at the outset of the campaign, Joram was quick to blame the LORD when the armies ran into hardship because of the lack of water.  Commentators make much—perhaps too much—of Elisha’s request to have a minstrel play for him so that he could receive the word of the LORD.  Since this approach is not mentioned elsewhere in terms of prophetic activity, it may well have been for the simple reason of creating a calming environment amidst the din of army camp activity.  And Elisha does receive the word of the LORD.  The LORD tells the armies to dig trenches in anticipation of a flood of water, which He subsequently brought to quench the thirst of the men.  This miracle confirmed Elisha’s prophetic ministry, underscoring the transition of authority from Elijah to him.  It also would have served as confirmation of the LORD giving the Moabites over to the coalition.

    V. Snatching Defeat from Victory (2 Kings 3:21-27)

    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. 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: 23And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. 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. 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. 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. 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.

    The light of the rising sun on the waters which the LORD had brought gave the appearance of blood, which led the Moabites to think that the coalition armies had turned against each other with great bloodshed.  To examine this, they came out of their entrenched positions, which allow the armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom to come upon them with force and rout them.  With Moab’s army in flight, the coalition armies were able to pursue them into Moab proper, all in accordance with the word of the LORD that came through Elisha.  Mesha responded by sending a force toward the king of Edom.  If successful, this gambit could have broken Edom off from the coalition, making it unsustainable for Israel and Judah to continue the campaign against Moab.  The feint was not successful, and the coalition stood on the brink of total victory.  And yet victory slipped away.  The king of Moab’s final act of desperation was to offer the crown prince as a human sacrifice to the god Chemosh in public sight of the besieging armies.  The armies then gave up the fight and retreated, leaving Moab independent (1 Kings 3:27).

    Verse 27 is vague and difficult to interpret and commentators are divided as to how to understand it.  The word that the NKJV and the ESV translate as “wrath” the KJV translates as “indignation.”  Both are grammatically possible, but probably the KJV is a better translation here.  There is also the question as to who is indignant or wrathful towards whom.  Because human sacrifice is so abhorrent according to biblical law, some commentators think that God is indignant or wrathful toward Israel for provoking the king of Moab into such a heinous act.  This is unlikely, however, given Elisha prophesied that God would give the Moabites over to the coalition in victory; God would in effect be contracting His own decree.  Moreover, the sin associated with Mesha’s sacrifice would have been on him, not on Israel.  Others think Judah and Edom were so appalled at Mesha’s sacrifice of his son that they turned against Israel and quit the war.  This is possible, but human sacrifice would not have been unknown among actors in the region at this time, and again, Mesha’s sin would have been on him, not Israel.  A few commentators have posited that the wrath is from Chemosh against Israel, but this too is unlikely, since it would acknowledge that a false god has real power.

    I would posit an alternative to these hypotheses.  Mesha’s willingness to sacrifice his son would have been intended to appease Chemosh, an appeasement which in his mind would have been necessary to secure his national deliverance.  It also would have been a rallying point for what was left of his army and his nation, and it just might have had that effect on his people.  Now the coalition would have been facing a fully galvanized population.  What had started as a punitive expedition to bring Moab back into covenantal compliance was now turning into a full out resistance.  This is more than what any of the partners bargained for.  Insofar as Israel or Judah had any commitment to biblical law, then Mesha’s act raised the war to the level of a holy war, which would have meant the utter destruction of Moab.  At a minimum, the partners should have reconsulted God for what to do next.  Given Elisha’s prophecy and God’s promise, it is likely that the coalition could have won, but the glory of the victory would have gone to the LORD, and the booty would have to had been dedicated to Him.  On a pragmatic basis, quitting the war would have avoided a potentially difficult fight, especially given the lack of faith in the LORD.  An independent Moab could still be a source of resources through trade.  And, lastly, given the idolatry that existed in Israel and Moab, and which was creeping into Judah, there may well have been an assessment by the parties that Chemosh had real power that they did not want to tangle with.  It would not have been true, but it may have been a genuine assumption on the part of the coalition partners.  This latter point also fits with how this contributed to the decline and fall of Israel and Judah: unbelief that their covenant God, the LORD, would save them let them to give up prematurely.  Moab’s being able to break free of Israel’s suzerainty would only encourage Edom subsequently to do the same.  These nations would eventually contribute to the demise of Israel and Judah.

    [1] This is the term used in the KJV; the NKJV and the ESV use “sheepbreeder.”  The KJV is probably to be preferred here, since Mesha’s stature as king would have meant that he was operating on a scale larger than just a hobbyist or small farmer.  In this regard, he should probably be seen not only as king, but as a successful businessman.