27 MIRACLES ON THE BATTLEFIELD

The kings of Israel, Judah and Edom agree to go to Elisha to meet him where he evidently lived. Jehoshaphat, the principle decision-maker, had such esteem for a prophet who had the word of the Lord that he would gladly condescend to visit him personally, not even requiring that Elisha would come to him. The other two kings, moved by the impossible situation they were in with no water, go along with this idea. Elisha had humbled himself to serve Elijah and now he is elevated by three distinguished guests who came to knock at his door, and ask for his assistance.

How did Elisha receive these three kings? He was very plain with the wicked king of Israel. Verse 13 says, “Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.’ ‘No,’ the king of Israel answered, ‘because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.’” (I don’t know why it did not say deliver Moab into our hands!) The house of Ahab, including Ahaziah and Jehoram were not respectful towards Elijah or Elisha. This  would be the reason for Elisha speaking as he did to Jehoram, the king of Israel, like this: “Why do you want to involve me? How can you expect an answer of peace from me? Go to the prophets of your father and mother—the prophet of Baal and Asheroth, the ones you fed and cared for when you were prosperous, let them help you now in your distress.”

Elisha was not swayed as Jehoshaphat was, by Jehoram’s partial and shallow reformation; he knew that, though he had put away the image of Baal, Baal’s prophets were still important to him, and perhaps some of them were still in his camp. “Go,” said he. In the times of the Judges God had said to the idolatrous Israelites, “Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” as is recorded in Judges10:14. Now Elisha was saying the same time these many years later. The world and the flesh have ruled you, let them help you; why should God help you?” Elisha tells Jehoram this right to his face. Jehoram is to be respected as a prince, but as a wicked man he is a vile person, and is to be condemned. Elisha, as a subject, will honor him, but as a prophet he is a mouthpiece for God and is not free to say pleasant things when truth about sin should be spoken. I am not talking about just anybody or any situation. This is for the special case of a prophet of God.

For those who have such an extraordinary commission as Elisha had, it is proper to say to the king what Elihu said about kings in Job 34:16-19, “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. 17 Can someone who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? 18 Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ 19 who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?” So Elihu in Job’s day could be critical and rather forthright in condemnation speaking down toward kings as the prophet of God would speak as God would speak to them. But normally we would respect unless we have a special commission as Elisha had.

Jehoram has so much self-command as to take this plain dealing patiently; he does not now care to hear what the prophets of Baal might say, but is a humble seeker of the God of Israel and His prophet. Jehoram represented the present case as very deplorable and humbly committed it to the prophet’s compassionate consideration. Meanwhile, Elisha showed a great respect to the godly king of Judah, regarded his presence, and, for his sake, would inquire of the Lord for them all. It is good to be with those who have God’s favor and His prophet’s love. Wicked people often get along better because of their association and friendship with the godly. By the same token righteous people also do more poorly when in the company of the godless.

Elisha composed himself to receive instructions from God. His mind may have been somewhat ruffled and disturbed at the sight of here-to-fore wicked Jehoram. Though he was not put into a sinful heat or anger, nor had spoken foolishly, yet his frame of mind was not favorable for prayer and the operations of the Spirit. This required a mind and spirit calm, focused and ready to listen to the voice of the Lord. Elisha therefore called for a devout musician, one accustomed to play his harp and sign psalms to it. To hear God’s praises sung, as David had appointed, would cheer Elisha’s spirits, and settle his mind, and help put him in a right frame of mind both to speak to God and to hear from Him. Elisha already knew about the spiritual value of music as a catalyst for hearing the voice of the Lord, but when Samuel first began to tutor Saul, Saul did not know it. So Samuel taught Saul as recorded in 1 Samuel 10:5,6 which say, “After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.” Anyone who values communion with God must keep their spirits quiet and serene.

Elisha being refreshed, and having the tumult of his spirit calmed by this divine music, the hand of the Lord came upon him, and that visit did him more honor than that of the three kings. God, by Elisha, gave the three kings assurance that the present distress would be resolved. They would quickly and miraculously be supplied with water, and God would also take care of the Moabite problem. Verse 18 says, “This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands.” I love this verse and the many others in the Bible that are just like it. God does more than we ask. He answers prayer better than we can pray. He does immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.

First, to try their faith and obedience, he tells them make the valley full of ditches to receive the water. Those who expect God’s blessings must prepare room for them, dig the pools for the rain to fill. To increase the wonder of this miracle, Elisha tells them they will have water enough, and yet there will be neither wind nor rain. Elijah, by prayer, obtained water out of the clouds, but Elisha gets it from nobody knows where. Ha! The spring of these waters are as secret as the head of the Nile. God, the Primary Cause, is not limited in which second cause He uses in each instance.

Ordinarily it is by a plentiful rain that God sends water, as Psalm 68:9 says, “You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance,” but here it is done without rain, at least without rain in that place. Some of the fountains of the great deep, it is possible, were broken up and, to even further increase the miracle, it appears that only that valley was filled with water, and no other place had any of it. This would help explain why the Moabites did not realize that what they thought was blood was actually rainwater collected in ditches dug by the Israel, Judah and Edom armies.

Elisha also tells them that that supply of water will serve as a deposit towards the eventual complete overthrow of Moab. You will not only be saved from perishing, but will return in triumph. As God gives freely to the unworthy, so he gives richly, like Himself, more than we are able to ask or think. His blessings out-do our requests and expectations. Those who sincerely seek for the dew of God’s grace will have it, and by it—are you ready for this? It is another way of showing God’s abundance—be made more than conquerors. It is promised that they will be masters of idolatrous and rebellious Moab and they are permitted to lay it waste and ruin. The law prohibited them from felling fruit-trees to be employed in their sieges but not when it was intended, in justice, for the starving of a country that had forfeited its fruits, by their idolatry and not keeping their promise of taxes to be paid in lambs and wool.

So, in the end, we see the miraculous gift of both things which God had promised by Elisha—water and victory, and the former (water) not only a pledge of the latter (victory over Moab), but a means of it. God, who created, and commands, all the waters, both above and below, sent them an abundance of water in a timely fashion. This did them a double service. It relieved their armies, which were ready to perish of thirst and it deceived the enemy.

It might be easy to miss a detail that emphasizes God’s involvement in the miracle even more clearly. It is found in verse 20 which says, “The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.” This relief came just at the time of the offering of the morning sacrifice on the altar at Jerusalem, a certain time, and known to the soldiers of Israel and Judah, though perhaps not understood by those of Edom. That time Elisha chose for his hour of prayer. It is possible that he actually looked from where he was in Edom to the west where Jerusalem was as he prayed that morning. Jewish travelers and soldiers often looked towards the temple, for  they were to do in this during their prayers when they were going out to battle and encamped at a distance. Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the temple records this. It is found in 1 Kings 8:44, “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.” This may be a hint that Elisha, in his mind, was in a kind of spiritual communion with what was happening in Jerusalem at the temple where priests were conducting the temple service, killing morning and evening sacrifices etc. Even though Elisha was not in Jerusalem and even in a foreign land, yet he did keep the spirit of the temple service and worship and at the time when he knew sacrifices were being done in Jerusalem. At that time he prayed toward the temple in Jerusalem and God answered in the neighborhood of Edom and Moab.

Today we know that our Great High Priest is always interceding for us so we cannot suggest that one hour is better for prayer than another. However, we see this happening in Moab at the time of the morning sacrifice in Jerusalem and also Daniel, who habitually and evidently systematically prayed with his window open towards Jerusalem, received an answer to prayer in Babylon at the time of the evening sacrifice. Here is what Daniel 9:20,21 say: “While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.” God sent the water to Edom and God sent the angel Gabriel to Babylon. The timing was His. God is not limited to any time, place or pattern, but sometimes He drops hints like this that it is He Who is operating. At the time of regular sacrifice at the temple, at that time the answer to Elisha’s and Daniel’s prayers arrived. That time God chose for the hour of mercy to put an honor on the daily morning sacrifice, which had been despised in Ahab’s, Jezebel’s, Ahaziah’s and Jehoram’s days. God answered Daniel’s prayer just at the time of the evening sacrifice for God will acknowledge his own institutions.

The water gathered in the ditches deceived their enemies. Those who were ready to triumph, now are about to meet their demise. The Moabites knew that the Israeli, army along with the armies of Judah and Edom were coming. They promised themselves that their victory would not be difficult. They anticipated killing the traveling armies easily with a warm reception after their long journey through the Edomite wilderness, but what a surprise God has for them!

God arranged it so that they were drawn into their own delusions with wrong conclusions. In their self-deceit they saw the water in the valley where the army of Israel encamped, and concluded it was blood because they “knew” the valley to be dry, and could not imagine it actually was water. The sun shone on it making the water look red, and their own imaginations made them willing to believe the three armies had fought with each other and the red the Moabites were seeing was the blood of their attackers. God permitted them to believe this. The Moabites concluded that if their camp was full of blood like this the armies must have been fighting each other. Here is what verse 23 says, “‘That’s blood!’ they said. ‘Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!’” Who else could have killed them? If the armies have slain one another, we have nothing to do but to seize and divide the prey. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.” These were the suggestions of some overly optimistic spirits among them, that thought themselves too wise and happy. Any among them who hesitated could have been carried away by those unrealistic desires and therefore who against their better judgment in more sane times were also willing to believe it was so. Sometimes, what we wish, we readily believe. None are so completely deceived as those that deceive themselves.

Notice how fatally they ran to their own destruction. They rushed carelessly into the camp of Israel, to plunder it, but understood the truth when it was too late. The Israelites, motivated by the assurances Elisha had given them of victory, fell on them with the utmost fury, routed them, and pursued them into their own country, which they then laid waste, destroyed their cities, threw stones on their fields, stopped up the wells, felled the timber, and left only the royal city standing. Even the walls of that city they broke through with their battering engines. The Moabites thought they could break off the chains of Israel, but they did not reckon with the God of Israel. As Christian leaders today let’s mimic what God’s prophets did in their day and be the intercessors we need to be so that when God wants to influence the geo-political landscape we will be listening, prayerful and ready to pray for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done in national and international situation after situation. God still needs praying prophets.

In the close of the chapter we are told what the king of Moab did when he found himself reduced by the besiegers to the last extremity, when his capital city was likely to fall into their hands. He attempted something bold and brave by gathering together 700 choice men, and with them moved forward out to the army of the king of Edom, who, he hoped had less genuine interest in the outcome of this battle and would not, make as great a resistance if vigorously attacked. He hoped to make his escape that way. But this too was unsuccessful. Even the king of Edom proved too hard for him, and forced him to back down. With this desperate attempt a failure, he did something even more brutish and barbarous. He took his own son, his eldest son, that was to succeed him to be the next king of Moab, than whom nothing could be more dear to himself and his people, and offered him for a burnt-offering on the wall. This horrendous deed is recorded in verse 27 which says, “Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.”

The idolatrous, heathen king of Moab tried to obtain the favor of Chemosh his god, which, being a devil, delighted in blood and murder and the destruction of mankind. What kind of a god is that? The dearer anything was to them, the more acceptable those idolaters thought it must be if offered in sacrifice to their gods. That is why they burned their children in the fire to honor those gods. He thought perhaps by this he could terrify the besiegers, and force them by this horrendous deed to back off. He did it on the wall, in their sight, so that they might see what desperate extremes he was resolved to take rather than surrender, and how dearly he would sell his city and life. He intended to weaken the will of the enemy, and to exasperate and enrage his own subjects against them. What was the effect? There was great indignation against Israel for driving him to this extremity. Israel’s army was so repulsed by this horrible act that it abandoned the siege and returned home. Tender and generous spirits are greatly offended by such actions. In that day, God needed and found an Elisha.

Today the need for humble, courageous and obedient prophets still exists. Will you be one?