2 Kings 3:1-20
A STRANGE ALLIANCE. Three Kings joined together against Moab.
A godly King, a backslid-den king and a heathen king. All three make an alliance to fight the Moabites. For seven days they go on without a thought for God or prayer until suddenly they are brought to a halt for lack of water. When a problem like that came they decided to seek the council of the Prophet of God. They inquired, 'Is there a prophet of God',
and they go to find Elisha. They were told to dig trenches.
The water here could represent a beautiful type of the Holy Spirit of God. They had no water and despite all their resources could not produce any, so they had to turn to God. There was no shortage as far as God was concerned. The shortage was on earth.
There is no limit to what God can send. It matters not the barrenness or the desert. If they had dug 100 time more they would be filled. There is no limit as to the time or to what God can do.
We have some very dry places here today as well and the moving of the Spirit is needed. The hardness of the people or the churches does not matter. God is able to send water to the hardest place. His arm is not waxed short. We cannot fabricate or work it up. Only God can send it.
The reason why they did not have any water.
A strange alliance. Jehoshaphat was a godly king. He inquired about the prophet, yet he was in the same trouble as the backslidden king of Israel and the heathen king. Jehoshaphat was in trouble because of his foolishness. Had he kept away from them he would have had plenty of water.
It was not the first time he had done that-2 Chron.18:14. What did God think of that alliance. In 2 Chron.19:1-3, we read 'Should you help the ungodly?'. In spite of that he does the same thing again. He went with Jehoram and because of that he came into a dry patch. God had already warned him. Contrast Ezra 4:3. No alliance with the ungodly, even if they took offence. In Ezra 6:14, 21, they built and prospered with the help of God, 'Separated themselves from the filthiness....' You cannot link up with darkness, be it in business, etc. No fellowship with the unfruitful work of darkness.
Jehoshaphat went along, did not even bother to pray. Had there been any water they would have continued along in their own way. God brought them to a circumstance where they were compelled
to seek God. So many in their prosperity think they can go along without God. Thank God for any circumstance that brings you back to Him.
About Jehoram: 'He did evil but not like his father...'. In vs 13-14, we have what God thinks of a double minded person. God knew exactly where he stood. 'Measures of evil', i.e not like his father.
Laodicean Christians: What God thinks of half- hearted Christians. Professing Christianity but not in the heart.
2 Kings 17:31-34. Fearing God but serving other Gods in the heart - No one can serve two masters.
Elisha said, 'I would not even look at you' i.e no Word from God for you if it were not for Jehoshaphat - he was foolish but not sinful.
Let us not be Laodicean Christians. There is enough danger outside (Moab), let alone fighting on the inside. We cannot defeat the Moabites unless we have the water first. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. We need the Spirit. They had no prayer or anything. God could have given water straight away but He did nothing till they sought Him. They had to seek Him because they could not bring the supply alone.
When Elijah prayed after the drought rain came, but they could not have otherwise done anything about it.
Jesus said, 'If any man thirst let him come to Me'. We cannot work it out. It comes down from above. Some Christians try to work it out with music, shouting, etc. It is God's prerogative. We need the Spirit. Some say we manage. The prodigal son managed. The blind man managed somehow. We managed without electricity and you may have managed for many years, but you can manage better with it than without it. How much more can we manage better with the Spirit.
The three kings had to humble themselves. They had to learn the power of God, they could not do it alone. They journeyed for seven days and when they met a crisis then they had to come to the Word of God. Before they could get the water they had to get the Word of God. They had to do something before water came, they had to dig ditches. There might be something you have to do before the filling you need.
God said dig ditches, in other words-make room. He could fill all the ditches they could dig. It is not that God is limited. We are so full up of things, we have no place, no time, no room for Christ.
We need to open up our hearts, our lives, our pockets, etc. for God that He will pour His blessing.
God does not always come as we think. No wind, no rain, He comes His own way. We like to have noise, manifestations, etc, but God works His own way.
It was Jehoshaphat who said, 'Is there a Prophet?'. Jehoram never thought of it and the heathen king would never suggest it. We may be surrounded by heathen or backslidden people who are not bothered about Revival. If we are not going to bother about it, who is going to? If Jehoshaphat had not suggested it there would not have been any defeat of the Moabites. There would not have been any Word of God nor any water.