Jehoram Becomes King of Israel
Study note
Jehoram was the son of the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. He was not as bad as his parents because he got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. However, he still continued the sinful worship practices started by Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom, who had set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
1 Jehoram son of Ahab became Israel's king in Samaria during the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat's rule over Judah. He reigned for twelve years. 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 He did things the Lord considered evil, though not as badly as his father and mother had. He did get rid of the stone pillar for the god Baal that his father had built. 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 Even so, he kept committing the same sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had taught Israel to practice. He never stopped doing them. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
The War Against Moab
Study note
Mesha, king of Moab, had been forced to pay Israel a huge tribute of 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams with their wool every year. When Ahab died, Mesha saw his chance to rebel. An actual stone monument called the Moabite Stone, discovered in 1868, confirms this rebellion from Moab's perspective. King Jehoram gathered an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom to attack Moab from the south through the desert of Edom, but after seven days they ran out of water.
4 King Mesha of Moab was a sheep rancher. Every year he had to send the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool from a hundred thousand rams as a payment. 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 when Ahab died, the king of Moab decided to stop making these payments and broke free from Israel. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 King Jehoram left Samaria right away. He called up all of Israel's army. And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
7 He also sent word to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "Moab's king has turned against me. Will you come fight with me against Moab?" Jehoshaphat replied, "Count me in. I am on your side completely -- my army is yours and my horses are yours." 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 Jehoram asked, "Which way should we march?" Jehoshaphat suggested, "Through the Edom wilderness." And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom set off together. After traveling through the desert for seven days, they ran completely out of water for their troops and their animals. So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
10 The king of Israel panicked and said, "This is awful! The Lord must have brought us three kings out here just to let Moab destroy us!" 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 Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet of the Lord around so we can ask God what to do?" One of Israel's officers spoke up: "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's personal assistant." 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 Jehoshaphat said, "He speaks the Lord's word." So all three kings went down to talk with Elisha. 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.
Elisha Provides Water and Victory
Study note
When the three kings were desperate, Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of the Lord nearby. A servant identified Elisha. The prophet was harsh toward King Jehoram because of his family's worship of Baal, but agreed to help for the sake of the godly King Jehoshaphat. Elisha asked for a musician, and as the music played, God's power came upon him. He told them to dig ditches in the valley, and God would fill them with water without any wind or rain.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Why would you come to me? Go talk to the prophets your father and mother followed." The king of Israel protested, "No! It was the Lord who brought us three kings together to hand us over to Moab!" 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 Elisha said, "I serve the Lord. I swear by his life. If King Jehoshaphat of Judah were not here, I would not even look at you." 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 bring me someone who can play music." While the musician played, the Lord's power came over Elisha. 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 Elisha announced, "The Lord says this: Dig ditches all across this valley." And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 "The Lord tells you: You will not see any wind or rain, but this valley will be filled with water. You and your armies and all your animals will have plenty to drink." 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 "This is a simple thing for the Lord to do. On top of that, he will hand Moab over to you." And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
19 "You will beat every strong city and every important town. You will chop down every good tree, plug up every spring of water, and ruin every good field by covering it with rocks." 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 The next morning, at the time of the daily offering, water came from Edom's way. It covered the whole area. 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.
Moab's Defeat and the King's Sacrifice
Study note
The next morning, the valley was filled with water. When the Moabites looked across and saw the water reflecting the red morning sun, they thought it was blood and assumed the three kings had turned on each other. They rushed in to plunder the camp but were ambushed by the Israelite army. In desperation, the king of Moab sacrificed his own eldest son on the city wall as a burnt offering to his god Chemosh. This horrifying act somehow caused the Israelites to withdraw.
21 Meanwhile, all the Moabites had heard that these three kings were marching against them. They gathered every man old enough to carry a weapon and lined up at their border. 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 When they got up early and the sun shone across the water, it looked bright red to the Moabites -- just like blood. 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:
23 They shouted, "That must be blood! The three kings must have turned on each other and wiped each other out. Quick, let us go grab everything they left behind!" And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
24 But when the Moabites reached Israel's camp, the Israelites jumped up and attacked. The Moabites ran, but the Israelites chased them deep into their own territory, cutting them down as they went. 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 The Israelites destroyed the Moabite cities. Every soldier threw a stone on each good field until the fields were completely covered. They plugged up every spring and chopped down every good tree. Only the city of Kir-haraseth still stood, but soldiers with slings surrounded it and attacked. 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 When the king of Moab realized the battle was lost, he grabbed seven hundred soldiers with swords and tried to fight through the lines to escape toward the king of Edom. But he could not break through. 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 In desperation, he took his oldest son, the one who would have become king after him, and offered him as a sacrifice on top of the city wall. The Israelites were so horrified that they pulled back and went home. 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.