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Elisha Asks God's Help for His Nation in War
Elisha spoke for God in a place where people believed in many gods. His miracles and words showed everyone that the God of Israel is the only real God. This story shows Elisha speaking for God. Three kings and their armies learned about God from Elisha.
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. 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. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin. He departed not therefrom.
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. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time and numbered all Israel. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle?”
And he said, “I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.”
And he said, “Which way shall we go up?”
And he answered, “The way through the wilderness of Edom.”
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.
And the king of Israel said, “Alas! that the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab!”
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.”
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.
And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Get you to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.”
And the king of Israel said unto him, “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
And Elisha said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward you nor see you. But now bring me a minstrel.”
And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the LORD, 'Make this valley full of ditches.' For thus says the LORD, 'You shall not see wind. Neither shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water that you may drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts.'
“And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD. He will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And you 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.”
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.
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 armor and upward and stood in the border. 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. And they said, “This is blood. The kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.”
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. 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 Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit, the slingers went about it and smote it.
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. 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.
(2 Kings 3:1-27)
Words that May Be New
alas: a way of saying: "Things are bad."
armor: what soldiers wear to protect themselves.
cleave: to stick to something. In English this word can mean either to stick together or to cut apart (separate).
deliver: to take something to someone, also, to rescue.
depart: to leave.
fetch a compass: to go around something.
gather: bring together.
host: a large group of people. Here it the large group is an army.
howbeit: nevertheless.
image: something that looks like a person or thing--a picture or statue.
indignation: anger.
inquire: to ask.
journey: noun: a trip, verb: to travel.
mar: to damage or make ugly.
minstrel: someone who makes music.
numbered: an old way of saying he counted them.
offering: something given to God, a sacrifice. (Can also be something given to a human.)
presence: where someone is. In this story it means that Jehoshaphat was there.
rebel: to go against authority. To fight against someone you should obey.
regard: to recognize, to see someone as good enough.
reign: to be king over, to rule.
render: to make or to give.
sheepmaster: one who raises sheep.
slay (slain): to kill.
slinger: someone who uses a tool to throw rocks.
smite: to hit.
stead: place. In this story, the son who would reign in his stead was the son who would be king after his father.
sore: usually means something hurts, but here it means the war was too bad.
spoil: the things the winning army takes away from the losing army in a war. Spoil also means to go bad.
sword: a large knife used for fighting.
therefrom: from there.
wilderness: a place where no one lives. In this story it is a desert.
wrought: worked or done.
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