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The Miracle in the Wilderness
v. 9. So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, the governor under the overlordship of Judah being given the title of king by courtesy, 1Ki_22:48; and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey, marching down near the western shore of the Dead Sea. And there was no water for the host and for the cattle that followed them, used as provisions for the army. They had ventured too far from their water supply.
v. 10. And the king of Israel, immediately abandoning himself to despair, said, Alas, that the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab! Being without faith in Jehovah, he saw nothing but death and destruction before his eyes.
v. 11. But Jehoshaphat, having confidence in the Lord, said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord that we may enquire of the Lord by him? Cf 1Ki_22:7. He wanted the advice of a true prophet, of one in the service of Jehovah. 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, namely, in the capacity of servant and disciple.
v. 12. And Jehoshaphat, who had heard of this new prophet, said, The word of the Lord is with him, he is a genuine prophet. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him, from the elevation on which their tents were placed to the valley where Elisha remained with the host.
v. 13. And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, taking this opportunity to reprove him and to work a wholesome sorrow for his sins in his heart, What have I to do with thee? What business could they have together, since Jehoram was addicted to idolatry? Get thee to the prophets of thy father and to the prophets of thy mother; for he still permitted the priests of Baal to continue in his land. And the king of Israel, with at least some show of humility, said unto him, Nay; for the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. So his appeal for help was based upon the fact that the lives and armies of three kings were at stake.
v. 14. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts, Jehovah Sabaoth, the mighty Ruler of the heavenly armies, 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, he would have ignored both him and his request.
v. 15. But now bring me a minstrel, a harp-player, his intention being by means of the soothing influence of music to withdraw his mind from the outer world and prepare for any Revelation which the Lord might give him. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him, he became a mouthpiece of Jehovah.
v. 16. And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches, with cisterns for holding an abundance of water.
v. 17. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain, there would be no rainstorm in or near their camp;yet that valley shall be filled with water that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts, the former being the animals intended for food, the latter those bearing burdens.
v. 18. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord, it was a small matter to Jehovah to supply the army with drinking-water; He will deliver the Moabites also into your hand, granting them a glorious victory over the enemy.
v. 19. And ye shall smite every fenced city, those with strong fortifications, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, even the fruit-trees not being excepted in this case, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones, by so covering it with stones that it would no longer be fit for cultivation.
v. 20. And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat-offering was offered, at the time of the morning sacrifice, shortly after sunrise, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. The Lord had sent a heavy rain or a cloudburst in the hills of Edom during the night, and the water now came rushing down the canyons into the valley where the combined armies were encamped. It was a miracle of God's mercy, one of whose objects was to turn the hearts of all the men to Him.