2 Kings 3 (Part 2) Bible Study (Moab Rebels Against Israel) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Lord, we thank you that we have service on a Friday night. We're so grateful for this, Lord, and we pray that it would only continue because we've been blessed over the weeks, months, and years as our brother and as pastor Mark mentioned at the opening of the service. This will have generational consequences, generational blessings. We have no doubt about that. And so, Lord, we pray that you would equip us, that you would fuel our faith, our zeal, our passion for you, that you would sharpen our perception of who you are.

So, Lord, we ask that every step throughout this study, you would guide us by the spirit, that we would genuinely sense the empowering work of your spirit in our hearts. Lord, remove all the clutter in our thoughts and our emotions. Let there be no obstacle for your word to be planted deeply in our hearts. We give you glory and praise in advance for what you have done and what you're going to do this evening. And we pray that everything and everyone would disappear except for the Lord Jesus Christ.

May he occupy the forefront of our imaginations, of our thoughts, of our affections. Take over, Lord, for we long to give him all the glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Meet me in second Kings chapter three as we are planning to finish this chapter together.

I believe it is helpful to read the text that we are planning to delve into so that we can have an understanding of the framework that we are going to be working with. And so let us begin in verse 13 and finish this chapter in one reading, and then we will explain these verses carefully by the grace of God. Second Kings three thirteen. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, what have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.

But the king of Israel said to him, no. It is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, as the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. But now bring me a musician. And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.

And he said, thus says the Lord, I will make this dry stream bed full of pools. For thus says the Lord, you shall not see wind or rain, but that stream bed shall be filled with water so that you shall drink you, your livestock, and your animals. This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, and you shall attack every fortified city, every and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop all stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones. The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom till the country was filled with water.

When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor from the youngest to the oldest were called out and were drawn up at the border. And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood, and they said, this is blood. The kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab to the spoil. But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites till they fled before them.

And they went forward striking the Moabites as they went. And they overthrew the cities and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees till only its stones were left in Kir Harasheth, Seth. And the slingers surrounded and attacked it. When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with them 700 swordsmen to break through opposite the king of Edom, but they could not.

And he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they withdrew from him and returned to their own land. Let's get straight into it. We have three kings, a coalition. The king of Israel, the king of Judah, the king of Edom.

They're working together to fight against the Moabites. As they make their way towards the Moabites, they get themselves in trouble. They have no water. They are in a perilous position and so they find their way towards Elisha the prophet to receive some divine guidance. And as they approach Elisha, what we read in verse 13 might be quite staggering.

Elisha said to the king of Israel specifically, what have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother. Now some Christians might look at this and feel like this was little insensitive, maybe lacking courteous attention and love, unbefitting for a man of God. But I make the case and I believe that what Elisha is doing here by reprimanding the king of Israel is more gracious than we might think. What's happening here?

You again have these kings who are in trouble. They need water and they're looking for some help, specifically from the Lord. But what we see Elisha doing here is that he's touching on an underlying problem. He could have solved the issue, the immediate problem at hand, but instead, he points the finger and he highlights a greater issue. Something that is actually contributing to the very problem that they are facing.

Namely Jehoram's idolatry and his wicked ways. We learn at the opening of this chapter that Jehoram, the king of Israel was an evil man. He abandoned the worship of the true God. He clung himself to the idols of Jeroboam. And as he approaches Elisha, he's seeking guidance from God, but he doesn't wanna be devoted to God.

And Elisha discerns this. He knows about this and he wants to confront it. And I find valuable truth in this for us as well. That if you and I truly want to help people, then we must be willing to address and challenge the sins of people. People that are harboring certain ways, trespasses, inequities, disobedience, even if they are hurting, we must be loving enough to point out the things that are contributing to their pain, whether that's self destruction or destroying others.

And to fail to do so only treats symptoms. And it never promises the long lasting cure that repentance offers. I was reading Lamentations the other day, and I stumbled upon a passage that revealed one of the strongest characteristics of a true prophet. And the traits of a true prophet can be applied to ministers, leaders, and pastors today. I want you to see it with me.

It's in the book of Lamentations chapter two. It's after the book of Jeremiah and most people believe Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah. But look at verse 14 as he spells out one of the traits of a true and faithful man of God, prophet of God, messenger of God. Limitations two fourteen. Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions.

They have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading. Did you see it? One of the signs of a false or unfaithful prophet is that they refuse to uncover iniquity. What this means is that they're willing unwilling rather to acknowledge sin as sin. They are refusing to call people to repentance and point out the trespasses in people's lives that are clearly violating God's law.

And the condemnation of this kind of cowardice is highlighted by the fact that uncovering one's sins is connected to a blessing. So what does he say? Look back. They have not exposed not exposed your iniquity and he follows that with to restore your fortunes. Other translations would say, to push away captivity or to return your captives.

It's so obvious. Right? There is a level of restoration that can only be realized with repentance. And to refuse to call people, whether it's on an individual basis or from the pulpit or in a counseling session, to refuse to discern the obvious sins in people's lives and not call them to turn away and to pursue holiness and righteousness and forgiveness, but not just a forgiveness that cleanses your record, but empowers you to overcome the very things that shackled you, to refuse to do that out of selfishness or fear or whatever the case may be, is devastating. And depending on the situation, sometimes that call, that instruction requires loving but stern rebuke just like what we see here with Elisha and Jeroboam.

Jeroboam was a king. His influence was toward the nation, and he was long standing in his rebellion. It deserved this kind of confrontation. So remember, if you and I are wanting to help people, whether saints who are struggling or sinners who have not yet put their trust in Christ, Somewhere in that equation, we must be willing to have an honest, bold, wise, compassionate conversation about sin. And to not do so would bring us on the the indictment of Jeremiah six fourteen, where Jeremiah also says of false prophets there that they heal the wound of my people lightly.

Lightly. There are many places, many churches, many services, many, many pastors, unfortunately, that are attempting to heal the wounds of people, but it's surface level. And how does Jeremiah finish that verse? Saying peace peace when there's no peace. So there's a way of dealing with people's sins and the bruises and the hurt that comes from their disobedience.

There's a way of doing it lightly and there's a way of doing it surgically. And I would say that this the scalpel of repentance is what really digs out the root of sin. So Elisha here makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with an idolater and and perhaps this was really a indirect rebuke to Jehoshaphat who was what? He was always linking himself to those who are unrighteous. Right?

So he says, I I don't wanna I don't wanna have anything to do with you. But before walking away, Jehoram says something to him in verse 13. At the end of it, he goes, no. No. Listen.

This isn't just dealing with me. You have two other kings here who are also going to suffer great loss if we don't get your help. So Elisha is willing, but notice what he says here in verse 14. As the Lord of hosts lives before whom I stand, were it not that I had regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. Ouch.

Elisha here wants to remind Jehoram that he is not doing this because of him. He's doing this because of another. Now Jehoshaphat is not the most exemplary standard of righteousness. Right? We've seen him compromise with the same problem over and over again.

Nonetheless, the Bible does refer to him as a righteous man. The Bible does show him to be a devoted man. He had his problems, but he was still linked to the true God. And one of the greatest demonstrations of that is in second Chronicles 20. You don't have to turn there, but that's a reference for you to consider.

And so what Elisha wants to do here is he wants to make sure that everybody in this scene understands that he is only willing to help because he has respect for Jehoshaphat, ultimately because Jehoshaphat worships the true and living God. And I meditated on this and I thought, what what point can we draw from this? And I believe we have something. And it is this, that we should never underestimate the blessing of the company of the righteous. Jehoram would be blessed, not because of Jehoram, but because of another of another man in his life, another man who was associated with him.

And I've mentioned on so many occasions, Psalm seventy three twenty eight where Asaph says, but as for me, it is good to be near God. But we can also make another statement based on plenty of evidence in the Bible. Not only is it good for me to be your not God, it is also good for me to be near those who are near to God. There are so many examples and so many instructions that highlights that blessing, the company of the righteous. You know, I have different people that come up.

You've probably heard this. I've heard it plenty of times. They genuinely inquire, how can I be more passionate for God? And I guess there are many answers to that. And one of my go to answers is, well, why don't you hang around people who are passionate for God?

How do I get excited about the bible? Well, I think it would help if you go to a church that's excited about the bible. How do I learn how to pray? Get around people who pray. That's not the only remedy, but it's a major one.

And we see it even here that Jehoshaphat's association with Jehoram would bless Jehoram. And so you and I should never underestimate the company of the righteous. My mind even went to a particular passage in first Corinthians chapter seven where Paul is giving instructions to spouses who are married to unbelieving spouses, and he emphasizes the sanctifying benefits of a believing spouse and what they have on the household, even if the household outnumbers the one who is saved. So let me read this to you in first Corinthians seven fourteen. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband.

Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy. That is so profound. So one of the incentives that Paul gives to people in the church who are married to those who don't come to church because they don't believe in Christ is, don't underestimate what your presence in close proximity to those who are intimate with you can do for those people. What he is not conveying is that because you're saved, those in your household are automatically deemed saved whether they believe or not. That's erroneous.

There is no family package for salvation. You have to make a personal choice of crowning Jesus Christ as Lord. So what does he what does he mean here by making them holy? There's an influence that happens. There are there are blessings that overflow from the righteous in the household of unbelievers.

They they receive something indirectly because of your close proximity, because of your shoulder rubbing with them, because of your interactions. And so you and I have to rediscover what we can provide to those who don't love God, who don't know God, and what those who love God can even do for us. Do not underestimate the company of the righteous. Now let me say this because somebody might hear this and get very excited and now get licensed to missionary date and find somebody who's not a believer and say, I heard a bible study that I shouldn't underestimate the company of the righteous, so here I go. There's a difference between being saved and marrying somebody who's unsaved and being unsaved while you're marrying and then being saved and now being unsaved married to an unsaved person.

Big difference. Okay? So don't misunderstand Paul's words here. Now we continue. We read here in verse 15 that Elisha makes a very interesting inquiry, but now bring me a musician.

And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. I have two questions reading this verse. Number one, why did Elisha ask for a musician? Number two, why did the hand of the Lord come upon Elisha after the musician played? Let me start off by saying that this is not an isolated instance of prophecy and music working together.

One reference that comes to mind is first Samuel chapter 10, and you don't have to turn there unless you wanna see it with your own eyes in verse five, where we're told they are of a company of prophets who were coming from the high place and they were coming with harps, lyres, flutes while they were prophesying. And so this is not unique. There are other examples in scriptures that inform us that there's a clear marriage between the assistance of music and the effectiveness of spiritual activity. And the reason is quite clear, music possesses powerful properties, and its influence is undeniably spiritual. So you recall, I'm sure, when David was instructed to play for Saul when he was tormented by a harmful spirit, the music was the means to provide remedy to his troubled soul.

And I believe that what we see here is something similar. There are no evil spirits at work in this scene, but the context suggests that Elisha is agitated. He's disturbed. Does anybody have an idea why Elisha is disturbed? One of the clues of discovering a meaning of a passage is to read what came before it and to read what came after it.

Anything that we've read up to this point that might give us a clue to why Elisha needs for his mind and his heart to calm down? Yeah. Notice that he wasn't too excited about the presence of the king of Israel. And not just the presence of the king of Israel, but what the king of Israel said. What was the last thing he said?

Look at the end of verse 13. He says, no. It is the Lord who has called these three thing these three kings to give them to the hand of Moab. What is he doing there? He's blaming God for their predicament.

Elisha didn't like that. And so here's this man who is disturbed. Elisha, even as a prophet. And so before he even ministers, before he's really able to serve this purpose, in his irritation, he calls for the presence of a gifted musician that would come to his aid. So in order to be in the right frame of mind, this man, before he hears from God, before he speaks on behalf of God, he asked for a musician to play in a manner that would wash away all inner commotion and would posture him in a manner to be greater a greater focus for the task ahead.

I'm not sure if you noticed, but this is the reason why we even have some of our gifted musicians play music, tunes of praise before the service starts. Have you ever noticed why we do that? In great part, so that as people come in, no matter how they come in, they would sit under beautiful God honoring music so that they would be soothed, they would be calmed, and they would be even realigned to better give and receive from the Lord. The Bible is so emphatically clear that music is powerful. And not only is it powerful, we must recognize that it's a gift from God that carries the ability to enhance other aspects of our worship.

But please know this, if music can help us spiritually, then it can definitely harm us spiritually. To think that you and I, in the privacy of our homes or in our cars with our friends, be at liberty to listen to absolutely anything with no standard, with no filter is extremely naive. You're making an impact whether you realize it or not. And that's true for even the church service. The music, what we sing is not a secondary component to our gatherings.

And that is why we make it a serious thing when it comes to the selection of our songs, the melodies, the singability of what we sing, because we know that it can enhance the other aspects of our worship or it can hinder it. It can distract. Hey, I've been in meetings and conferences where it killed the meeting. I'm telling you, I've been to enough of those kind of meetings where because there wasn't a discerning and spirit led selection. And not just selection, but the spirit the spirit in which such things were performed and done before and after the message?

Oh, devastating effects. Devastating. So let us realize together that this is one instance among many that music has been granted us by God to bless the people of God, to help the people of God, and many other things with it. So he asked for a musician, the musician comes and he is ready now at last to give a word from the Lord. Look at verse 16 again and he said, thus says the Lord, I will make this dry stream bed full of pools.

For thus says the Lord, you shall not see wind or rain, but that stream bed shall be filled with water so that you shall drink you, your livestock and your animals. Now so many things stand out to me about these verses here, especially the way in which God said he would provide this water to quench the thirst of these armies. Notice that he says here that he would do so and they would not see what? They would not see wind. They would not see rain.

Now, here's me thinking. K? If God is going to provide water in the desert, then it has to be through rain. Obviously, there's no other source of water near or else they would have taken advantage of that. So how else is God going to provide these waters?

And that's exactly the point. In the Lord's provision, he can give and he does give through ordinary means, but he's not bound by those methods. We must be aware and open to his extraordinary ways. He can use things that you and I interact with on a daily basis and from time to time, he can blow our minds. I'm reminded of how he provide daily for the Israelites in the wilderness providing bread.

Bread. It would arrive in dew form and then they would go out and fetch for it, but then when you read Joshua earlier in the chapters of that book, they arrived to the promised land and the moment they plant their feet there and they benefit from the fruit of the land, it says, and there was no more manna given to the children of Israel. So they went from extraordinary to ordinary. Now they would have to farm and now they would have to trust God for seasonal rain. Now they would have to work.

So God can go from extraordinary to ordinary and he can go from ordinary to extraordinary. Just be open for anything. And in this case, it would be a miracle. And I love what Elisha states at the beginning of verse 18. This statement after telling them what was gonna happen.

This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. Don't you love that? I love that. I kick back and I thought to myself, what do I consider to be easy in my life? I won't say it, but you can just use your imagination.

What's easy to you in this life? What's easy for you on a day to day basis? You know what's easy to the Lord? Making water appear in the desert to feed kings and armies and their livestock. That's easy.

You making a bowl of cereal in the morning is like God doing this to give you a very poor illustration. And I I began to think because you see this phrase worded differently throughout the scriptures, is anything too hard for the Lord? There's nothing too difficult for the Lord. Nothing's impossible for the Lord. And I began to just reflect on all the things in the Bible that God considers easy.

That'd be a wonderful Bible study, wouldn't it? All the things in the Lord for the Lord that are not too difficult for him at all. Can I give you one of my favorite ones? It's actually a similar phrase used here. It's in Isaiah.

And look at this in Isaiah 49 verse six. This is concerning the Messiah. And in verse six of Isaiah 49, he says, it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will make you as a light for the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Do you understand what he's saying here?

It's too easy for Messiah just to redeem and renew and restore the Jewish people. I'm gonna have you win the world to my kingdom. I'm gonna have your message reach to the ends of the earth and we're seeing it happen. Right? We are the we are the consequences of this.

You and I here are enjoying this where he's building his church and he's gathering people from all tribes and tongues because it was too easy to just rescue one nation, one people group. You know why it's important to consider what's easy for the Lord? Because it will help you stay tranquil and trusting and filled with praise whenever you endure anything that is difficult or what you consider to be hard. Just reflect on what's easy for him, what he can make appear, who he can save, what he can provide. That will do something to your soul.

I promise you. I promise you. And that's why we continually have to come to the word because our default is to make something of God that likens to us. And what this word does is it reminds us and it cleanses us and it sharpens our understanding so that we realize just how transcended he is. Put it there under a list of what's easy for the Lord.

He can make water appear out of nothing and he can save anyone in any part of the world. This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. Let's finish verse 18. He will also give the Moabites into your hand. Oh, there you go.

Not only is he gonna provide water, he does more than what we ask. He's gonna provide the Moabites because he is good, and he loves to give more than what we ask. But he also tells them what they're gonna do. Look at verse 19, and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city and shall fell every good tree and stop of all the springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones. So I'm gonna do something and it's gonna energize you to do something.

So this is a pattern that we see in the Bible that God's supernatural provision never encourages passivity. It never justifies our lack of participation. It never makes us in our waiting on the Lord inactive. Never ever ever ever ever. He says, you're gonna receive water and that's gonna give you the necessary strength to finish the job.

In fact, if you have any other word for word translation, King James, New King James NASB, the beginning of verse 16 is actually worded as a command. So look back at verse 16. In the ESV, it writes, and he said, thus says the Lord, I will make this dry stream bed full of pools. But when you look at other translations, it says, make this valley full of ditches or trenches. You're probably seeing that in your Bible if you don't hold the ESV, which would mean that even before the water came, these kings had to play a part in preparing themselves for the blessing.

They had to do something before the Lord would do something. And what this means for us again is that we can never justify God willing to come through for us to not do something in the meantime. You and I must do what we can as we trust God to do what only he can do. That is always the blueprint of how we see God move. Verse 20.

The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the from the direction of Edom till the country was filled with water. Something struck me after my first reading of this passage in this verse, the timing of when the miracle came. You know, the Holy Spirit could have just told us the next morning. Behold water came from the direction of Eden. But he doesn't do that.

He writes to the next morning and then he adds about the time of offering the sacrifice. Why include that? If this is just purely about timing, then we could have just okay. The next morning. But he wants to include and bring to our attention that this miracle came at the same time as when a particular offering was made, most likely at the temple in Jerusalem.

You remember that there are many offerings that were given to the people of Israel as instructions for their worship, but there is one that happened every single day. It was a perpetual burnt offering. Twice a day, in the morning and at night, according to Exodus 29, there would be a one year old lamb that would be given on the altar at the entrance of the temple. So one would be there placed, it would be completely consumed, and then another would be placed at twilight, and then it would repeat repeated the next day and the following day. It would be an unending act of worship.

And and what did that symbolize? It was a means of expressing to God and a reminder for the nation of their constant consecration unto the Lord. That it was every day, every night. That is what this sacrifice symbolizes. And I find it so interesting that it's this sacrifice that is mentioned when it came to this miracle.

And here's what I believe the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us. It's not a coincidence, but it's meant to show here that the miracle coincided with the moment of Israel's leadership showing and exhibiting their complete devotion to the Lord. Could it be that there is a lesson here that God's blessings are connected to our total devotion to him? Yet he's gracious even to those who are severely inconsistent in their walk with him. That is true.

But what do we open ourselves up to? What kind of blessings do we open ourselves up to as we daily give ourselves to him? I I think this is what the reader is supposed to come to terms with. The sacrifice took place, and that's when the miracle came. That's when God's favor came.

That's when his light came. That's when his power came. Surely to encourage us and to remind us, readers of this time and readers of of our day, that there is particular blessing unlocked when we choose to live as living sacrifices unto him. Because the burnt offering is, yes, a picture of Christ, but it's also a picture of our devotion to him. From top to bottom, we are set apart.

Every part of us is consumed to be a pleasing aroma to him. And in this case, that is what leads the way for God to do wonderful things in us and through us. Verse 21. When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor from the youngest to the oldest were called out and were drawn up at the border. And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.

This is wonderful. Why would the Moabites conclude that what they saw in the horizon was blood when in fact it was water? What would lead them to that? Let me let me pose it this way. Why wouldn't the Moabites conclude that the substance they were beholding was in fact water?

Any idea? Desert. It's a desert one. What else? Yeah.

It hadn't rained. It didn't rain. There was no indication. There was no clues. There was no evidence that this could potentially be water.

Do you see the wisdom of God now? Did you catch it? So he tells the Israelites, tells the Southern Kingdom and the kingdom of Edom, I'm gonna give you water, but you're not gonna see wind, you're not gonna see rain. And you know, here's what I love about this. He doesn't explain why.

He just tells them, I'm gonna do this. And yes, he's demonstrating his sovereignty. And and go back here in verse 20. It says that it came from the direction of Edom. What this means most likely is that there was a torrent.

There was rain upon the mountains of Edom and then there was this silent, but abundant stream of water that was led precisely to the location of these kings in the wilderness. He doesn't explain the whole thing, but we get the explanation. We get at least another dimension to this whole story that he doesn't allow it to rain so that the Moabites would not perceive that there was water out there. And this would lead to their own demise. In thinking that this is actually blood, there's a turning on each other that happened.

Let's just go get the spoil. So here you and I are thinking that God is solving one problem, when in fact he's solving 10 of them at the same time and you might not even know about it. And this is why this is in our Bible so that we can rejoice and we can take these truths and we can use them as filters for our own lives and realize God might be doing one thing here, but he is surely doing much more that we may not perceive it. And even in the unknown, we should worship God because we have timeless things presented to us to remind us of just how glorious he is. So when there is no answers, when things seem to be moving steadily, when things seem to be moving at only one step at a time, you have no idea the other factors that are at work.

The things that are being positioned, the things that God has in mind. And I see that clearly here. I hope you do as well. But I also learned something about the Moabites when they look out and they see blood instead of water. It's a striking illustration of how dangerous it is to operate purely by our senses.

Isn't it? Read again with me. The end of verse 22, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. And verse 23, and they said, this is blood. No.

It isn't. It's a mass body of water and the early sun rising and shining and reflecting on it to make it look like something else. Quick analysis, hasty action mingled with lack of discernment is a lethal combination. Very dangerous. And this is just one of many examples of that in our Bibles.

The answer to how we can avoid pursuing things, believing things, adopting things, rejecting the right thing, accepting the wrong thing, the the way we can protect ourselves from that is found in this very story, I believe. What did the Moabites lack in their misunderstanding of what they saw? Here's what I believe. Scroll back to verse 12 of the same chapter. 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 being Elisha. In essence, the Israelites in the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Edom, they understood it was water. Yes. They were in close proximity, but they understood what God was gonna do for them and what this was all about. The Moabites were left in the dark.

And I make the case that the word of the Lord for them would have helped them understand and perceive rightly and it's no different for us. What we've been given access to, that that precious treasure that you are holding in your hands is the means by which you will be protected from deception. Is the means by which you enhance and strengthen your discernment. So while the world and the church are looking at the same thing, the world might say, this is righteous and this is permissible. But because we have the word of the Lord, we are told this is actually sinful and wrong.

The world might look at something and we're looking at the same thing and they will say, this is evil and it will hinder you. While the word reminds us this is holy and it will bless you. While the world says this, what we have in our hands will tell us otherwise. So whenever we look upon the same things and make our own judgments void of the word of God, it is, hear me, deadly. And in this case, it would be physical, and in our day, it could be physical, but is primarily spiritual.

So if two groups looking at the same thing and perceiving it differently. The difference maker is that God gave insight to one and left others in the dark. You don't have to be in the dark because God has blessed our generation with the Bible unlike any other generation. Look at verse 23. And they said, this is blood.

The kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. I just think it's sad. Edom is one thing, but for Israel and Judah to be perceived by the world as capable of killing each other is a sad testimony for the people of God. Don't you think? Yeah.

It's a sad testimony for the world to look in the church and to believe that it's possible for us to turn on each other, to devour one another. That that should never come to mind for the unbelieving world. Now then, Moab, to the spoil. When they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck down the Moabites till they fled before them. And they went forward striking the Moabites as they went, and they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered.

They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees. And then we read something interesting. We read here that the slingers surrounded and attacked at the end there, verse 25, but that's not where the story ends. Verse 26. When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through opposite the king of Edom, but they could not.

So now they're getting surrounded. The Moabites are are realizing that they're not gonna they're not gonna win this war. And so with the last attempt of breaking through, they look at probably the weakest link, the Edomites and they try to overtake them to no avail. But the king of Moab won't give up. He won't surrender so easily.

And so there's this very disturbing verse provided to us in verse 27. Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they withdrew from him and returned to their own land. So out of sheer desperation, he gets above the armies, he stands on the wall, and he makes this public act of abomination. He takes his oldest son, the one who's supposed to take his place as king, he slaughters him and he makes him into a sacrifice to his false god.

But what's more interesting is this phrase that follows it. And there came great wrath, you would think against Moab, but we're told that it came against Israel. And then after this, we're told that they withdrew. The Israelites, the kingdom the Southern Kingdom and the kingdom of Edom, they withdrew and they went back home. And you get the sense that this was a incomplete victory.

What's happening here? This verse is is up for much debate. And the primary question is what is the source of the origin of this wrath that came against the people of Israel? So there are many many many many answers, because it's not clear. There were some who would believe that this is the wrath of Chemosh, the war god of Moab.

We've seen him reference in the Bible before. So that when the king of Moab makes this sacrifice, he is in essence enables the god of Moab to fight and resist against this coalition and they won. Some would say that this wrath is coming from the true God. And the reason why it came from the true God is because Israel took it too far with Moab. And there are instances in the Bible where you find God using human agents to discipline or to overtake another nation or another people group and they abuse that.

Where he wanted little, they did far more. So many references to that. That's why God later condemns Assyria and Babylon because they abused the opportunity that was granted them. So you have the transcendent explanation and then it boils down to the human explanation. Could it be that the wrath that came against Israel was the wrath of the Moabites?

That they were put in a position of such desperation that they sacrificed, though they did offer child sacrifice. In this case, it was a precious one because they gave up the succeeding king. And so in their wrath, they were so angry with Israel for what they were led to do. Or could it be actually the wrath of Judah and Edom? Because notice that it's very specific.

There came great wrath against who? Israel. Could it be that this gross savagery created disgust in Judah and Edom where they looked at Israel and they thought, you caused this in a sense. You you led it to this and they retracted and decided to end the operation here. Could it be a mixture of many things?

Sure. It could be. We're not explicitly told, so we can't be dogmatic. But one thing is for certain. It is a foolishness of this despicable crime.

What is the king of Edom or rather Moab do? He sacrifices his son. Can anybody remind me what is the reason for this war to begin with? You can say it if you know the answer. What's the reason for this war?

Why why is Israel and Judah and Edom partnering to come against Moab? The answer is in this chapter. You just have to go to the first few verses. But does anybody know? Why?

Why are we even doing this? What causes? What triggered this? It's in the single digits of second Kings chapter three. They rebelled.

How did they rebel? Very good. Look at verse four. Naamasha king of Moab was a sheep breeder and he had to deliver to the king of Israel a 100,000 lambs and the wool of a 100,000 rams. But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

Do you know what could have very likely solved this whole thing? If Moab had just went back to giving and sacrificing those lambs and those rams. Right? What does he do instead? He sacrifices his son.

How do you explain this? You are willing to give up the life of your boy instead of some lambs and rams. Behold the destruction of pride. Pride causes us to be foolish. It it's it's ugly.

It's hideous. And it can blind us and lead us to do devastating things. Unrestrained pride, unchallenged pride over time can destroy the most precious things. The most beautiful relationships, the most vibrant ministries, most abundant resources. Pride has a way of driving things to the ground and the most things that don't even make sense, following somebody's arrogance because they refuse to humble themselves.

Here's a man who wanted to fight tooth and nail, who would not give in, and so he gave up. Arguably, one of the most valuable things to him. And so this is how this ends. It ends with a very gross, vivid example of what pride can do. It kills.

It kills us. It kills others. And it's meant to, in some way, encourage us to remain humble. To remain humble. And that's what I pray we would leave this bible study with, that kind of exhortation.

Lord, keep me low and help me just give in and surrender where you call me to give in and surrender. More importantly, if there is a blessing that is linked to complete and total sacrifice, then let me be a complete and total sacrifice. I don't wanna hold anything back. Because when you and I hold anything back, no matter what we think we gain, we ultimately lose. We always lose when we refuse to give what God asks of us.

I think that's enough for tonight. Let's pray. Let's thank him together. Is it possible, like Elisha, to call for the musicians to come up here? Please come.

We'll pray in a moment here. I praise God for our praise team. They take their ministry very seriously, and we all are blessed because of it. Why don't we calm our hearts? Why don't we allow even a soft tune to just, assist us?

Lord, we thank you for this bible study. Oh, lord. Our words fall short of ascribing to you the praise and the glory and the honor that you deserve. We pray, lord, that the the meetings here at NBC would always create the atmosphere necessary for us to receive and to give unto you what you deserve and what we need. May this place always be holy ground.

May those who serve in their giftings, especially the gifting of music, be led by your spirit always. Lord, surely there is more to unpack in this passage, but we trust that what was granted us suffices for this evening. And, Lord, it's so easy to hear a bible study and to just gather knowledge. Please speak to our hearts. Lord, soften us.

Make us tender again, Lord. Help us to hunger for your ways. Lord, for anybody in this place that is waiting on you, may they believe that as they trust you and as they lay that need before you, that you are magnificent in your plans. And though we may see one thing, you're doing a multifaceted work. Help us believe that.

Help us believe that for this church as we are waiting on you for a big need. And we may not understand the timing. We may not know where resources will come from. But, Lord, we trust you. We trust that as we continue with you, you will give us maybe a glimpse of why you did what you did, how you did it, and when you did it.

We believe you. We trust in you. We rest in you, and we believe your word provided us the means to rest tonight. Lord, help us be loving enough to call out sin when we need to with the right tone, the right words. May that be true of this pulpit, may that be true of our relationships with those that we care and love for.

We just wanna say thank you, Lord, for tonight. We bless you and we wanna worship you with gratitude for what you have given to us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Why don't we stand and worship the Lord?

Thank him for the spiritual food that we ate of tonight.