2 Kings 3:1–27

3:4–5 During this period, Moab has been in a vassal relationship with Israel, under obligation to pay regular tribute.¹ Verse 4 specifies that because “Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder,” this tribute took the form of “100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.” This would be a significant burden on the national economy, so it is hardly surprising that “when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.” The regime change offers the possibility of relief to the Moabites.

3:6–10 After a decisive start in verse 6, in which “Jehoram marched out of Samaria . . . and mustered all Israel,” the king (probably wisely) seeks to renew the alliance Ahab had made with Jehoshaphat.² The king of Judah responds in the same way he had to Ahab in 1 Kings 22:4: “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses” (2 Kings 3:7). Interestingly, Jehoshaphat does not instinctively seek the will of Yahweh before going anywhere, and he defers to his younger counterpart when it comes to military strategy: “By which way shall we march?”

Jehoram’s answer seems strange to even the most casual observer: “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.” In verse 9, the three kings (they have been joined by Judah’s vassal state, Edom) march into the desert (they head for Edom by going south and cutting across below the Dead Sea). The writer’s description of their tactics is scathing: “And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.” This is idiocy of the highest order—marching a sizable army through an arid wilderness without thought of feeding and watering them is irresponsible to the extreme.

The problem with Jehoram is essentially theological. As we saw in the previous chapters, it is hard to believe that things could get any worse than they were under King Ahab, but at least Ahab knew that Yahweh should be involved at some level in Israel’s wars, and thus he rented prophets to tell him what he wanted to hear. His son does not even have that degree of spiritual sensitivity. Jehoshaphat, as we have seen, is a godly king who had bound himself to Ahab’s dynasty, probably in some kind of vassal arrangement. He is therefore bound to supporting Jehoram in war, despite the foolishness of this campaign. Jehoram quickly shows himself to be completely inept as a military leader by marching his army into the desert, without thought of providing water for his troops. When his army runs into trouble, he shows his theological colors by blaming Yahweh!

Jehoram’s response to his own terrible misstep shows little self-awareness, and no sign that he is taking any responsibility for this, or showing any initiative to get the troops out of the mess. His answer is dripping with self-pity, as he suddenly invokes Yahweh as a helpful object of blame: “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”

3:11–20 Slightly belatedly, Jehoshaphat, on hearing mention of Yahweh, asks the same question he posed to Ahab in 1 Kings 22:7: “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” (2 Kings 3:11). This time, there is no need to mount an extensive search for a prophet, as one of his staff reveals that “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” No explanation is given as to why Elisha is so close at hand, but his appearance is timely. The irony of the fact that Elisha will not be pouring any water at this particular moment should not be lost on the reader.

Jehoshaphat instantly affirms that “the word of the Lord is with him,” which in Kings is the ultimate prophetic accolade. The events to follow are marked with our writer’s typically wry humor, as “the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him”³ and the prophet shows extreme reluctance to have anything to do with them (cf. 2 Sam. 16:10; 19:22). What transpires in these verses is a measure of the immense kindness of our God.

Jehoram’s courtiers, who know a real prophet when they hear one, say that Elisha is hanging around outside. Elisha, speaking with all the winsome charm of his mentor Elijah, retorts, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” Elisha reminds Jehoram that as far as Yahweh is concerned, the real king is the descendant of David. Jehoram persists, restating his contention that this is all Yahweh’s doing (2 Kings 3:13). The prophet’s response does not dignify this with a reply but states that anything Yahweh does, he does because of Jehoshaphat, the (relatively) godly king from the house of David: “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.” These words echo Elijah’s in 1 Kings 18:15. This contributes to the consistent view of Israel—and her kings in particular—as of no theological consequence at all.

These Elijah and Elisha narratives are punctuated with quirky details that find no precise parallel elsewhere. Verse 15 continues that trend. “‘But now bring me a musician.’ And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.” While music and prophecy are associated in 1 Samuel 10:5–6, nowhere is music directly linked with prophetic pronouncement as it is here. Nor is there any explanation for why, in this instance, Elisha does not simply speak. The final outcome, however, is very familiar, as Elisha brings a definitive word from Yahweh: “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’” In this case, the miraculous provision of water for both the troops and their animals is not the last word. God speaks again to underline the purpose of this intervention. He expressly states that this water is not the result of precipitation in verse 17, before making it explicit in verse 18 that “this is a light thing in the sight of the Lord.” Elisha admonishes the king, saying in effect, “You need to realize just how trivial this provision is. Your view of God is so impoverished that you really do think this is a big deal!” Why is Jehoram so half-hearted? Because he does not have a clue of whom he is dealing with. The problem with the king is that he has no idea of the greatness of the God of Israel.

Not content simply to prevent the Israelite/Judean/Edomite coalition from dying of thirst, Elisha declares that God “will also give the Moabites into your hand.” The coalition will then be able to enact a “scorched earth” policy in Moab, presumably because they have, in effect, rebelled against Yahweh.⁴ Sure enough, “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.” The timing of the fulfillment (“about the time of offering the sacrifice”) deliberately recalls the intervention of Yahweh in 1 Kings 18. The God of Elisha and Elijah can be relied upon to come to the defense of his people.

The writer is making the point that Jehoram has no real grasp of what the God of Israel, Yahweh of hosts, is really like. Theology drives discipleship. Jehoram does not have a clue about that. And neither, it turns out, does Mesha, king of Moab.

3:21–27 It turns out that the water does not merely quench the Israelites’ thirst but also determines the outcome of the battle. The Moabites get deluded, then decimated. The focus switches in verse 21 to the Moabite camp, which is thrown into panic when it realizes that an alliance of kings is approaching: “All who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border.” As the Moabites prepare for battle, they make a tragic mistake in the early morning light. As “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!’” This is a classic example of putting two and two together and making five. A rapid reversal takes place in verse 24, as the Moabites are overwhelmed by the advancing Israelites, who “went forward, striking the Moabites as they went.” Elisha’s prophecy is fulfilled to the letter, “till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it.”

As the battle reaches its final stages, Mesha is hemmed in at “Kir-hareseth,” one of the main settlements in Moab (probably modern Kerak in Jordan). In a last-ditch bid for survival, “he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not.” It may be that he chooses the spot on the assumption that the Edomites, being less invested in this fight, may give way more easily, or this may simply be a recollection of the realities of battle. However, when this attempt to break out fails, Mesha resorts to more drastic measures. Verse 27 records one of the few specific examples of child sacrifice in the Bible: “Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall.” The Moabites worshiped the god Chemosh (see 1 Kings 11:7 for Israel’s own worship of this god), and this is a desperate attempt to enlist his aid at the last moment. But no such aid appears. Mesha, however, is typical of those who worship false gods, and he does not know when he is beaten. After bashing his head against a brick wall, he decides to hang his son’s head on the wall in a desperate attempt to enlist Chemosh, the despicable deity of the region.

The penultimate phrase of the chapter is not easy to interpret. The words are easy to translate, though: “And there came great wrath against Israel.” This “wrath” results in Israel’s going home. The problem is that the text does not spell out who acts in “wrath.” The options are (1) the Moabites, after being hyped up by a bit of Chemosh worship; (2) Chemosh, but that is beyond unlikely, as if the admission that idols are real slipped into the OT without anyone’s noticing; (3) Israel, but 1 Kings 11:7 and its context makes this pretty unlikely—Israel has never gotten worked up about it before, so why now? There is also no precedent for God’s people sharing in his anger like this. This leaves us with the final option: (4) Yahweh. This is the best option. The word “wrath” is generally reserved for the “wrath of Yahweh” (cf. Num. 18:5; Deut. 28:27; Josh. 9:20; 22:20; 2 Chron. 19:2; Isa. 34:2; Jer. 21:5; Zech. 7:12), so this makes sense linguistically but still leaves unanswered the question of why Yahweh’s wrath should fall on Israel immediately after Mesha’s sacrifice to Chemosh.

The simplest solution is to see the drastic, empty, tragic act of the Moabite king as the signal that the battle is over. Israel has won; Moab has been routed and subdued. At this moment—once the survival of God’s people is no longer in doubt—we return to some unfinished business. Despite God’s kindness in intervening (which we have already been told in this chapter is because of Jehoshaphat of Judah, in any case), the fact remains that Israel and its king, the son of Ahab, remain under judgment. After the stupid death of 2 Kings 3:27, normal service is resumed. Either way, God’s half-hearted people do not come out of chapter 3 well.