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2 Kings 3:16-20, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink.  This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”

The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.

While Elisha had clearly taken the place of Elijah in serving as the Lord’s prophet to Israel, he had yet to prove himself.  In this chapter, we see God speak clearly and powerfully through Elisha. 

There is a fair amount of drama in this chapter.  It begins by introducing Joram, Ahab’s son, who succeeded him as king of Israel and while not as wicked as Ahab, Joram was still a sinful king.  Then, the narrative focuses on an issue with Moab, which has decided to no longer pay tribute (in the form of sheep) to Israel.  This angers Joram so he partners with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to squash the Moabite rebellion.  But their joint armies soon run out of water and food.  In order to figure out what’s going on, Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of the Lord to shed light on the situation.  This is when Elisha is called in.

It’s clear that Elisha has significant animosity toward Joram.  He knows he is a sinful king who does not honor the Lord and he really doesn’t want to offer his advice.  The presence of Jehoshaphat, a man of God, calms him down and he finally agrees to offer prophecy.  God speaks powerfully through Elisha, saying that he will fill the land with pools of water so they can all drink.  That is exactly what happens.  Water fills the land by morning time.  In an interesting twist, the Moabites see the sun hit the water and believe that the pools are filled with blood, thinking the armies of Israel and Judah have slaughtered each other.  So the Moabites are caught off guard when the two armies (Israel and Judah) rise up and fight.  Moab is defeated. 

Probably the most distressing aspect of the chapter is the last portion of text.  In a desperate attempt to win, the Moabite king sacrifices his first-born son on the city wall, thinking it may appease the false god Chemosh.  Of course, the Israelites are outraged at the sight. 

Evil comes in all forms.  From Joram to the Moabite king, evil is present in our world.  From my human perspective, I often wish God would just swoop down and just eliminate all the evil in the world so that suffering and pain could be banished for good.  I mean, God is all-powerful.  But that isn’t the way God operates.  Plus, the reality is that we are all a complex mix of good and evil.  It’s important for me to remember that God dealt with evil through the quiet strength of the cross.  And we trust that he is still dealing with evil in ways that we can’t see or understand.  Eventually, we know that Jesus will return and deal with evil for good.  Until then, we seek to be light in a dark world. 

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, May we be your light in those ugly, dark places.  May we shine the light of Christ in ways that point people to you.  Give us the courage, strength, and motivation to seek after you.  Help us not fear evil for we know that you are with us.  More of you, less of me.  Amen.