This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord.’ 2 Kings 3:18
Joram, son of Ahab, had had some pretty poor role models in
his parents, Ahab and Jezebel, and he hasn’t quite thrown over the traces yet
v1-3! His saving grace in this story is that he is not too proud to ask for
help v7,9 and to act on the suggestions made to him by his fellow kings against
the rebellion of the King of Moab.
However, it is only when they have reached the end of their resources,
and when human wisdom and experience don’t have any answers for the desperate
predicament they find themselves in, that even the godly Jehoshaphat thinks of
asking the Lord, through Elisha, what his solution would be.
In spite of Elisha’s initial (understandably) ungracious
response to Ahab, he seeks for God’s guidance and comes up with an
extraordinary command in the arid desert they find themselves in. We can only imagine what the soldiers who
would have done the digging would have been thinking!! The valley was to be filled with water and Moab will also be handed
over to them. How on earth were the two
to be connected?
It was indeed ‘an easy thing for the Lord’. In ways the 3 kings could not even have
begun to think of or imagine. As the men
did their part, God did his. By the
morning, the ditches were filled with water, blood-red in the sunrise, which
lures the Moabites to their defeat and destruction.
Daniel’s vision reminds us of the truth that only in the ‘son
of man’ – God’s messiah – is ultimate authority, glory, sovereign power – all
peoples, nations and men of every language worship him; his kingdom is one
which will never be destroyed; all rulers will worship and obey him. Dan 7:14;24
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- Is there something in your life that seems overwhelming, insurmountable – possibly the result of not consulting with God or even of resisting his will?
- Who are the godly ‘counsellors’ who will stand with you and pray with you?
- What might God be saying in it all?
- Are you being called to do something which may seem counter-intuitive – but which may prepare the way for God’s solution?