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Bible: 2 Kings 3
Speaker: Andrew Sach
“The Bible in the
British Museumâ€
2 Kings 3
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A trip to the British Museum to see the Moabite Stone…
“I am Mesha, son of Chemosh-gad, king of Moab, the Dibonite…. Omri was king of Israel, and oppressed Moab during many days, and Chemosh was angry with his aggressions… and Chemosh said to me, Go take Nebo against Israel, and I went in the night and I fought against it from the break of day till noon, and I took it … and I took from it the vessels of Jehovah, and offered them before Chemosh.â€
1) Israel looks doomed
1) Elisha the judge has arrived
And the LORD said to [Elijah], “… Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.†(1 Kings 19:16-17)
2) Jehoram is an evil king (vv1-3)
3) The sense of déjà vu is overwhelming
1 Kings 22 | 2 Kings 3 |
Ahab asks ‘Jehoshaphat king of Judah’ for military assistance (v2) | Jehoram asks ‘Jehoshaphat king of Judah’ for military assistance (v7) |
Jehoshaphat replies ‘I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses’ (v4) | Jehoshaphat replies ‘I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses’ (v7) |
Jehoshaphat asks, ‘is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may enquire?’ (v7) | Jehoshaphat asks, ‘is there no prophet of the LORD here, through whom we may enquire of the LORD?’ (v11) |
Micaiah sought for | Elisha sought for |
Micaiah prophesies terrible defeat (vv17-28) | … |
4) The supply lines have failed (v9)
5) God is surely against them (v10, v13)
2) God unexpectedly saves Israel!
6) God preserves the Israelites with water (vv16-17, 20)
7) God defeats the Moabites with water (vv21-24)
3) “And there came great wrath against Israel†(v27)
8) The wrath of Chemosh?
9) The wrath of Israel?
10) The wrath of God?
CONCLUSION:
Amazingly there is salvation before judgment! But there is still judgment.
Coffee question
What should we do with a period of salvation before judgment? How are we in danger of mistaking the delay for no judgment at all?