This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord

2 Kings 3:1-27

So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them. 

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?”

An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”

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.

Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. But now bring me a harpist.” While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. 

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.”

When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.

Joran reigned for 12 years. A punitive expedition against Moab by the allied forces of Israel, Judah, and Edom, is made hazardous by drought. Elisha, his faculties stimulated by music a common prophetic custom, promises an end to the drought, and victory.

The sacrifice of the king's son so heartened the Moabites, or so appalled the Israelites, that the advance was halted.

Why?

The Lord won't listen to the asking of unbelievers or those who do not obey his words. But because of the king Jehoshaphat so Elisha help them to ask the Lord.

Music may stimulate our hearts and minds to turn and focus on the Lord! So worship the Lord with songs and music before our prayer is good. It calms down our hearts and mind.

The Lord giving water to his people is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord, God will give us more great things out of our thought. God gave victory to his people.

The king of Moab believed that the attack by the three kings was caused by Chemosh's anger, and he sacrificed his firstborn son to please his god (cf. 16:3).

"The Israelites were met with the wrath of the LORD" in the original text without the word "of the LORD". "Furious" means "disgusting" and "shocked", which can be interpreted as the Israelites were both shocked and disgusted when they saw this scene; although the purpose was not fully achieved, they still decided to return to the country.

The king of Moab sacrificed his son to their god! Find the dark forces. The king of Israel and the king of Edom had a breach, so they withdrew their army. Joram was not blessed. Although King Jehoshaphat was blessed, Joram did not fear God. Joram thought that he could continue to take Jehoshaphat’s light without fearing God, and God would still judge those who did not fear God.

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以色列王想到的是神要滅掉他，敬畏神的士約沙法王求問神！是否有神的人想法不同。

摩押王把兒子獻祭給他們的神！造成神明大怒！

為何去打仗，連補給，糧食、水居然不夠，顯然自以為武力強大，以致疏忽最重要的東西。有忖無恐！人愈自信滿滿時，易在最不可能的地方犯錯，我們可能有我們沒有想到的地方。把一切都交託給神！這次約沙法王沒有像去打亞蘭王前先求問耶和華！萬事俱備只缺禱告神！

神會因為基督徒祝福這個地方!相反的基督徒敬畏神，神會降禍這個地方。

挖溝是信心的行為，順服，相信。沒有風、沒有雨，天氣熱要挖溝是難的，承受恩典之前必須以行動來證明信心。溝愈深表示信心愈強，恩典也愈多。

溝深以致水滿溢，同時產生水如血，造成摩押人的錯覺。信心順服愈多、徹底，雖然挖溝是不合理的事！

摩押王把兒子獻祭給他們的神！找黑暗勢力。以色列王、以東王有破口，所以他們撤軍。約蘭不蒙祝福，雖然因為約沙法王蒙祝福，但是約蘭不敬畏神，約蘭以為可以不敬畏神繼續沾約沙法的光，神仍然要審判不敬畏神的人。

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How?

No matter what we are doing, we should go with the Lord, even our companions are non-christian, but because our hearts belong to the Lord, God's blessing will be with us, and we bless the others because God is with us. May we could be others' blessings because of our love and faith in the Lord!

摩押王相信遭三王攻擊是基抹發怒所致，獻長子為祭，以取悅其神（參十六3）。

    “以色列人遭遇耶和華的大怒”原文無“耶和華的”字樣。“大怒”有“噁心”、“驚愕”之意，可以解作以色列人見此情景，既驚愕又噁心；目的雖未全達，仍決定班師回國。