03.11. The Miraculous Relief: 2Ki_3:13-19

Chapter 4 The Miraculous Relief
2 Kings 3:13-19 The times in which we live have, on more accounts than one, a serious aspect. That period of refining which awaits the church, appears to be near at hand. But true disciples stand upon a rock in the middle of the waves, and that rock consists of the grace, love, truth, power and faithfulness of their great King. May the reflections we are about to enter upon, serve to strengthen us in the belief of this!

"And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones."

We have seen the three sovereigns in the respectful attitude of suppliants before the prophet of God. Elisha anticipates the occasion of such unusual condescension by first addressing them. He was not embarrassed, nor even surprised at their visit. The Majesty of Heaven was too clearly before the eyes of his mind for him to be immoderately awed by human greatness. As all earthly greatness and glory appear very different in the eyes of God and of his holy angels, from what they commonly appear to men, so is this more or less the case with those who live near to God upon earth. Our present subject then opens with, I. Elisha’s address to the kings;

II. The minstrel; and III. The prophet’s directions.