ELISHA AND THE KING OF MOAB WHO OFFERED HIS FIRSTBORN SON A BURNT OFFERING ON THE WALL In an attempt to submit Moab that rebelled against him, led by its king Mesha, Jehoram king of Israel made an alliance with Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and with the king of Edom. By their alliance, they had strong military might, yet they did not have the simplest of thing, namely water, through the lack of which, they would face, not only defeat, but death with thirst. Knowing that the prophet Elisha was nearby, the three kings came to seek his help. He initially refused to assist Jehoram, king of Israel, and told him to go to the prophets of his parents Ahab and Jezebel; but he finally consented to help them for the sake of king Jehoshaphat. He asked them to bring to him a musician; and when they did, and the musician started to play music, the hand of God was upon Elisha; and without seeing any wind or rain, he counseled them to dig several wells in the valley, to collect the water that will certainly come through Edom; and predicted to them, as well, the utter defeat of Moab…. All his prophecies were fulfilled. Because the three kings: Judah, Israel, and Edom joined forces without the counsel of God; they were destined to perish for the lack of water, if not for His intervention that rescued them in an supernatural way, as He did in the old, when He rescued Samson the judge, who, “when he became very thirsty, …God split the hollow place that is in lehi, and water came out, and he drank, and his spirit returned and he was revived (Judges 15: 18-19) While they put the capital of Moab under siege; Mesha king of Moab offered his firstborn son a burnt offering on the wall for his god, before the sight of his enemies, who, watching that they grudgingly walked away and returned to their lands. 1-Jehoram, king of Israel, did evil in the sight of the Lord 1 - 3 2- Moab rebels against Israel 4 - 5 3- An alliance between Jehoram king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah 6 - 12 4- Elisha confirms the victory over Aram 13 - 20 5- Moab calls to gather the spoils 21 - 26 6- Mesha king of Moab offers his firsborn son a burnt offering 27 1- JEHORAM KING OF ISRAEL DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD: “Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years” (1) After the death of Ahaziah the son of Ahab, his brother Jehoram sat on the throne, for Ahaziah had no son of his own. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, in the second year his son Jehoram reigned together with him; (1: 17); there was friendship between the two kingdoms, on account of that Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat married Athaliah the daughter of Ahab. Although that friendship had a good effect upon Israel; in that Jehoram did not do as much evil as his father and mother did; and he removed the idol of Baal erected by his father, Yet it had bad effect on Judah; for the worship of Baal entered into it. + While sitting together with the unwise will corrupt the heart, talking to the wise is like a sweet spring. + Do not compromise with the slothful, lest you, yourself will go down to the lowest level; But let your meditation be with the good, to dwell together with them up high, where there is the high knowledge; Head to where the light is. (St. (Mar) Isaac the Syrian) + If you feel harmed by your friendship with one of the brethren, hasten to cut yourself off him…. I do not mean to provoke you to hate the others; … No! but to cut off any cause of iniquity. (St. (Mar) Ephraim the Syrian) + “Do not be deceived; evil company disrupts the good habits (1 Corinthians 15: 33) … If you despise gold, while someone else love it;… If you reject wealth, while someone else fervently seeks it; … If you love silence, and privacy, while someone else finds pleasure in vain conversations in public places; … Do not be together with him under one roof. … Do not trust in your previous chastity; for you could never be more holy than David, or wiser than Solomon! … If, within your priestly task, you are required to visit a widow or a virgin, do not enter into her house alone; go with a company; Do not sit together with a woman secretly and without witnesses. In case she has a secret she wants to tell you; she should have with her a nanny, a widow, or a married woman friend (St. Jerome) While 1 kings 1: 17 mentions Jehoram as the king of Judah, here the same book mentions Jehoshaphat as the king of Judah. It was the custom of many kings in the world, as in Israel, Babylon, the Roman Empire, etc. to appoint the son to be a partner of his father the king, to get the necessary experience, so that no gap would happen when the old king dies. Here we see Jehoshaphat appoint his son Jehoram (Joram) as his partner to reign together with him for as long as five years (853 -848 BC). Hence there were two kings in Israel and Judah with the same name “Jehoram” at the same time. “And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillars of Baal that his father had made” (2) Jehoram, king of Israel put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made; yet, because he did not destroy it , but he only displaced it from its position; it was brought back later on; until king Jehu completely got rid of it (2 kings 10: 26-27) Some of us may forsake certain sins, but persist on others; or may forsake these sins during the days of fast, and commit them again in certain occasions like during the unbefitting wedding celebrations; Or may correct certain doctrinal faults, yet without a commitment to a holy life in the Lord. “Nevertheless he persisted in the sins if Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them” (3) Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom (Israel) became an example of an evildoing. He made two golden calves in Dan and Bethel to be worshipped by his people; corrupted the system of priesthood and the feasts, mentioned in the divine law; and provoked the people to apostate from worshipping the true God; and denied them the enjoyment of the worship in the temple in Jerusalem. Provoking the people to Worship the two golden calves in Dan and Bethel was a political more than a religious matter; Otherwise, the people would probably hasten to go to Jerusalem to worship the living God; and submit to the kings of Judah. + About Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, the Book says that he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father Ahab, and his mother Jezebel (1 kings 22: 51-52). Then the second book of the kings says that Ahaziah’s brother, Jehoram, walked in the sins of the Jeroboam household (2 kings 3: 3), followed by Ahaziah the third, about whom the Book also said that he also did evil in the sight of the Lord. Once the time came to punish the household of Ahab who persisted on doing evil in the sight of the Lord, up till the fourth generation, a king was anointed king of Israel – Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nemshi, who killed Ahaziah and Jezebel, together with seventy other sons of Ahab; as though he was an executioner of the climax of the divine wrath; for which he was commended by the Lord who said to him “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all what is in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation” (2 Kings 10: 30). Hence, you may notice how God reluctantly punish the descendants of the evildoers up till the fourth generation; while whoever gives God honor, God covers him with His mercy up to the fourth generation. Therefore, O Jews, stop your unwarranted accusations against the divine justice. (St. Cyril the Great) 2- MOAB REBELS AGAINST ISRAEL: “Now, Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-breeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs, and the wool of one hundred thousand rams” (4) The name ‘Mesha’ or ‘Mesa’, as the king of Moab came engraved on an ancient Moabite stone, on which was also mentioned the wars between Omri king of Israel and Moab, that ended in the submission of Moab to Omri and his son after him for as long as forty years. But eventually, Moab rebelled against Israel and took over several of its cities; which most probably happened in the days of king Ahaziah (1: 1) According to St. (Mar) Ephraim the Syrian, the word ‘noqds’ mentioned here in the Holy Book, is derived from the Hebrew language, and may be translated as (king of the shepherds of rams). Paying the wool of one hundred thousand sheep and one hundred thousand rams, indicates how Moab was rich in cattle, and how Israel had authority on it. “But it happened when Ahab died that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel” (5) Once Ahab died, Moab found its chance to rebel against Israel. Ahaziah did nothing to confront that movement, until his successor Jehoram came and joined forces with Jehoshaphat king of Judah to fight against Moab; and almost prevailed. But watching how the king of Moab offered his own firstborn son a sacrifice on the wall (27), they, grudgingly departed from him and returned to their own lands. Moab was on the south-east border of Israel; and, because it for long, has put its eyes on the fertile land of Israel, there were many wars between the two kingdoms, and Mesha its king, in the year 840 BC, recorded some of his victories on a tablet called ‘the stone of Moab’, discovered in the year 1869 AD. 3- AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN JEHORAM KING OF ISRAEL AND JEHOSHAPHAT KING OF JUDAH: The rebellion of Moab against Israel, stirred up Jehoram to chastise them. “So king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel” (6) “Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, ‘The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?’ And he said, ‘I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses’’ (7) Jehoram resorted to Jehoshaphat because of the friendship between the two of them; and of the fact that Jehoram’s sister was married to Jehoshaphat’s son. “And he said, ‘Which way shall we go up?’ And he answered, ‘By way of the wilderness of Edom’” (8) Going to Moab could be by one of two routes: either toward the East after crossing over the River Jordan to the South; Or toward the South, west of the Sea of Lot, then to the East to Edom; and from it to the North to Moab. The Moabites were probably well set to defend their land in the North, and did not expect an attack from the South. Jehoshaphat probably preferred the second route, to have Edom join them in the battle. It came in 1 Kings 22: 47, that there was no king in Edom, but a deputy of the king, under the authority of Judah. By suggesting to confront Moab through Edom, Jehoshaphat’s attempt was to avoid the strongholds of Moab in the North, and to attack it where they did not expect.. ‘Edom’ was the title of Esau the son of Isaac, who bore a violent animosity against his brother Jacob. The word ‘Edom’ means (bloody, Red, or bloodthirsty); he refers to the devil who can not stand the kingdom of God. That name was then given to the province inhabited by Esau, namely to the land of ‘Seir’ (Genesis 32: 3); a rough mountainous land, taken over by Esau after driving the Horites out of it (Deuteronomy 2: 12). The children of Edom were the descendants of Esau (Genesis 36: 19); whose animosity against the Jews most probably goes back to the days when Jacob tricked Esau and took his firstborn status. The Holy Book mentions how the Edomites did not allow the Hebrews to go through their land on their way to the promised land after their exodus from Egypt (Numbers 20: 14-41); even though God commanded His people not to harm the Edomites on account of that they were their brothers (Deuteronomy 23: 7-8). Saul, the first king of Israel fought against the Edomites (1 Samuel 14: 47); and king David invaded Edom, and put a garrison it (2 Samuel 8: 13-14). … Hadad – one of the princes of Edom – escaped to Egypt, and came to be an adversary to king Solomon (1 kings 11: 14-22). Now, Jehoram the son of Ahab joined forces with the kings of Judah and Edom, and fought Moab (2 kings 3: 5-9); The Edomites helped Israel and Judah in their war against Mesha king of Moab (2 kings 3: 4 – 27) In the days of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, Edom rebelled against Judah, and set a king for themselves (2 kings 8: 20; 1 Chronicles 21: 8-10). … Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomites by casting them over the cliff in the Valley of the Salt; And Sela took over their capital (2 kings 14: 7; 2 Chronicles 25: 11-12). And during the reign of Ahaz, the Edomites invaded the tribe of Judah and took captives. And rejoiced to see how Nebuchadnezar destroyed Jerusalem (Psalm 137: 7). Because of its intense animosity against Israel, the prophets prophesied against; and also prophesied its inclusion in the kingdom of God (Jeremiah 49: 7-22; Lamentations 4: 21-22; Joel 3: 19, etc.) ; “So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them” (9) “And they marched on that roundabout route seven days”; Water was rare and the armies were huge and in need of water more than they could carry, a problem that the leaders were negligent to study before moving on to battle. “And the king of Israel said, ‘Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab’” (10) “But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?’ And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah’” (11) The question posed by Jehoshaphat hints to the fact that the majority of priests have already departed from the kingdom; so have the true prophets who kept away from the presence of kings, on account of that the later considered them as bad omen. What Jehoshaphat said, he previously said when the two kings intended to fight against Ramoth Glead (1 kings 22: 5-7); an indication of the fear of God; Yet they should have enquired from the Lord from the beginning before they move. “Who poured water on the hands of Elijah”; namely was his servant and disciple. Before using spoons and forks for eating, they cared to wash their spoiled hands after eating, and used a basin with two bottoms: an upper one with a cover with holes through which the water soiled by washing the hands would fall down to the lower bottom, and not to appear. There was, as well, a place on the cover to accommodate a bar of soap. “And 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” (12) We notice here that the three kings showed humility in seeking to encounter Elisha, and not calling him to come to them. That shows how God gives His servants, an awe, even in the eyes of His wicked opponents. 4- ELISH CONFIRMS THE VICTORY OVER ARAM: “Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother’. And the king of Israel said to him, ‘No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hands of Moab’” (13) Here, Elisha talked roughly against the wicked kings of Israel who used to enquire from the Baal (1: 2-3). “What have I to do with you:; Elisha addressed Jehoram king of Israel with courage For although he has put away the sacred pillar of Baal, yet he did not put away the worship of Baal, which, for him, was more to realize political benefits. “And Elisha said. ‘As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you’” (14) “As the Lord of hosts live, before whom I stand”; Here, Elisha used the same way his mentor Elijah spoke. With courage, he said to Jehoram: “I would not look at you or see you, For Jehoram dedicated his heart and life to the account of Baal, and God had no portion in him; whereas Jehoshaphat bound himself to God, and was, therefore qualified to get the divine grace. For the sake of His servant David, there was still a lamp of God in Judah – Jehoshaphat king of Judah – who although God rebuked him for his sin of uniting with the wicked (2 Chronicles 19: 1-3; 20: 37), yet he was a godly man who fears the Lord, did not forsake the Lord, and did not worship the idols. … The wicked benefited from the presence of such a righteous man among them; yet his action brought upon him a lot of troubles. + The prophet talked roughly to Jehoram, but was pleased with Jehoshaphat, gave him hope of salvation; and promised that by his intervention, victory will be realized through his stewardship to the Lord. (St. (Mar) Ephraim the Syrian) “But now bring me a musician’, and it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him” (15) The prophet told them to bring to him a musician, most probably to play a hymn or to sing a praise; so that, in such a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere that would take away the anxiety and disturbance, God would proclaim His will to him; and the heart would be ready to hear His voice. … David used to play music to revive king Saul (1 Samuel 16: 23). and the prophets of the old covenant used to sing praise accompanied with musical instruments. + With such a peaceful musical background; when the miracle happens, they would not be able to refer it to the Baal or to the idols they worshipped; for the three armies included a huge number of idol-worshippers. + The musician played, and the water abundantly came. Through that symbol, he befittingly referred to the voice of Christ, who kept the harp of the Spirit on the cross, when He cried out twice and yielded up His Spirit (Matthew 27: 46-50; Mark 15: 34-27); and the Roman Centurion instantly glorified the Lord (Matthew 27: 54; Mark 15: 39); a first sign of bringing the Gentiles to believe in God.. Having consummated the new glory on the cross, the springs were opened, and the rivers of living water flooded upon the peoples and nations -- symbolized by the valley -- according to the words of the Lord Christ before His passion: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7: 38). By that the word of the prophet David who played on his harp in the name of the Lord (Psalm 108: 3) is fulfilled.. (St. (Mar) Ephraim the Syrian) “And he said, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches’” ((16) His commandment here came to make the valley full of ditches (used to store water); namely to proclaim their faith practically, by believing that the water will certainly come falling down from the mountains, where it would rain far away, and run down to them in the valley where they were. They did make ditches in dry land, before any sign of rain appears. … By faith, we should believe the divine promises, and act according to them. He commanded them to make ditches to keep the water, and not to be just satisfied by drinking it, the same way the Lord Christ commanded His disciple to gather the fragments that remained (Matthew 14: 20). They most probably were surprised to hear his command to make ditches; for there was no sign of rain; and it was not winter season to expect it. … But ‘God of the impossible’ requests from us to do as much as we can, although His gift is free, and despite our unworthiness of any such a reward. … The kings were committed to make ditches to be filled with the water, God promised to send, to fill the valley for their men and beasts. Why did the Lord command them to make ditches in the valley? 1- The number of men in the three armies was very huge; and their gathering together was a chance for God to be glorified among them On account of that the majority of them were idol-worshippers; and making ditches before any sign of rain, will make them wonder what they were doing!… And while the musician was playing his music, and men of three armies were making ditches, if they become filled with water, no one of them would dare to deny the miraculous work of the living God. 2- It would be enough to let them prepare pots in the valley to collect water; but god intends for us to have more than what we ask for and more than we need. 3- Demanding making ditches reveals God honoring man; For He who fills the ditches with water without wind or rain, could he not send clouds to rain on them, to quench their thirst. But He intended for them to do a little according to their possibilities; and then He does the impossible;… St. John Chrysostom confirms the practical role of the believer, after which God would grant him the super-natural. + “O Lord, I know, the way of man is not in himself” (Jeremiah 10: 23); The prophet then adds: “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps”. He means to say: [Not everything depends upon us. Some of them do, and other things depend on God. Namely, choosing the best, making decisions, showing jealousy, and enduring troubles, all are realized according to our intention; while reaching the requested result, keeping us from perversion, and reaching the goal of good deeds, would be realized by a grace from above. As you may see, God grants us the virtue, without leaving everything to us, lest we would probably pervert in our foolishness; And without taking everything over Himself, lest we would pervert to slothfulness. With such a simple part on us, God does the major part. Actually, in case everything depend on us, some may fall into haughtiness. Listen to the Pharisee (Luke 18: 10-14), who boasted counting his head higher than the whole world. …. That is why God left just a little, to find a reason to truly glorify us. In the parable the Lord used, when He said that the owner of the vineyard,, finding some men at the eleventh hour, he sent them to work in the vineyard (Matthew 20: 6-7); … What could they do at such a late hour?; practically nothing!; but even such a short time was enough to give them the complete wages. (St. John Chrysostom) “For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink’” (17) For they proclaimed their belief in getting the blessing of the Lord, the water was granted to them, even though it was not the season for rain (Rain falls in the Middle East in winter and not in summer as in certain other geographical regions). Elisha had no gold nor silver or armies; but he was rich by God who satisfied his needs and the need of those who seek it from him. By God he was richer than all kings. + Look how numerous were his privileges; by which you can perceive his limitless authority; When three kings begged him for water, he could respond to their request with abundance; The man of God was rich, his riches were genuine; and the kings of the land stood begging before him;; Although he had no silver, gold, or possessions in this world; He could bring healing to the bad water, and abundance to the sick springs, when asked to do so; He could keep away death; give life to men, and instruct the beasts of the wild; He could fill the ditches in the dry land for the benefit of the soldiers; and could turn the water into oil when needed; He could give the barren women the fruit of wombs; and could raise the dead by his prayer; He could turn the bitterness of water into sweetness; and give abundance to the few loaves of bread; He could heal the leper, and clothe the liar with leprosy.; He could make the wood sink in water, and the iron float;; By his prayer he could open up the closed eyes; and be accompanied by the horses of fire wherever he goes; And he could close shut the eyes of the enemy; and see everything from afar; He could defeat the armies by the sound of weapons without a battle; and could give satisfaction to cities; By his word, he could weaken the tyrant kings; and could reveal the secrets of the future; He could reveal to sick kings the time of their death, and prophesy who will succeed them; He could anoint kings; and could give them might in their battles; If asked, he could give life to the dead by his approach; and reveal his power with every spiritual wealth. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “And this is but a trivial thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand’” (18) After being given the first blessing of filling the ditches with abundant water, without need for wind or rain, the armies would get the second blessing, namely the defeat of Moab on their hands. “For with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1: 37; 18: 27). He is God of the impossible ; and as the Lord Christ Himself says: “With God everything is possible” (Matthew 19: 26; Mark 10: 27). If God cared for those three armies, most of which were idol-worshippers; and gave them water without rain; and victory over their enemies without need to enter into a battle, How much more would He grant us to enjoy the work of His Holy Spirit; to have in us fountains of living water; and to grant us conquest over the devil and all his hosts?! What we think impossible in our spiritual life; our Christ would grant it to us for free and in abundance; in an easy, sweet, and even joyful way.. + With men it is impossible, but not with God” (Mark 10: 27). This we learn from the counsel given by Paul to his disciple Timothy, saying: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them be good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share; storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6: 17-19). (St. Jerome) “Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones’” (19) While Moses commanded the armies of Israel not to destroy the trees of their enemies (Deuteronomy 20: 19); Here we read the verse: “You shall cut down every good tree” (19) According to some scholars, what came in the Book of Deuteronomy apply only to using the trees for siege-works; for it is said: “When you besiege a city , … do not destroy the trees” (Deuteronomy 20: 19); which agrees with the fact mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy that the trees that produce fruits good for eating, would be so used by man; otherwise they may be cut off. It could be that the command not to destroy the trees concern those in the land of Canaan, where the children of Israel were about to dwell; whereas the Book of the kings refers to destroy the trees in the land of Moab, where they were not going to dwell. ..,. Besides, the pagans used to worship their gods under every tree. The Lord Christ says: No one is good but one, that is God” (Matthew 19: 17; Mark 10: 18; Luke 18: 19). Here, the Lord Christ talks about absolute goodness of God alone; while there are men relatively good; and things relatively good temporal-wise. + In case we find in the Holy Book, someone good (other than the Holy Trinity), like an angel or man (Psalm 37: 23; Wisdom 1: 1), or a good tree (19); they are all called “good”, yet not according to the accurate meaning of the word; For goodness in them is accidental and not essential. (The scholar Origen) + Isn’t God Good? Having fed thousands of people in the wilderness with the bread of heaven; keeping famine away from them; when they did not even need to partake of work to be satisfied; and as long as forty years walking on foot in the wilderness, “their clothes have not worn out on them, and their sandals have not worn out on their feet” (Deuteronomy 29: 5). ( ). Is God not “Good”?, having exalted earth to heaven; that the way the stars reflect the splendor of His glory in heaven as in a mirror; So the choir of apostles, martyrs, and priests, glitter like the stars, and send their light to the whole world. …. He is not just “Good”, He is far more than that. “He is the Good Shepherd; and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep” (John 10: 11) For my own benefit, I believe that God is “Good”; and, “It is good to trust in God”; It is good to confess that He is the Lord; for it is written: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good” (Psalm 118: 1) (St. Ambrose) “Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water” (20) By saying “In the morning when the grain offering was offered” (20); that does not mean that the armies of Judah, Israel, and Edom offered grain offerings in the battlefield, but it was a reference to the time when the grain offering was offered in the temple every morning (Ezekiel 29: 38-39). + Man could be truly perseverant whether when he is inflicted by calamities, or when he bows down in despair of realizing his hope. About the attitude of the evil mind, it is written: “For men will praise you when you do good to them” (see psalm 49: 18). Here, the righteous mind is discerned from the evil mind; for even in the midst of affliction; the former knows that the glory of the Mighty God would never break down by the temporal things; and would not collapse together with the outer glory, but would rather become stronger when the temporal goods are lost. (Pope Gregory the Great) 5- MOAB CALLS TO GATHER THE SPOILS “And when the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered, and they stood at the border” (21) “Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood” (22) It was not possible for the Moabites to perceive that the ditches were full of water; on account of that there was no rain to fill them; But as the sun was shining on the water, the Moabites saw it as red as blood; and, assuming that the three armies “have struck swords and killed one another”, they instantly hasten to the spoil, and were defeated. The same water that filled the ditches for quenching the thirst of the three armies, and saved them from sure perdition; brought perdition to the Moabite enemy. When the Sun of righteousness shone on humanity, the believers were watered by the water of the Holy Spirit; whereas the non-believers were terrified, counting the water as destructive blood. According to the apostle Paul: “To the one we are the aroma of death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life” (2 Corinthians 2: 16) + To whom is it is “the aroma of death to death”, but to the non-believers, and to those who do not abide to the Word (the Logos) God? … Again, Who are they, who are saved, and get the inheritance? But surely those who believe in God, and who persist on loving Him, like Caleb the son of Jephuneh and Joshua the son of Nun (Numbers 14: 30), and the innocent children (Jonah 4: 11), those who have no sense of evil. …. Who are they who are saved now, and enjoy the eternal life? Are they not those who love God, believe in His promises, and “be babes in malice” ?! (1 Corinthians 14: 20). (St. Erinaos) “And they said, ‘This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil” (23) + Because the Moabites did not come armed to fight, but rather to take spoil, they did not resist, but turned their faces and fled away; (St. Ephraim the Syrian) “So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them, and they entered into their land, killing the Moabites” (24) The three armies did not expect what actually occurred. They only hoped – by the prayer of Elisha – to have water to save them of sure perdition by thirst. But God, Generous in His giving, brought forth to them water to quench their thirst and that of their beasts, and let the water remain filling the ditches, for the Moabites to think it as blood. By order of their leaders, the soldiers threw their arms away, and set forth to gather the spoil, without entering into battle; to be delivered into the hands of the three armies that restored their strength by the water they drank, and won the battle without a fight. This is a living portrait of the work of the Lord Christ , who turns our battle against the devil into an exalted conquest. Instead of the destruction of the kingdom of Christ in our hearts, disgrace and reproach dwell upon the kingdom of the devil. + Now, beloved brethren, Satan is slain; that tyrant against the whole world … Death will no longer reign; but life will dwell instead; For the Lord says: “I am the life” (John 14: 6). There will be joy and happiness, as it is written: “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice” (Psalm 97: 1). (St. Pope Athanasius the Apostolic) + A great affliction and an intense grief, dwelt upon the devil and his hosts on the day of the crucifixion of our Lord; For by His death and descent to Hades, He did to them what He did to Pharaoh and the Egyptians; He set the children of Adam free from their prison; as He liberated the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. (St. Ambrose) “Then they destroyed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water, and cut down all the good trees, except that they left intact the stones of Kir Haraseth. However the slingers surrounded and attacked it” (25) “Kir Haraseth” or ‘Kir Hareth’ (Jeremiah 48: 31) or ‘Kir Moab’ (Isaiah 15: 1); known nowadays as ‘Karak’, a fortified fertile city, located at the head of a hill surrounded by deep valleys. The word ‘Kir’ means (a wall). Because it was the only city with a wall, the Israelites kept it intact after they destroyed the other cities; yet they afflicted its inhabitants and struck them with the stone-throwers. “And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too intense for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not” (26) The king of Moab broke through to the king of Edom, probably because he saw him as the weakest of the three kings; or on account of that he was intensely angry on him because he joined forces with his enemies: Israel and Judah after being his ally (2 Chronicles 30: 22). + Three kings came forth to fight against Moab; Yet, when they were confronted with great thirst, they resorted to the prophet Elisha for help, and he responded to them; By his prayers, the ditches they dug in the valley were filled with water, without wind or rain; By a hidden sign, the valley was filled with swamps of water; and the three armies, gathered together for war, quenched their thirst; Having regained their strength, the Moabite enemy was destroyed; He was surrounded by the three armies that devastated his land, and angrily destroyed his inheritance; The battle was heated, his fortified cities were destroyed, and the beauty of his land was corrupted; When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too intense for him, and that he was unable to prevail; He intended to escape but could not; For the war surrounded him like the waves of a great sea, from which he found no escape. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) 6- MESHA, KING OF MOAB, OFFERED HIS FIRSTBORN SON A BURNT OFFERING: “Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great indignation against Israel. So they departed from him and returned to their own land” (27) Seeing that his defeat was eminent, the king of Moab broke through, to attack the king of Edom, but he failed. Then he offered his firstborn son a burnt offering upon the wall. There was a great indignation was against Israel, who departed from him and returned to their own land. It is amazing how Israel were indignant when they saw how the king of Moab publicly offered his own firstborn son a sacrifice; how, counting his action as abomination, they departed and returned to their own land. … They did not think about removing the idol-worship from their land! When God flooded the three armies with ditches full of water with no wind or rain, from which the three armies quenched their thirst; no one thought of offering God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, or to praise God who cared for them. While the pagan king, on the other hand, having been afflicted, and his city was put under siege, he hastened to offer his firstborn a sacrifice to his idol. Many wonder why was God angry against Israel when the king of Moab sacrificed his son to the devil. About it St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi talks in his poem “Elisha and the king of Moab who offered his son a sacrifice upon the wall”: + I took the Book, and was shocked to read how the king of Moab offered his son a sacrifice upon the wall; With great amazement, I quit reading, and strived to understand the situation; Why, when the pagan king offered his firstborn son a sacrifice to the defiled devil; there was great indignation from God against Israel? I tried to find a reason for something that was beyond the understanding of many; + When king of Moab did his horrible act before the eyes of many; A great indignation from God came upon the Hebrews and the Edomites; While the pagan king was relieved of his affliction, the three kings who came to make war against him stopped their war; By slaying his son, the great adversity against him came to an end; and by the blood of his firstborn, he won the war of the mighty; Now, let us ask ourselves: How did the pagan prevail by such an abominable sacrifice he offered? The war is the Lord’s; and the sacrifice was offered to the devil. … How did the Lord let him prevail by such an abominable sacrifice? The idol to whom the pagan king offered his firstborn son a sacrifice, could give him neither victory nor defeat; The sacrifice offered was not to the Lord, in whose hand was the victory and the defeat, but it was to the helpless idols; The great indignation of God against his people Israel was because He saw how the pagan king trusted in his false god While the people of God doubted His salvation; The indignation of God against the Hebrews was because they did not love Him, and were not proud of Him, like the idol-worshippers of their god; While the pagan king so loved his god who is not a true god, to offer him his own firstborn son a sacrifice; And I, the Great Being and the Lord; was counted by My people as nothing, For this I shall crush those who do not love me, while that pagan loved his god; While that pagan believed the lies and did not doubt them, My people do not believe the truth, and doubt the salvation; While that pagan who found no help, signs, nor victories, so trusted in his god, to sacrifice his son to him; Israel, who saw how my exalted power divided the sea, brought water forth from the rock, sweetened the bitter water; brought down the Manna and the xxxxxxx, Who saw how I divided the river, broke down the city walls, and conquered the kings; Who saw My might in Egypt, miracles in the sea, signs in the wilderness, terror in Sinai, and wonders everywhere;; After seeing all those great things I did, My people are slothful and doubtful, and do not believe that they could prevail by Me; That is why I shall deliver them before the loser; to learn from him how to trust his god; He who loves his idol without testing it; while I, whom My people tested, they do not love me; Moses taught them to love their God, and they did not listen to him; And the pagan rebuked them by his great love for his idol; To make that people who did not love their God feel shame, that pagan king sacrificed his own firstborn son; Those three kings who made war against that pagan king, saw the wonder done by the prophet Elisha; They saw how the ditches they dug in the valley were filled with water without wind nor rain, to quench the thirst of the great armies; They drank the water and did not praise God, nor move to offer thanksgiving to the Lord;; That is why they were rebuked by the sacrifice offered by the pagan king, who bound his trust in his god without any sign from him; They saw in Elisha the power of the great Moses, when he prayed and filled the valley with water to quench their thirst; Because they denied that great sign; they were despised by that pagan who believed in his god, although he saw no sign from him; The miserable man who lost, whose land was destroyed, and his people were wiped out; Saw the signs done by the God of Jacob; heard the news of the wonders done by Elisha; and saw by his own eyes the exalted arm of Adonai; Although he saw and felt how the great war surrounded him; Yet he did not forsake his god, and did not doubt his idol for not saving him; But sacrificed his firstborn son, still hoping for his help; The Lord saw, and His indignation came against Israel; for he was not loyal to Him like the pagan king to his god; Such trust shown by the pagan king in what is nothing, God sought in His people; (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) + Mesha king of Moab, who lost all hope in his armies, completely and suddenly changed, Seeing how no human could help him, and losing his trust in his idol god, he was counseled by his wise men to supplicate for mercy from the God of Israel, by an unusual sacrifice, according to the tradition common among the Canaanites, similar to that of Abraham the father of Israel (Genesis 22: 1- 18) by which he found favor in the sight of God, and to that of the judge Jephthah with his firstborn daughter (Judges 11: 35) .. Seeing that amazing wonder done by God by the prayers of the prophet Elisha, they knew that no one but God could make the water flood upon His people; and that no other god could give his people more benefit. The king of Moab, seeing that wonder, by his own eyes, did not wish to be denied such great help in the serious situation he was in. Doubting his own faith, he forsook the idol-worship and resorted to the Mighty God who created a new sea in the wilderness; and offered his own firstborn son, the pillar of his household, and the hope of his kingdom, a sacrifice upon the walls of the city; before the armies that surrounded him. He intended for the Hebrews to see the sacrifice he offered to the God of Abraham. + Some people imitate the good deeds, not out of love for them, as much as for the sake of their own benefit, The king of Moab saw how Jephthah has slain his firstborn daughter (Judges 11: 30), and not an animal, and God had compassion on him, although he did that with great pain. Which God allowed to happen to keep men from offering their fellow humans as sacrifices to Him. (St. (Mar) Ephraim the Syrian) There are several other interpretations of that sacrifice, of which are: 1- Some wonder : Did the king of Moab offer his firstborn son a burnt offering to his god ‘Camush’? in an attempt to have favor in his sight; or did he offer the son of the king of Edom, whom he took captive? (Amos 2: 1) 2- What does “There was great indignation against Israel” (27) mean? a- According to some, the two kings of Judah and Edom, seeing how the king of Moab offered his own son a sacrifice, felt remorse for what they caused him of intense affliction, and cast the responsibility upon the king of Israel who provoked them to go to war. b- Some others, interpret this phrase that Israel, seeing what the king of Moab did, felt great indignation before such an abominable act, and departed to their land. c- According to others, still, the indignation was by the Moabites upon Israel, Judah, and Edom. Seeing how their king offered his own son a sacrifice on the wall; they fought so fiercely that their enemies had to depart.. d- Offering human sacrifices, as mentioned by ‘Burder’, has been a very ancient custom, practiced by several nations in many eras; among which were: the Ethiopians, the Phoenicians, the Skithians, the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Persians, the Indians, the Ghalians, the Gosians, the Cartagenians, the Arabs, the British (before the invasion of the Anglo-Saksanians), and the Romans. It was practiced in different ways: sometimes slaying by the knife, by drowning, by burning with fire, and by burying alive. The idol-worshipping Israelites followed the lead of their neighbors the Phoenicians in this concern (See Jeremiah 19: 5; Micah 6: 7). Lately, an inscription was discovered in ‘Behistun’, which, according to ‘Grotefend’ of Hanover, referred to that Nebuchadnezzar burned his own son to death to bring Babylon out of a certain affliction. -------------------------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 2 KINGS 3 TO YOU, I RESORT, O GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE + By human measures, the kings of Judah, Israel, and Edom, assumed that they will definitely conquer Moab; Without seeking Your Counsel, O Lord, they set forth to war; But they oversaw the simplest of military preparations; They gathered together for battle without an adequate provision of water; Although their human and military provisions were strong; Yet because of the lack of water, they were prone to perdition by thirst. + Judah insisted on seeking Your counsel through Your prophet Elisha; And with Your longsuffering, You presented to them more than what they asked for; They sought water to quench their thirst, to be able to fight; You satisfied them and their animals with water enough to fill the ditches they dug in the valley; You did not send wind or rain; So from where did water come to fill the ditches? You are God of the impossible; You granted them beyond their dreams; You provided them with water without labor; And You promised them victory without going into a battle; + You presented water to rescue those who, in their thirst, resorted to You; When Moab saw the water red by the rays of the sun, he wrongly thought it as blood; So he ordered his army, not to fight, but to hasten to take spoil; They, therefore, fell into a trap from which they could not escape. + O my God, my soul praises You; for You open the doors of hope before me; When it gets narrower before my physical eyes; You open my insight to see wonders; Through affliction, Your mercy shines on me; You shine, O Sun of Righteousness in me, and I get enlightened; And Your splendor, scatters the kingdom of darkness. + Your love captivates me, and liberates me from the bondage of the devil; You support me with Your Spirit; and set Your kingdom in me; Glory be to You, who turn my bitterness into sweetness; You, who set me free out of the pit, and bring me up to Your heavens
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