And you shall know no God but Me

The main reason for their rejection of God had been their idolatry and worshipping of other gods. They knew the true Lord God of Israel, yet they turned away. God reminded them that He is their God who brought them out of Israel. God recounted how He gave them a king when they requested, even though it will not be beneficial for them. Israel will go through various trials, God will be with them, but also judgment will be upon them. God promises to redeem them from death, but Samaria will face a terrible destruction.



Hosea 13
Relentless Judgment on Israel

13 When Ephraim spoke, trembling,
He exalted himself in Israel;
But when he offended through Baal worship, he died.
2 Now they sin more and more,
And have made for themselves molded images,
Idols of their silver, according to their skill;
All of it is the work of craftsmen.
They say of them,
“Let the men who sacrifice[a] kiss the calves!”
3 Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud
And like the early dew that passes away,
Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor
And like smoke from a chimney.
4 “Yet I am the Lord your God
Ever since the land of Egypt,
And you shall know no God but Me;
For there is no savior besides Me.
5 I knew you in the wilderness,
In the land of great drought.
6 When they had pasture, they were filled;
They were filled and their heart was exalted;
Therefore they forgot Me.
7 “So I will be to them like a lion;
Like a leopard by the road I will lurk;
8 I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs;
I will tear open their rib cage,
And there I will devour them like a lion.
The wild beast shall tear them.
9 “O Israel, you are destroyed,[b]
But your help[c] is from Me.
10 I will be your King;[d]
Where is any other,
That he may save you in all your cities?
And your judges to whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?
11 I gave you a king in My anger,
And took him away in My wrath.
12 “The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
His sin is stored up.
13 The sorrows of a woman in childbirth shall come upon him.
He is an unwise son,
For he should not stay long where children are born.
14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave;[e]
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues![f]
O Grave,[g] I will be your destruction![h]
Pity is hidden from My eyes.”
15 Though he is fruitful among his brethren,
An east wind shall come;
The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness.
Then his spring shall become dry,
And his fountain shall be dried up.
He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize.
16 Samaria is held guilty,[i]
For she has rebelled against her God.
They shall fall by the sword,
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces,
And their women with child ripped open.

For Israel has forgotten his Maker

This prophecy concerns the time when Israel will be in danger from her enemies. They have violated their covenant with God and the Law, but in that time, they will cry to the Lord. But God remembers their rejection of Him, when they set up their own rulers, made idols using their silver and gold. Their lack of repentance when they asked God for help turns God away.

They are unproductive and their crops will not have a good harvest. They have allied themselves with their pagan neighbours like Assyria, that will one day conquer them. They have build altars and continued the practices of sacrifices and offerings, but they have no understanding or obedience to the Law. Besides the temples, they have also build fortresses to protect themselves, but God declares that He will send fire to destroy the cities, none of the fortresses can withstand it.

covenant, transgresses, rebelled, Israel, Lord, Law, princes, calf, idols, Samaria, innocence, Ephraim, Maker, Egypt, fortified cities,

Hosea 8
The Apostasy of Israel

1 “Set the trumpet[a] to your mouth!
He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord,
Because they have transgressed My covenant
And rebelled against My law.
2 Israel will cry to Me,
‘My God, we know You!’
3 Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.
4 “They set up kings, but not by Me;
They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.
From their silver and gold
They made idols for themselves—
That they might be cut off.
5 Your calf is rejected, O Samaria!
My anger is aroused against them—
How long until they attain to innocence?
6 For from Israel is even this:
A workman made it, and it is not God;
But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.
7 “They sow the wind,
And reap the whirlwind.
The stalk has no bud;
It shall never produce meal.
If it should produce,
Aliens would swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up;
Now they are among the Gentiles
Like a vessel in which is no pleasure.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria,
Like a wild donkey alone by itself;
Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Yes, though they have hired among the nations,
Now I will gather them;
And they shall sorrow a little,[b]
Because of the burden[c] of the king of princes.
11 “Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin,
They have become for him altars for sinning.
12 I have written for him the great things of My law,
But they were considered a strange thing.
13 For the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat it,
But the Lord does not accept them.
Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.
They shall return to Egypt.
14 “For Israel has forgotten his Maker,
And has built temples;[d]
Judah also has multiplied fortified cities;
But I will send fire upon his cities,
And it shall devour his palaces.”

They Despised My Judgments and Did Not Walk in My Statutes, but Profaned My Sabbaths

A group of elders came to Ezekiel again to ask him to inquire of God. God's reply to Ezekiel was that He would not want to answer them. Instead He wanted them to remember how He brought them out of Egypt and told them to stop worshipping the Egyptian idols, but they continued with their abominations and rebelled against God.

God recalls the covenant He made with Israel. He gave the His Statutes, Law, Judgments, Sabbaths, all of which are supposed to build them up. With these laws and statutes, God establishes to them that they are His people. But instead the people violated all that God had commanded. God had to refrain from destroying them while in the desert. To God, their rebellion is profanity and defiling what God has given them.

God's judgment was not to destroy them all, but to scatter them for a season. He had a plan to bring them back together even before He scattered them. By His judgment, He aims to purge the rebels from His people.

The chapter ends with God telling a prophecy to Ezekiel. He asks Ezekiel to speak to the South that He will kindle a fire among them. The fire will be so strong that it will not be put out. It is a fire of judgment that will scorched the land from the south to the north.



Ezekiel 20
The Rebellions of Israel

1 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’ 4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

5 “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ 6 On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’[a] the glory of all lands. 7 Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ 8 But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ 9 But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

10 “Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’[b] 12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’;[c] and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14 But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’[d] the glory of all lands, 16 because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

18 “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

21 “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’;[e] but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, 24 because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

25 “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.”’

27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. 28 When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah[f] to this day.”’ 30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations? 31 For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you. 32 What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’

God Will Restore Israel

33 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. 36 Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.

37 “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God: “Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. 40 For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. 42 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. 43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. 44 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’”

Fire in the Forest

45 Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,[g] 47 and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. 48 All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”’”

49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’”

On the Mountain Height of Israel I will Plant it

God told Ezekiel a riddle involving two eagles and two trees. Then He explained that the first eagle was Babylon who came and conquered Israel. The Babylonians then took the best out of Israel and relocated them. The Babylonians also setup a puppet government in Israel(Judah) and made a covenant with the king. The king of Judah broke this agreement and rebelled against Babylon and sought to ally herself with Egypt.

God's judgment was on this covenant breaking king of Judah. Previously we read that if the conquered Israelites submit themselves to God's judgment, God will protect them. But instead this king of Israel rebelled and hence against God's will.

God seemed to be the second eagle who planted the seed in good soil. God will restore Israel and it is interesting to note the mention of every sort of bird will come under this tree which the eagle created. This reference of every sort of bird, may represented the gentiles turning toward God and share in the covenant blessings and salvation of God.





Ezekiel 17
The Eagles and the Vine

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.
4 He cropped off its topmost young twig
And carried it to a land of trade;
He set it in a city of merchants.
5 Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it like a willow tree.
6 And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots.
7 “But there was another[a] great eagle with large wings and many feathers;
And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him,
And stretched its branches toward him,
From the garden terrace where it had been planted,
That he might water it.
8 It was planted in good soil by many waters,
To bring forth branches, bear fruit,
And become a majestic vine.”’
9 “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Will it thrive?
Will he not pull up its roots,
Cut off its fruit,
And leave it to wither?
All of its spring leaves will wither,
And no great power or many people
Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.
10 Behold, it is planted,
Will it thrive?
Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?
It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.”’”
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. 13 And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, 14 that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

16 ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17 Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons. 18 Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’”

19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. 20 I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me. 21 All his fugitives[b] with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Israel Exalted at Last

22 Thus says the Lord God: “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. 23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”

Understand the Lovingkindness of the LORD

This psalm encourages us by looking at God's deliverance on many occasions when His people were in distress. They were in darkness and in the shadow of death as a result of their rebellion against God. In their distress, they called out to God, and out of His Goodness and Mercy, He brought them out of their darkness.

So this psalm calls for thanksgiving and rejoicing to recognize God's goodness. The LORD is also a just and fair God. He depreciates the land and resources of the wicked and blesses the land and resources of the obedient. The psalm end beautifully with:

"Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD."


Psalm 107
Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance

 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
         For His mercy endures forever.
 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
         Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
 3 And gathered out of the lands,
         From the east and from the west,
         From the north and from the south.
       
 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
         They found no city to dwell in.
 5 Hungry and thirsty,
         Their soul fainted in them.
 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He delivered them out of their distresses.
 7 And He led them forth by the right way,
         That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
 8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 9 For He satisfies the longing soul,
         And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
       
 10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
         Bound in affliction and irons—
 11 Because they rebelled against the words of God,
         And despised the counsel of the Most High,
 12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
         They fell down, and there was none to help.
 13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He saved them out of their distresses.
 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
         And broke their chains in pieces.
 15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 16 For He has broken the gates of bronze,
         And cut the bars of iron in two.
       
 17 Fools, because of their transgression,
         And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
 18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
         And they drew near to the gates of death.
 19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He saved them out of their distresses.
 20 He sent His word and healed them,
         And delivered them from their destructions.
 21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
         And declare His works with rejoicing.
       
 23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
         Who do business on great waters,
 24 They see the works of the LORD,
         And His wonders in the deep.
 25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
         Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
 26 They mount up to the heavens,
         They go down again to the depths;
         Their soul melts because of trouble.
 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
         And are at their wits’ end.
 28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He brings them out of their distresses.
 29 He calms the storm,
         So that its waves are still.
 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;
         So He guides them to their desired haven.
 31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
         And praise Him in the company of the elders.
       
 33 He turns rivers into a wilderness,
         And the watersprings into dry ground;
 34 A fruitful land into barrenness,
         For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
 35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
         And dry land into watersprings.
 36 There He makes the hungry dwell,
         That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
 37 And sow fields and plant vineyards,
         That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
 38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
         And He does not let their cattle decrease.
       
 39 When they are diminished and brought low
         Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
 40 He pours contempt on princes,
         And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
 41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
         And makes their families like a flock.
 42 The righteous see it and rejoice,
         And all iniquity stops its mouth.
       
 43 Whoever is wise will observe these things,
         And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Moab Rebelled Against Israel

When Ahaziah passed, Jehoram his brother and son of Ahab became King of Israel. In the time of Ahab, Moab had paid tribute to Israel but with Ahab gone and Israel and its second king in two years, Moab rebelled and stopped paying Israel. As evidence of the relationship with Judah at that time, Jehoram was able to seek the support of Judah as well as Edom to form and alliance to war against Moab. Jehoshaphat was still King of Judah and he also had an alliance with Ahab previously.

When Israel, Judah and Edom ventured toward Moab, at one part of the journey they had no water to feed their horses and themselves. Like the all Kings of Israel, Jehoram sin and made Israel sin, even though he took down some idols. As a reflection of his heart toward God, in the middle of the situation, Jehoram exclaimed that perhaps the Lord had brought all three kings out hear to die. Jehoshaphat, as seen before, was always asking the LORD when he was in bad situations. Here he asked if there was any prophet and Elisha was mentioned. So the three kings went to find Elisha.

It is also interesting that the prophets of the LORD don't have high opinions of the Kings of Israel. When Elisha saw the 3 kings, he told Jehoram to go back to his false prophets. To which Jehoram again replied that the Lord had brought them together to destroy them. Elisha, knowing Jehoshaphats relationship with God, said if it were not for the presence of Jehoshaphat he would not have seen them. Elisha prophesied that there will be plenty of water flowing soon and they could be fed again. In addition the LORD had brought them together to defeat Moab and they were to destroy Moab completely.

The next morning the land was filled with water for them, ending their thirst. Moab seeing the reflection of water looked like blood thinking the armies had turned against themselves. So Moab went out on the attack. Instead the three armies easily defeated Moab and destroyed the Moabite cities. The final passage was very curious; when Moab was almost defeated the king of Moab sacrificed his crown prince as a burnt offering on a wall. This was such a great indignation against Israel that they returned to their own land. So it appeared that the 3 armies did not capture nor destroy the King of Moab. It could be that the King of Moab was satisfying his pagan gods and for whatever messages he wanted to send to his enemies. Israel, Judah at least would find this abominable because the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob do not involve his children in human sacrifices.



2 Kings 3

Moab Rebels Against Israel

 1 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. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 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.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?”
And he answered, “By way of the Wilderness of Edom.”
9 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. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?”
So 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.”
12 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.
13 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.”
But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
14 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. 15 But now bring me a musician.”
Moabites into your hand. 19 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.”
20 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.
21 And when all 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. 22 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. 23 And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!”
24 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 their land, killing the Moabites. 25 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. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth intact. However the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. 27 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.