2 Kings 3:1-4:7

Memory Verse: 15

Questions

Outline

I. Moab Revolts (3:1-20)

>1. How is Joram's life summed up in verses 1-3?

* 2 Kings 3:1-3 "Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

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* Israel did not calculated a king's ascension and reign as other nations. After Israel and Judah split Judah kept calculating to "old way" and Israel switched and started calculating the way other nations did around them. Read The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings by Edwin Richard Thiele for more understanding on how Israel and Judah calculated the dates of their king's ascension and reign.

>How had his father treated his neighboring countries and how did that affect Joram? (4-6)

* 2 Kings 3:4-6 "Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to supply the king of Israel with a hundred thousand lambs and with the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel."

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>From whom did Joram seek assistance? (7)

* 2 Kings 3:7 "He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?" "I will go with you," he replied. "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

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>Did he get assistance?

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>2. Why might Joram want to attach Edom from the other side of them even though it was the riskier way? (8-9)

* 2 Kings 3:8-9 "By what route shall we attack?" he asked. "Through the Desert of Edom," he answered. 9 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."

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>When trouble came who did he decided to seek help from? (10-12)

* 2 Kings 3:10-12 "What!" exclaimed the king of Israel. "Has the LORD called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?" 11 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD through him?" An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah." 12 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."

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>Why is it we do not seek the Lord Jesus before we do anything, but only when we are in trouble?

* Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

* Amos 5:4-6 "This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing." Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it."

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>3. Even though Elisha came with the army why did he answer Joram as he did? (13-14)

* 2 Kings 3:13-14 "Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What do we have to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother." "No," the king of Israel answered, "because it was the LORD who called us three kings together to hand us over to Moab." 14 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 look at you or even notice you."

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>How was Joram's heart condition shown in his answer to Elisha?

* "because it was the LORD who called us three kings together to hand us over to Moab."

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>4. Why might Elisha ask for a harpist? (15)

* 2 Kings 3:15 "But now bring me a harpist." While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha"

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>What did the Lord promise if they acted in faith? (16-19)

* 2 Kings 3:16-19 "and he said, "This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches. 17 For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18 This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you. 19 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."

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>Did the Lord bless their faith? (20)

* 2 Kings 3:20 "The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was--water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water."

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>What can we learn about the Lord?

* Luke 7:48-50 "Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

* Hebrews 11:1-2 "How faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for."

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II. Water That Looks Like Blood (3:21-27)

>5. Look at a map and consider why the water was red.

* 2 Kings 3:21-23 "Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. 22 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red--like blood. 23 "That's blood!" they said. "Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!"

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>Why might they think it was blood?

* Romans 7:11 "For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death."

* Romans 16:18 "For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."

* Colossians 2:4 "I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments."

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>How can we be kept from being deceived?

* 1 Corinthians 3:18 "Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise."

* 1 Timothy 4:1-10 "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe."

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>6. How did the Lord keep his word? (24-25)

* 2 Kings 3:24-25 "But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well."

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>7. What did the king of Moab try to do? (26)

* 2 Kings 3:26 "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."

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>Why didn't he succeed?

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>What final act did he do?

* 2 Kings 3:27 "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."

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>How is this an act opposite of the heart of Christ? (John 10:14-18)

* John 10:14-18 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

* Hebrews 7:27 "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

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III. The Widow's Oil (4:1-7)

>8. What problem did a believer in the Lord have? (1)

* 2 Kings 4:1 "The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves."

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>Why might this be even a greater problem for her than it would be in our day?

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>9. How did Elisha seek to help her? (2)

* 2 Kings 4:2 "Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."

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>What can we learn about where to look for help?

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>10. Why did he have her look for jars? (3-4; Hab. 2:4)

* 2 Kings 4:3-4 "Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."

* Habakkuk 2:4 "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright-- but the righteous will live by his faith"

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>How did the Lord bless her faith?

* 2 Kings 4:5-6 "She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing."

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>What did she do after the jars were filled?

* 2 Kings 4:7 "She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

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>What can be learned from these two incidents about living by faith in Jesus? (2 Cor. 5:7, Gal. 2:20, Heb. 10:38-39)

* 2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight."

* Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

* Hebrews 10:38-39 "But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

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