Sunday Morning Series - The Right Stuff - "Dealing With Frustrations"

2 Kings 3

After Ahab and Jezebel die, Jehoram becomes king of Israel. While he stops the worship of Baal, he does not tear down the other idols. Therefore, the scripture designates him as an evil king. Unlike the southern kingdom of Judah, the northern kingdom of Israel had no righteous kings.

During the lifetime of Omri and Ahab, Moab payed tribute to Israel. They saw Jehoram as weaker and refused to pay any longer. Naturally, Jehoram wasn't too happy about this and decided to attack Moab. He approached King Jehoshaphat, of Judah, and asked him for help. Instead of seeking the Lord, Jehoshaphat agreed without hesitation.

The king of Edom joins their company. They ask each other which route to take to Moab. As a result, they end up in a dry area with no water for the troops or livestock. They've stumbled into a bad situation. Is it God's fault? No. They didn't even ask Him for direction.

Did you ever notice how people blame God for all the bad things that happen? A baby dies, and they say, "God took him." Yet, when good things occur, they'll attribute it to luck. Don't blame God for bad things that result from the enemy's work or sin.

Jehoshaphat asked Jehoram if there's a prophet around, and is told that Elisha is close by. The prophet tells them if it were not for Jehoshaphat's presence, he wouldn't bother with them. It doesn't mean God approved of all Jehoshaphat's decisions. He used poor judgment in aligning himself with Jehoram.

Elisha gives them instructions from the Lord to dig ditches and utterly destroy the Moabites. They obey partially. The ditches are dug. The waters flow into them, and the Moabites are delivered into their hand. However, they allow some of them to survive. Years later, bands of Moabites raided their towns. If they'd done what they were supposed to, they wouldn't have had a problem.

To hear the message in detail, visit our website, and check out the Sermon player. If you're visiting the area or are looking for a church, we meet at 1111 Easton Rd., Route 611, Warrington, PA. Sunday morning service begins at 10:00 A.M.