DoublePortion_October2023_8.5x5.5_REV.indd

At Rephidim, the people suffered from a lack of water and subsequently quarreled with their leader. Crying out to the Lord, Moses received instructions to strike the rock at Horeb. Once he did, water flowed forth. A pair of questions- The king of Israel handled his crises differ ently, exclaiming, “What!. . . Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?” (2 Kings 3:10). Remember, this is Joram, also referred to as Jehoram (2 Chronicles 22:7), the son of Ahab and Jezebel, who played lip service to the Lord, yet still clung to the sins of his predecessors. Recall from chapter 8 that Ahaziah consulted Baal-Zebub first to see if he would recover from his accident (2 King 1:2). Likewise, Jehoram’s disrespect for the One True God is exposed by the sarcastic tone of his question. King Jehoshaphat of Judah differed significantly. Beginning his reign in 873 BC, this son of Asa served for 25 years. Scripture says, “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals” (2 Chronicles 17:3). His inquiry reveals the object of his belief. “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” (2 Kings 3:11). It has been reported that during the Civil War a wounded Union soldier looked up to Abraham Lincoln saying, “Mr. Presi dent, don’t you think we should pray that God would be on our side.”To which Lincoln responded, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” 1 Jehoshaphat demonstrated such thinking. He sought God’s favor and helped solidify peace between Judah and Israel. Oh, that in these desperate days, three millenia later, God would raise up government, business, military, religious, and educational leaders who would inquire of Him and seek His favor.

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