2 Kings 3
“Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: He will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.” 2 Kings 3: 16-18.
A warning against ungodly relationships
Briefly looking into the life of King Jehoram, his father Ahab, and mother Jezebel were the wickedest king and queen that ruled over Israel. Jehoram followed in their footsteps as he was a wicked king as well:
“And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord.” 2 Kings 3:2
Mesha, the king of Moab was a sheepherder who was forced to pay tribute or taxes to Ahab, the king of Israel. When Ahab died, Mesha refused to continue paying these tributes to Jehoram, who was Ahab’s successor. Upset about this refusal, Jehoram approached Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah about going to war with him against Mesha. In doing so, Jehoram was showing his desperation for a victory over the Moabites in that he asked a godly man for help.
“And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.” 2 Kings 3:6-7
Jehoshaphat, being a godly king, kept trying to build relationships with the ungodly kings of Israel. At one point, God used the prophet Jehu to rebuke him about these alliances:
“And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 19:2
It is detrimental for us to ignore God’s warning concerning our association with the wicked.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14
What does this scripture mean to be “unequally yoked together?” This scripture does not promote isolation.
A yoke typically joins two oxen to each other so they can easily pull a load together. If one ox is strong and the other weaker or shorter, that ox would walk slower than the stronger or taller ox, causing it to walk in circles. Pulling the load or completing the task before them becomes difficult, if not impossible because they will work against one another.
Those who believe in God and His ways, and those who don’t believe are unequally yoked if they engage in a partnership or relationship. Does this mean that a believer is to steer away and remain isolated from an unbeliever? Not at all. Paul is saying that in your business dealings, partnerships, and relationships, partner and build relationships with those of believe as you do, not those who reject God.
Ye shall not see wind nor rain
“For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.” 1 King’s 3:17
The unbeliever wants to see a sign or the wind or the rain to believe.
“Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” John 4:48
Provision was not going to be in the wind or the rain in the valley of Edom. For the believer, faith is not based upon a physical observation but a divine intervention.
Like night and day, a believer and an unbeliever are opposites with little in common. Believers are to separate themselves from engaging in partnerships and relationships with unbelievers because, if the partnership or relationship is going to work, someone must make a change in their moral behavior or compromise for the sake of personal gain. Unfortunately, in this story, Jehoshaphat was the one who compromised. Jehoshaphat was warned, but here he was, because of his alliance with a wicked king, suffering with the wicked. When we disobey God’s commands, we suffer the consequences.
Once again, when Jehoram asked for Jehoshaphat’s help, let’s read Jehoshaphat’s answer we find at the end of verse 7.
“And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.”
This is not what God wanted.
Dying in a barren land
Jehoram and Jehoshaphat agreed to go to war together against Moab, along with the king of Edom. They planned on attacking Moab from the south, a route that required them to travel through the dry wilderness of Edom.
Edom was a barren and unfertile land whose inhabitants were descendants of Esau, who had moved his family there. Esau, who was born with red hair sold his inheritance to his twin brother Jacob for a bowl of red soup. These two brothers, Esau, who is considered the father of Edom and known as Edom, and Jacob, the father of Israel, fought against each other, even in the womb of their mother, Rebekah:
“And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord.” Genesis 25:21-22
Even though there was strife between Israel and Edom, God forbade the Israelites to hate the Edomites, even though the Edomites would constantly attack them.
“Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.” Deuteronomy 23:7
For seven days the three kings and their army traveled toward Moab but found themselves lacking drinking water and dying of thirst in the barren land of Edom. There was no drinking water for them or their cattle.
Jehoram began to complain:
“Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!” 2 King’s 3:10
Is there a prophet?
But Jehoshaphat trusted God and asked for a prophet of the Lord for advice:
“But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him?”
Whether it be the best of times or the worst of times, we must seek God for help.
Facing the possibility of dying of thirst, Jehoram called on the prophet Elijah to receive a word from God. First, Elijah told the ungodly king that the only reason he was talking to him was in respect of the godly king Jehoshaphat.
After calling for a harpist to play, Elijah prayed to God for an answer and then prophesied to the three kings. They were surprised at his response:
“And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.” 2 King’s 3:16-19i
Instead of advising the three kings to move forward with their men and attack Moab, Elijah tells them to “make ditches.” Make ditches? Sounds like an unusual instruction.
Sometimes we are focused more on fighting the enemy and the battle than the God who has already won the battle. When instruction from God doesn’t make sense or takes you away from your agenda, will you trust Him? When you see no sign or possibility of provision, don’t doubt whether the provision will come. God has gone before you to lay out a plan that will supply your needs when you are in need.
What are the ditches in our lives that need to be filled? A ditch is an opening in a piece of ground that is already present. Although it’s a void space, it’s the perfect spot for a miracle of abundance to take place. You may be in a valley at this very moment, but whether that valley is a valley of worry, depression, sickness, financial hardships, bad relationships, lustful desires, etc., dig a ditch into it and expect a miracle.
The three kings were commanded to “make” ditches. Making the ditches was an act of faith and also a preparation for a blessing from God. The water from God that filled the ditches in the valley immediately transformed something of no value into the most valuable asset in the barren land.
God has a way of defeating your enemies according to His plan, not yours. When he asks you to follow His plan, your weapons and devices won’t work. If God asks you to put down your weapons and dig, do what He says without asking questions; dig!
God told the kings that if they dug the ditches, He would fill them and there would be enough for them and their cattle, and beasts. In our dry seasons, don’t count on the wind and the rain to fill your valley of lack. Dig ditches in the middle of the valley in faith, and your whole household will be filled. Don’t stop at one ditch, make your entire valley full of them. The three kings made the valley full of ditches as they were instructed.
Provision in the morning
When they arose the next morning, they found the valley full of fresh water; water that sustains life. Their need had been filled as well. Sometimes the greatest miracles happen in our most desperate situations.
There are times when God’s method of provision will blow your mind. Stay committed to Him and you will take back what your enemies have stolen from you, and then some. They will be defeated and you will live in peace. God will use whatever it takes for us to claim victory over our enemies; in this case, it was a valley full of ditches. What filled the ditches? Living water.
“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14
Divine teaching produces a miracle of divine working.
There was divine teaching in the message, “Thus saith the Lord.” Whenever the Lord speaks, it’s time to listen and receive what He has to say. Everyone else’s opinion doesn’t matter. The question we should always ask when we go through our dry season is, “What does God say?” “What is He trying to teach me?” “Where is He trying to take me?”
“Make this valley full of ditches” means make room for a coming blessing. Not just make room for a blessing but make room for a blessing that is already on the way. Sometimes our valleys are so deep that we feel as though there is no room to dig ditches into them because the ditches would make that valley even deeper. But the ditches God wants you to dig are not based upon your circumstances, but they must be made intentionally through faith.
How many times have we found ourselves praying to God for what we need? Sometimes our prayers are not answered because we have not made ditches for Him to work. The ditches you dig in your valley are preparations you make for a coming blessing that is already on the way.
Even though the ditches were dug, they had to have complete faith that they would be filled. We cannot stop digging the ditches. As long as you focus on the valley and the ditches, without faith, they will never be filled. When the water came, there were no more ditches. When provision comes, your distress will be no more.
On the other side of the border, the Moabites prepared for war. They looked at the water that filled the valley, but something was different. The reflection on the water was as red as blood. The Moabites assumed it was the blood from the armies of Israel and Judah destroying one another.
“And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.” 1 King’s 3:23-24
The Moabites assumed that everyone was dead and there was no battle to fight. All they had to do now was go in at take what was left from among the dead. When they came upon the camp, the Israelites rose against them and defeated them.
Note that the enemy came looking to take what didn’t belong to them. If you are not desperate enough for God to humble yourself and dig ditches, your enemies will rob you because you didn’t allow God to fill those ditches with whatever you needed. You will not move forward in your godly purpose. God cannot fill a ditch that hasn’t been dug.
Complete your deliverance.
God’s divine working was deliverance. After defeating the Moabites, the Israelites were commanded to finish the work for complete deliverance,
And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.”
Everything was to be made desolate. No trace of the enemy’s work should be left behind to challenge us again. Cut them off after your deliverance.
When the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian bondage, Pharaoh and his army pursued them as they crossed the Red Sea. Deliverance had come, but this persistent enemy had to be cut off. God swallowed up Pharaoh’s army, drowning them in the sea to be seen no more.
“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”
Deliverance is not the end of the battle. The enemy must be completely cut off.
God’s purpose is for us to move forward and defeat our enemies completely. He gives us His Spirit so that we may once and for all conquer every demonic foe that comes against us. His Spirit gives us the authority to do so. Today, in whatever valley the enemy may have you at the point of death, dig some ditches so that God may fill them all with living water.
