Little indeed remained in Israel in the degenerate days of the son of Ahab upon which any godly expectation of blessing could be founded, or around which faith might linger, but the Spirit of God would make the most of such as remained. The Lord Jesus, in the hour of bitterest sorrow and disappointment, did in like manner address Himself in words of gracious encouragement to His poor, weak, trembling disciples, freely and fully acknowledging and crediting them with all that which His Father had wrought in them. “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-3028Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:28‑30)). We have already seen that, disappointing as Elijah's ministry appeared at the time, the eye of God saw with clearness what His heartbroken servant did not know (1 Kings 19:1818Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. (1 Kings 19:18)). Although “the sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin,” still vitiated the public worship of Jehovah in Israel, giving it a false and human character, it would appear that the morning and evening sacrifices had not been altogether given up by the nation (1 Kings 18:3636And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. (1 Kings 18:36)); for in the scene on Carmel we find the divine answer connected with the evening sacrifice. Yet, in view of the fact that in Ahab's days Baal was so openly and shamelessly worshipped, we may well question whether, at that time, the public offering of these sacrifices to Jehovah had not well nigh lapsed, and so, called loudly for this striking and decisive interference on the part of Elijah as Jehovah's witness, to recall the apostate nation to the worship of the true God.
Here, in 2 Kings 3, we have also the time of the offering, and the offering effected, and again, as with the “burnt offering” on Carmel, so now with the “meal offering” here presented (type of Christ in His perfect, uncorrupted humanity, Leviticus 2; 6), we have in both cases the blessing connecting itself with the offering.
“And it came to pass in the morning, when the meal offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood in the border. 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 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! And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in [their] country. And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof: howbeit, the slingers went about and smote it” (2 Kings 3:20-2520And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood in the border. 22And 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: 23And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. 24And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country. 25And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. (2 Kings 3:20‑25)). This connection with the sacrifice is not unimportant. In some way it may be traced in all Elisha's miracles. The condition of the people did not warrant any display of power on their behalf, but God is gracious, and full of compassion. “I Jehovah change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed,” When man can bring nothing to God, God finds in His own loving-kindness the reasons for merciful interposition. In Judah, when the temple service was maintained according: to the ordinances of Moses and of David—such as the blowing of trumpets, the singing of the Psalms with its musical service—this was used of God for the strengthening of faith and increase of piety, and as a means of blessing to the people as a whole (see 2 Chronicles 13:10-12; 20:1910But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: 11And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the showbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him. 12And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. (2 Chronicles 13:10‑12)
19And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. (2 Chronicles 20:19), etc.).
In the circumstance before us, however, it could not be that God would formally acknowledge either Israel or Judah as His people, yet would He not set Himself against Edom and Moab. It was a mere striving of the potsherd of the earth, and Jehoshaphat should have been outside all this. Six hundred years before had these two kingdoms been brought close together in the same place. The wilderness of Edom and the desert of Zin were not far apart. They served as a border for Edom. At an earlier period of Israel's history, before their entrance into the promised land, there had been no water for the people to drink, “and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way” (Numbers 20; 21:4). But God had the people under His charge, and He was in no difficulty. He led forth His people in triumph, supplying all their need. If Edom then showed hostility to his brother Jacob in refusing Israel a passage through his country, it is not so on this occasion. In guilty indifference to the will of God, the king of Judah is here seen in unholy alliance with Edom as well as with Israel, but God was the same and knew how to succor His people without sanctioning their iniquity.
So in our day, the outward blessings of Christianity may follow the profession of the “Christian faith,” and by some may be construed into evidences of the divine approval. Doubtless the widespread profession of Christianity has been an immense boon to the world at large-it could hardly be otherwise. Eliezer (in Genesis 24) brought (to speak antitypically) the gospel message and its heavenly call to Rebecca alone, who in faith responded and left her father's house, her kindred, and her country, as Abram had done sixty-five years before. Was not her family advantaged by the visit of Abraham's servant? For did he not give “also to her brother and to her mother precious things” (ver. 53)? Nevertheless, the blessings proffered to man in the gospel invitation of “to-day if ye will hear his voice,” are only appropriated, realized, and enjoyed by. believing souls, while, on the other hand, the bulk of Christendom may go on content only with the outward appearances and accompaniments of religion, so called. For, in truth, the world has entirely mistaken the divine aim and object of Christianity. God's object has been, and is, not the improvement of the world, or the enrichment of man in it, but his deliverance from it-” Who gave Himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of God and our Father” (Galatians 1:44Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: (Galatians 1:4)).
This point is of such importance, and has such close relation to the subject before us, that no apology is needed for illustrating it by a reference to the Apocalypse, where is seen the final sweeping away of all human plans and purposes, and the ultimate accomplishment and display of the counsels of God. In this last book of the Bible we have presented to us three mystical women. The first is in Revelation 12, where, under the symbol of “a woman clothed with the sun,” etc., we have God's earthly people Israel (whose history occupies so large a part of the Old Testament) in circumstances of sorrow and travail, “of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever.” There is no room for the Jewish nation in the world as it now is, so “the woman fled into the wilderness” —after giving birth to the man-child “caught up to God and his throne,” who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron— “where she hath a place prepared of God,” and is providentially preserved, until the time of Israel's blessing and glory comes. Then in chap. 17, “a woman sitting upon a scarlet colored beast” —the residium of religious profession after the Lord Jesus has taken His own beloved ones out of it. This woman has made herself at home in the world, and is seen arrayed in all its glory and splendor, now ripe for judgment. And lastly (21:9-27) we are shown “the bride, the Lamb's wife,” the contrast in every way to the harlot of chap. 17 Heavenly both in character and position, holy and without blame, she fully satisfies the affections of Christ, and, as “the holy city Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God,” she is presented as “having the glory of God.”
Whatever confusion now may be in some minds as to these three representations, each will stand out in its own clearness and distinctness by and by. The earthly people, Israel, shall be in their decreed position of earthly supremacy and glory, no longer “the tail,” but the head. Christendom, having lost all reality, and utterly spurious, will be destroyed by “the ten horns... and the beast” (Revelation 18:66Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. (Revelation 18:6)), “for strong is the Lord God that judgeth her”; whilst all true Christians, now “espoused” will be displayed in heavenly glory as “the bride of Christ,” when His church is presented to Himself, “glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” Repeating, then, what has already been observed, the scene before Elisha is one of utter confusion—on man's part, inconsistency and perplexity, but on God's part patient grace in His waiting to respond to the cry of man's need. Yet was the divine attitude in perfect consistency with all that Jehovah had revealed Himself to be. Faith was indeed wanting, but an appeal was made to Jehovah, and the answer was immediate and complete. The use which man makes of the deliverance is another thing. “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again; not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:9-139Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; 10Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. 11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:9‑13)). In the gospel is that which fully meets the deep need of the heart, yet does it not set aside existing conditions and obligations. All is rapidly ripening for judgment. That blessed hope is before us. We are delivered in spirit though not yet in body. Grace is a reality, and where accepted changes everything for the believer. Elisha could thus go in and out amongst men distributing, in obedience to God, whose servant he was, the blessed fullness of that grace of which he was the witness and expression. Having done so, he goes his way. We may remark as well the order in which these four kingdoms—Edom, Moab, Judah, and Israel—are named for judgment in the prophecy of Amos (1:11; 2:1, 4, 6), as also the apparent reference therein to this very event we have been considering (see 2 Kings 3:2727Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land. (2 Kings 3:27), Amos 2:11Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime: (Amos 2:1)). Those who despise grace do but “treasure up for themselves wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” [G. S. B.] (To be continued)