How does 2 Kings 3:23 connect to Proverbs 3:5 on trusting God? Setting the Scene: Two Verses, One Theme • 2 Kings 3:23 – “This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!” • Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” God’s Surprising Strategy in 2 Kings 3 • Israel, Judah, and Edom march against Moab but run out of water (vv. 9-10). • Elisha’s prophetic word: dig trenches; God will fill them with water without wind or rain (vv. 16-17). • At sunrise the water appears red like blood (v. 22). • Moab’s army assumes the coalition has self-destructed; they rush in unprepared (v. 23). • God turns Moab’s false assumption into Israel’s victory (vv. 24-27). Faulty Human Conclusions • Moab “leaned on their own understanding,” reading circumstances through human logic. • They trusted sight over truth, emotion over revelation. • Their snap judgment led straight into defeat. • Contrast: Israel relied on God’s word through Elisha, acting in faith when the instruction sounded unreasonable (digging ditches in a drought). Proverbs 3:5 Illuminated by 2 Kings 3 • Trust in the LORD means obeying divine direction even when it defies common sense. • “Lean not on your own understanding” is vividly illustrated by Moab’s misread blood-colored water. • The narrative shows two paths: – Trusting God’s word (Israel) → provision, deliverance, victory. – Trusting one’s perception (Moab) → deception, defeat, loss. Supporting Scriptures • Isaiah 55:8-9 – God’s thoughts higher than ours. • Psalm 20:7 – Some trust in chariots… but we trust in the name of the LORD. • 2 Corinthians 5:7 – We walk by faith, not by sight. • Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is assurance of things hoped for, conviction of things not seen. Living It Out • Expect God to work in ways that override normal expectations. • Test conclusions against Scripture before acting (Acts 17:11). • Replace “This is blood!”-type snap judgments with prayerful dependence on God’s revealed truth. • Dig your own “trenches” of obedience: practical steps of faith taken before the miracle appears. |
    |