2 Kings 3:18
This is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD, and He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
This is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD,

The lack of water and the threat of Moab overwhelmed the combined armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom, but neither obstacle limited the Lord. He would provide water in the wilderness without wind or rain and then grant victory over Moab. Elisha’s assurance called the kings to rely on God’s power rather than military strength, human planning, or visible circumstances. Nothing is too difficult for the Creator who rules nations and armies.

Jer 32:17 Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth…
Gen 18:14 Is anything too difficult for the LORD?…
Luk 1:37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

and He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.

Moab had rebelled against Israel after Ahab’s death, refusing the tribute formerly paid to the northern kingdom. The Lord promised more than survival for the coalition; He promised decisive judgment upon their enemy. God’s deliverance came according to His word through Elisha and demonstrated His faithfulness, especially in response to Jehoshaphat’s desire to seek the Lord. The victory anticipates the greater deliverance God provides through Christ, who conquers sin, death, and every spiritual enemy of His people.

Jdg 3:28 So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan…
1Sa 23:4 Once again, David inquired of the LORD…
2Sa 5:19 So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jehoram (Joram)
- The king of Israel, son of Ahab, who sought help from Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to fight against Moab.

2. Jehoshaphat
- The king of Judah, known for his faithfulness to God, who allied with Jehoram to battle Moab.

3. Moab
- A nation east of Israel, which rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

4. Elisha
- The prophet of God who provided guidance and assurance of victory to the kings of Israel and Judah.

5. The Valley of Edom
- The location where the armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom gathered and where God performed the miracle of providing water.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Power
The verse highlights God's supreme power and ability to accomplish His will effortlessly. Believers should trust in God's sovereignty, knowing that nothing is too difficult for Him.

Faith in God's Promises
Just as God promised victory over Moab, He promises to be with us in our battles. We should have faith in His promises and rely on His strength.

God's Provision
The miracle of water in the desert shows God's provision in times of need. We should trust God to provide for our needs, even in seemingly impossible situations.

Partnership with God
The alliance between Israel and Judah, under God's guidance, shows the importance of seeking God's direction in our endeavors. We should partner with God in our plans and decisions.

God's Perspective
What seems insurmountable to us is "an easy thing" for God. We should adopt God's perspective, seeing challenges as opportunities for His power to be displayed.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's sovereignty in 2 Kings 3:18 impact your approach to challenges in your life?

2. In what ways can you apply the lesson of God's provision in the desert to your current circumstances?

3. How can you ensure that your plans and decisions are aligned with God's will, as seen in the alliance between Israel and Judah?

4. Reflect on a time when God turned a seemingly impossible situation into a victory. How does this encourage you in your faith journey?

5. How can you cultivate a perspective that sees challenges as opportunities for God's power to be displayed, as demonstrated in this passage?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 14:13-14
Just as God assured victory over the Egyptians, He assures victory over Moab, emphasizing His power and faithfulness.

Isaiah 55:8-9
God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours, highlighting that what seems difficult to us is easy for God.

Philippians 4:13
The assurance that through Christ, believers can accomplish what seems impossible, reflecting the ease with which God can deliver His promises.
Man's Extremity is God's OpportunityJ. Orr 2 Kings 3:9-17, 20
Aspects of a Godly ManD. Thomas 2 Kings 3:13-27
The Valley Full of DitchesC.H. Irwwin 2 Kings 3:16-25
The Defeat of MoabJ. Orr 2 Kings 3:18-27
People
Ahab, Aram, Elijah, Elisha, Israelites, Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, Jeroboam, Mesha, Moabites, Nebat, Shaphat
Places
Edom, Kir-hareseth, Moab, Samaria
Topics
Addition, Deliver, Hands, Moab, Moabites, Sight, Slight
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Kings 3:11-19

     5422   musicians

2 Kings 3:14-19

     5420   music

2 Kings 3:15-19

     1431   prophecy, OT methods

2 Kings 3:16-25

     1416   miracles, nature of

Library
Sight and Blindness
'Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that them pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Minstrel
ELISHA needed that the Holy Spirit should come upon him to inspire him with prophetic utterances. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." We need that the hand of the Lord should be laid upon us, for we can never open our mouths in wisdom except we are under the divine touch. Now, the Spirit of God works according to his own will. "The wind bloweth where it listeth," and the Spirit of God operates as he chooseth. Elisha could not prophesy just when he liked; he must wait until
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 27: 1881

The Old Testament and Archeology
A century ago the student of the world's history found it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to paint for himself a clear picture of events antedating B.C. 400. Concerning earlier periods, he was, aside from the Old Testament, practically without records that could claim contemporaneousness with the events recorded. But, one hundred years ago, men had commenced to test every statement, be it historical, or scientific, or theological, by severe canons of criticism, and if it could not stand
Frederick Carl Eiselen—The Christian View of the Old Testament

Balak's Inquiries Relative to the Service of God, and Balaam's Answer, Briefly Considered.
"Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with, thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression; the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?--He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is good: And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" As mankind are
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Secret of Its Greatness
[Illustration: (drop cap G) The Great Pyramid] God always chooses the right kind of people to do His work. Not only so, He always gives to those whom He chooses just the sort of life which will best prepare them for the work He will one day call them to do. That is why God put it into the heart of Pharaoh's daughter to bring up Moses as her own son in the Egyptian palace. The most important part of Moses' training was that his heart should be right with God, and therefore he was allowed to remain
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
Assur-nazir-pal (885-860) and Shalmaneser III. (860-825)--The kingdom of Urartu and its conquering princes: Menuas and Argistis. Assyria was the first to reappear on the scene of action. Less hampered by an ancient past than Egypt and Chaldaea, she was the sooner able to recover her strength after any disastrous crisis, and to assume again the offensive along the whole of her frontier line. Image Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a bas-relief at Koyunjik of the time of Sennacherib. The initial cut,
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.),
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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