"Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border." (2 Kings 3:21) You'll recall that Moab was defeated by King David and that this nation had been subject to Israel ever since. But after the death of King Ahab of Israel the Moabites stopped paying the taxes levied against them. I don't know whether they thought Ahab's son Joram would let this slide or whether they thought they had enough troops to fight back against Joram's troops. But they don't have enough troops to successfully repel the combined forces of Israel, Judah, and Edom. They call up every man who is able to hold a sword in his hand.
The water sent by the Lord not only refreshed the men coming against Moab but it will also serve to trick the eyes of the Moabites. "When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red---like blood. 'That's blood!' they said. 'Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!'" (2 Kings 3:22-23) The water that flowed down from the direction of Edom must have mixed with red clay dust to produce the appearance of pools of blood from a distance. But why do the Moabites assume that the appearance of blood means the three kings and their soldiers have slaughtered each other?
I think it's because a situation like that actually occurred during the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. You'll recall that in 2 Chronicles 20 his nation was about to be attacked by the combined forces of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. Jehoshaphat did not have enough men to successfully defend Judah against such a "vast army" as he phrased it, so the Lord informed him through a prophet that Judah would not have to fight the battle at all. The next morning the Lord caused some type of confusion to fall upon the enemy army. The Moabites and Ammonites rose up against the Meunites and slaughtered them, then the Moabites and Ammonites turned on each other. By the time Jehoshaphat and his army reached the overlook where they could see this coalition of armies in the valley below, all the enemy soldiers were dead! The dead soldiers did not represent all of the fighting men of those nations but this was a heavy blow to those nations. Now the Moabites think the same type of thing has happened to the allied forces of Israel, Judah, and Edom: they think these men all turned on each other and slaughtered each other. The Moabites think their gods caused the same type of confusion to fall on Israel, Judah, and Edom as Jehoshaphat's God previously caused to fall on the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites.
"But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it." (2 Kings 3:24-25) Elisha had predicted that the men would do these things to the Moabites and here we find his prediction coming true. The steps these men take against the Moabites will render a portion of their land unusable for time. The Moabites will have to spend their energies clearing their fields and planting new crops and trees instead of focusing their energies on rebelling against Israel and making war. The only major area the Israelites and their allies did not render useless was the royal city of Kir Hareseth. It is known to have been a very heavily fortified city. When we close today's study we'll learn another reason why the city was left untouched.
We need to stop here for a moment and think about the fact that the Moabites rejected the Lord long ago. Many centuries earlier they fell into idolatry and are still maintaining this sinful lifestyle. The Lord is not with them in their battles; He is fighting against them. For an example of why the Lord opposes them so fiercely we need only to read the remainder of Chapter 3 to form a clear and horrifying picture of just how far the Moabites have sunk into depravity. "When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land." (2 Kings 3:26-27)
The king of Moab is so wicked that he offers his firstborn son to his heathen god Chemosh on top of the city wall in the sight of the army of Israel and its allies. The men of Israel and Judah and Edom are so sickened by the sight that they do not continue pressing their attack against the royal city but instead return to their own land. The king of Moab is making the statement that he will not surrender under any circumstances. No price is too high for him to pay for victory, not even sacrificing the crown prince in the hope that his god will look favorably upon him. To continue to press the attack against the city might only result in mass casualties for Israel, Judah, and Edom because the king of Moab will keep fighting even if it means the death of every man, woman, and child in his kingdom. More sacrifices might have been made atop the walls if a cease fire had not been called at this time; many innocent children might have lost their lives if the king ordered them sacrificed or if their parents willingly sacrificed them as a plea for help from the abominable deities they believed in.
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