Jehosaphat, King of Israel's opinion of current events wasn't too
appealing: "It was the LORD who called us three kings together to
deliver us into the hands of Moab." (2Kgs 3:13b NIV2) According to the
king, Israel was doomed. There was no hope in sight!
However,
human opinion alone can be radically wrong!
Elisha, prophet of the Most High had quite a different interpretation of
the upcoming events: "This is what the LORD says: I will fill this
valley with pools of water. For this is what the LORD says: You will see
neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and
you, your cattle and your other animals will drink." (2Kgs 3:16-17 NIV2)
This was a sign of what was to come. After all, they had run out of
water. "This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also
deliver Moab into your hands." (2Kgs 3:18 NIV2)
So who was right? The
King? Or Elisha?
The king did have a lot of experience with
warfare, while Elisha had none whatsoever...But Elisha was depending
totally on what God told him...
"The next morning, about the time
for offering the sacrifice, there it was--water flowing from the
direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water." (2Kgs 3:20 NIV2)
The promised deliverance had begun. But why the sign of water? There is
always a reason with God.
"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!'"
(2Kgs 3:22-23 NIV2)
Interesting to notice that humans logic often
tends to veer to the absurd. Now greed is mixed with human opinion, and
it all ends up in a huge disaster: the downfall of Moab itself!
"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." (2Kgs 3:24 NIV2)
The rest is history!
I wonder: Do we always keep our promises? Are all of our opinions
always right on track with reality? We may try, and at times we may be
quite successful. But honestly more often than not, we fail in both
aspects!
Nonetheless, we try to continue on our merry way, with
misconceptions and failed promises. After all, no politician has ever
been able to fulfill all of his promises, despite the fact that he has
all power in hand! The same is true with any conclusion he makes. So
often he is way off the track as well!
Are we any better? It's
best not to look too closely! This is why wise Solomon concluded: "Trust
in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
(Prov 3:5-6 NIV2)
Last year we visited the great Cairn of
Barnenez, in France. It is quite an imposing mausoleum erected a very
long time ago (4500-3500 BC). It was huge, seventy-five meters long,
with eleven corridor tombs. It stands out in the hilly landscape, and
each stone weighs several tons. What is amazing is that each of these
stones had to be carried over long distances to their current positions!
Quite a feature don't you think?
We were looking forward to
touring this cairn inside and out. The internet site had many pictures
of the interior, and I couldn't wait to see the many symbols engraved on
the interior walls.
With our tickets in hand, we quickly made our
way to the cairn. When the main entrance wasn't immediately visible, we
began walking around it. And we kept on walking and walking, until--we
were once again at the visitor's centre! Where was the main entrance?
Did we miss it somewhere?
Puzzled, we walked around the cairn a
second time, and then a third, but all of the entrances to the cairn had
been sealed off, and two of the entrances boasted "No trespassing"
signs.
It's then that we discovered we were not the only ones
looking for the entrance! We joined the ranks of the other disillusioned
tourists and left the premises. Nowhere had there been any mention that
the cairn was not open to the public! And to make things worse, we had
made a big detour to come here!
Humans easily assume things, but
way too often we are completely wrong!
Who will we trust?
There is only One in whom we can completely put our confidence 100%
of the time: The One we call our Father in heaven!
Rob Chaffart
