When the Well Runs Dry Text: 2 Kings 3:9-12
Introduction: The Folly of Unequal Alliances
We find ourselves in the middle of a military campaign, a venture born of political expediency and spiritual compromise. Three kings, a motley crew if there ever was one, have joined forces to put down a rebellion. We have Jehoram, king of Israel, a chip off the old block of Ahab and Jezebel, who dabbled in religious reform by putting away a Baal pillar but kept the golden calves of his father. Then we have the king of Edom, a vassal, likely dragged along for the ride. And then we have Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. Jehoshaphat is a good man, a reformer, a man who generally sought the Lord. But he had a recurring and dangerous weakness: a soft spot for ungodly alliances. He had previously yoked himself to the wicked Ahab and nearly lost his life for it. Now he is at it again, marching alongside Ahab's son.
This is the kind of pragmatism that always gets God's people into trouble. It is the temptation to believe that God's enemies can be our allies, that we can accomplish God's purposes using the world's methods and the world's men. But as the Apostle Paul would later write, what fellowship has light with darkness? What concord has Christ with Belial? The answer is none. And so, this unholy trinity of kings marches out, full of their own plans, and promptly finds themselves in the kind of trouble that human ingenuity cannot solve. They march themselves right into a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Their campaign, their armies, their very lives are on the verge of collapse. And it is in this moment of desperation that we see the stark contrast between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God.
This passage is a powerful illustration of a timeless principle: when you walk in your own counsel, you will eventually walk yourself into a desert. And when the well of your own strength and wisdom runs dry, your true theology is revealed. Do you cry out in despair, blaming God for the consequences of your own foolishness? Or do you, even at the eleventh hour, remember that there is a prophet of the Lord in the land?
The Text
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom; and they went around on a seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the camp or for the cattle that followed them.
Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For Yahweh has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of Yahweh here, that we may inquire of Yahweh by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of Yahweh is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
(2 Kings 3:9-12 LSB)
The Crisis of Self-Reliance (v. 9)
We begin with the result of their brilliant military strategy.
"So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom; and they went around on a seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the camp or for the cattle that followed them." (2 Kings 3:9)
They took the long way around, a seven-day detour through the wilderness of Edom, likely to launch a surprise attack on Moab from the south. This was a clever plan, a flanking maneuver worthy of any military textbook. The problem is, they consulted their maps, but they did not consult the Maker of the maps. They trusted in their strategy, their numbers, and their combined strength. They were practical men, running a practical war. And their practicality led them straight to the brink of disaster.
For seven days they marched, and at the end of that week, the canteens were empty. The soldiers were thirsty, and the livestock that sustained the army were dying. Their brilliant strategy had overlooked the most basic necessity of life. This is what always happens when men leave God out of their calculations. They can build magnificent towers, but forget that they are building on sand. They can assemble powerful armies, but forget that an army marches on its stomach, and its stomach depends on God's provision of water. All human cleverness, when it ignores the sovereignty of God, is ultimately a long walk into a desert.
Two Kings, Two Theologies (v. 10-11)
The crisis reveals the hearts of the two leading kings, and their responses could not be more different.
"Then the king of Israel said, 'Alas! For Yahweh has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.'" (2 Kings 3:10)
Look at Jehoram's reaction. It is the cry of a practical atheist. He only remembers Yahweh when things go wrong, and when he does, it is only to blame Him. He doesn't see the crisis as the result of his own foolish decision to march into a desert without a plan for water. He doesn't see it as the consequence of his own idolatry and his unequal yoke with Jehoshaphat. No, in his mind, God is a cosmic trickster, a malevolent force who lured them out into the wilderness just to destroy them. This is the theology of a pagan. He believes in God, but it is a God he resents, a God whose primary function is to be the scapegoat for his own failures. He has just enough religion to be blasphemous.
This is a very modern sentiment. When disaster strikes, how many people, who have lived their entire lives in practical rebellion against God, suddenly shake their fist at the sky and demand to know why God has done this to them? They ignore His law, mock His Word, and reject His Son, but the moment the consequences of their sin arrive, they accuse God of being unjust. Jehoram is the patron saint of all those who want to be their own god but want the true God to bail them out of their self-inflicted messes.
But then Jehoshaphat speaks, and it is a breath of fresh, albeit dry, air.
"But Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there not a prophet of Yahweh here, that we may inquire of Yahweh by him?'" (2 Kings 3:11a)
This is the response of a man who, for all his faults, knows where to turn when the bottom falls out. His first instinct is not to blame God, but to seek God. He knows that their military strategists and political advisors are useless now. The only word that matters is a word from the Lord. It is a shame he didn't ask this question seven days earlier, before they marched into this mess. His faith is reactive when it should have been proactive. Nevertheless, it is a genuine faith. He knows that the only way out of a crisis created by ignoring God is to turn back and inquire of God.
This is the fundamental difference between the righteous and the wicked. It is not that the righteous never get into trouble. It is not that they never make foolish decisions. David did, Abraham did, and Jehoshaphat certainly did. The difference is what they do when they are in trouble. The wicked man blames God. The righteous man seeks God.
A Servant's Service (v. 11b)
And God, in His providence, has made a way.
"And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, 'Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.'" (2 Kings 3:11b)
It is not one of the kings or generals who knows where to find the man of God. It is an unnamed servant. This is often how God works. He hides His wisdom in plain sight, in the mouths of the humble. And notice how Elisha is identified. He is not known as the great miracle worker or the famous prophet. He is known as the one "who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."
This is a beautiful and profound description of true ministry. Elisha's qualification was his humble service. He had learned to be a great prophet by first learning to be a faithful servant. He was not positioning himself for greatness; he was content to wash the hands of his master. He was a servant to the servant of God. This is the path to all true spiritual authority. As Christ would later teach, whoever would be great among you must be your servant. Elisha had received a double portion of Elijah's spirit because he had first been willing to do the humble work of pouring the water. And now, in a moment of supreme irony, the man known for pouring water is the only one who can find water for three thirsty armies.
Recognizing the True Word (v. 12)
Jehoshaphat's response shows his spiritual discernment.
"And Jehoshaphat said, 'The word of Yahweh is with him.' So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him." (2 Kings 3:12)
Jehoshaphat hears the description of Elisha's service to Elijah, and he immediately recognizes the man's authority. He doesn't need a resume or a list of miracles. He knows that the man who was faithful in the small thing of serving Elijah is the man to whom God will entrust the great thing of speaking His word. "The word of Yahweh is with him." This is the highest commendation any man can receive. It is not about eloquence, or charisma, or worldly success. It is about whether or not God has entrusted you with His truth.
And so, these three kings, in an act of profound humility, "went down to him." They were the ones with the crowns and the armies, but they were in a desert of their own making. Elisha was a servant, but he had the water of life. The powerful of this world must ultimately bow before the authority of God's Word. They had to leave their thrones and go down to the dusty tent of a prophet because that is where reality was to be found. All our pride, all our planning, all our power is nothing when confronted with the stark reality of our thirst and the sovereign provision of God.
Conclusion: From Dry Wells to Living Water
This story is a microcosm of the human condition. We, like these three kings, often form unholy alliances with the world, the flesh, and the devil. We march out under the banner of our own wisdom, pursuing our own plans for our lives, our families, and our careers. And for a time, it may seem to work. But eventually, every path that is not the path of obedience to God leads to a spiritual desert. It leads to a place where our own resources run out, where we are left thirsty, exhausted, and on the brink of despair.
In that moment, we have a choice. We can be like Jehoram and curse God for the drought we created. We can shake our fist at heaven and cry foul, blaming God for the bankruptcy of our own rebellion. Or we can be like Jehoshaphat. We can, in humility, admit our foolishness and our thirst. We can ask, "Is there not a prophet of the Lord?"
And the good news of the gospel is that there is. We have a greater prophet than Elisha, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the one who stood in the temple and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37-38). He is the one who met the woman at the well and offered her water that would cause her never to thirst again.
The kings had to go down to Elisha. We too must go down. We must humble ourselves, abandon our own failed strategies, and come to Christ. We must confess that our own wells are dry and that He alone has the words of eternal life. He is the Word of Yahweh. And when we come to Him, we find that He did not just pour water on another's hands. On the cross, He poured out His own lifeblood, the true living water, to rescue us from the desert of our sin and bring us into the promised land of His grace.