Digging Your Way Out

Today's Verse:

And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. ~2 Kings 3:16 

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I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine whose ministry has been blessed of God. Somehow our topic shifted to, “What if the offerings dropped and the church found itself in financial difficulty?” My friend responded by saying if this happened, he would probably go and dig ditches to pay his bills. I don’t personally know anyone who digs ditches for a living, but undoubtedly this is hard work. Three kings find themselves in an unimaginable and onerous situation. The solution given to them was to dig some ditches. Let us see a lesson on digging our way out of trouble. 

We see the difficulty. 

“So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.” The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom formed an alliance to help the king of Israel fight with the king of Moab. After journeying seven days in the wilderness of Edom, they found themselves in a bad spot: there was no water anywhere to be found. The nearest water was seven days away back where they started. Whatever water they brought with them was used up. Water is a vital necessity for living. Without water, the cattle they brought with them would die. Without water, these kings and their armies would die. There is a powerful spiritual warning in this. When we make decisions to go down a path that God did not approve of, we are at a place where there is no water. When we walk in the counsel of the ungodly and stand in the way of sinners, we are at a place where there is no water. No water means we won’t make it. No water means we are at the brink of failure. No water means we went too far trying to do things without God and we are in serious trouble. Are you in a valley wilderness where there is no water? 

We see the directive. 

The king of Judah realized they needed God to give them a word. I am thankful Jehoshaphat came to this critical realization, albeit after the fact. He asked if there was a man of God they could get counsel from. One of the servants said, “Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.” Elisha comes to them and gives a rebuke because of the sins of the king of Israel. In spite of the sinful choices that were made, God in His mercy tells Elisha to instruct these kings and their men, “Make this valley full of ditches.” God instructed every man to get a shovel and to dig ditches. The directive of God was to dig their way out of trouble. Before God will work in our extreme circumstances we, too, must make our valley full of ditches. First, when there is digging, we remove and uncover. We must thoroughly examine our hearts for sin that must be confessed. We must also dig into the Word of God and let God show us the changes we must make in our life. Second, we must allow God to turn our valley situation into an opportunity for God to work. Don’t let your valley be a place of burial, but rather a place for blessing. Make this valley full of ditches! Don’t let your valley be a place of defeat, but rather a place of deliverance. Keep serving God when you are in a valley. Keep busy when you are in a valley. Keep obeying and trusting God when you are in a valley. 

We see the dynamic. 

“And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.” God supernaturally brought water that filled that entire valley! Nothing like this ever occurred in that valley area. God gave them water and a major victory over the Moabites. Notice, the water filled the country as the meal offering was offered. The meal offering is a type of Christ. When Jesus is pre-eminent in our lives, expect God to fill our barren situation with water. 

You can dig your way out of trouble and powerless situations. Make the valley full of ditches! 

Have a diligent God Morning! 

Reading Schedule: Job 24-28

#2Kings #Elisha #Digging #Ditches #Jehoshaphat #Water