Jehoram was not as wicked as Ahab; he removed a pillar of Baal, but he clung to the sins of Jeroboam. When Moab rebelled, he formed an alliance with Jehoshaphat and Edom. The long march through the wilderness left them without water, and Jehoram blamed God. Jehoshaphat, despite his unwise alliances, still knew to seek the word of the Lord.
Elisha's words to Jehoram were blunt. He would not look at him except out of respect for Jehoshaphat. Then, as a musician played, the hand of the Lord came on him. The command was strange: dig trenches in a dry valley. The promise was stranger: no wind, no rain, yet water. The trenches were an act of faith, preparing for something not yet seen. God called the miracle an easy thing, and added victory as well.
At the hour of the morning offering, water flowed from Edom. The sun's glare made it look like blood, and Moab, deceived, rushed to plunder and was defeated. In desperation, the king of Moab sacrificed his firstborn son on the city wall, a horrifying act of pagan religion. Israel withdrew under great wrath. The scene shows the darkness of idolatry beside the kindness of the God who gives water in the desert. In the New Testament, Jesus says that with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).