Water from Edom

If you have your Bibles, let's turn to the Book of Second Kings. We're gonna start Second Kings chapter three, and we're gonna begin at verse number 15. Second Kings chapter three, in verse number 15. When you have it, say amen. If you don't, say, oh me. If you said, oh me, turn your eyes to the screen. Look up for your redemption, draweth nigh. Amen. Amen. The Bible says, but now bring me a minstrel and it came to pass when the minstrel played. The hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, thus said the Lord, make this valley full of ditches. For thus sayeth the Lord, you shall not see wind. Everybody say no wind. Neither shall you see rain. Somebody say no rain. However, the valley shall be full of water that you may drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts.

He says, but this is a light thing on the side of the Lord. God taking care of us is the easy part. This is the easy part. He said, I'm also gonna take care of your enemy. I will deliver them into your hand, you shall smite every fenced city, every choice city, fell every good tree and stop all wells of water and mar every good piece of land with stones. And it came to pass in the morning when the meat offering was offered. That behold, there came water by way of Edom and the country was filled with water. I want to bring my thought tonight from verse number 20. And I wanna talk to you from this subject, water from Edom. One more time, would you just lift your hands and would you pray that God would anoint me? His word is already anointed that he would anoint us to not just be hearers

but doers of the word. Lord, I love you. I thank you for every opportunity that the church has to come together and assemble God and mix our faith one with another. Pray that you would anoint me to deliver your word tonight, God. I pray, God, that your kingdom would come in this place. I ask that you would lose the gifts of the spirit and you would confirm this word with signs following in Jesus' name. Let everybody say in Jesus' name. Praise God. I think to understand what I'm gonna try to preach to you or teach to you tonight, we first have to get an understanding about who Edom is. To understand Edom, you have to go back to the book of Genesis and you have to learn about two brothers, twin brothers. We find this in Genesis chapter 25 in verse number 22, the Bible says,

and the children struggled together within her and she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. I wanna stop here and say that questions should be brought to the Lord, that when you feel a struggle within you, the right place to bring internal struggles is to the Lord and allow him to teach you about what is going on. And as she asked the Lord, why am I thus? She gotta love the King James version. If it was us praying, we would be saying what in the wide world is going on? And the Lord said unto her, God will answer if you give him an opportunity to. He is an answering God. He is a speaking God. And the Bible says, the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb and two manners of people

shall be separated from thy bowels and one people shall be stronger than the other and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days were fulfilled, behold there were twins in her womb. Bible says in the first came out red, hairy all over like a garment. And they called his name Esau and after that came his brother out and his hand took a hold on the Esau's hill and his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was three score years old when she bear them and the boys grew and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field and Jacob was just a plain man dwelling in the tents. And so these two boys as I have taught before here represent the elder and the younger. It represents the flesh and the spirit. That's why Paul brought this into the New Testament echoing a prophet in Romans nine and 12

and he sailed it unto her. The elder shall serve the younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated. He was teaching us that when you are born again you have two natures, a flesh nature and a spirit nature. And so this begins to teach us about Esau and Jacob but I wanna look a little further into this text in Genesis 25 because when you begin to read at verse number 29, you learn about Esau selling his birthright to Jacob. And when you read that it says and Jacob sought potage and Esau came from the field and he was faint the Bible says and Esau said to Jacob, feed me I pray thee with this same red potage for I am faint therefore was his name called Edom. Edom simply means red. What you find here is that Esau becomes Edom.

And so you have to understand that whatever you sell out to is what you're going to become. You see that Esau sells out to just some potage, red potage and he becomes known for what he sold out to. Whatever you give yourself to in this life is what you're going to be known for. And I pray that at the end of my life I am known for the things of the kingdom of God. Can somebody say amen? Recently I was at a funeral just this past Saturday of a man that my father took in when he was 12 years old, twin boys. And he decided that his life was no longer worth living and he took his life at 33 years old leaving behind a wife and two children. And as I was there at his funeral listening to his twin brother and his younger brother speak on his behalf,

they had to have him cremated for whatever reason that was his wish. I looked up at that box and I saw everything that was his life represented in that little box. And I realized that everything you do in this life is not really about the birth date or the death date that is on the tombstone that's gonna be given to you but it's all in that little dash between those two places. And I pray that that little dash between those numbers represent you and I living for the Lord. Amen, amen. Whatever we sell out to is what we're going to become. And so he takes this red potage and he becomes Edom. And so we often talk about Jacob becoming Israel but we leave out a lot of times Esau becoming Edom. Jacob becomes known for the spiritual. Esau becomes known for the temporary. So the Bible teaches us in Genesis 36 and six

it says, and Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters and the persons of his house and his cattle and all of his beasts and his substance which he had got in the land of Canaan and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob for their riches were more than they might dwell together and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. Verse number eight, read this with me. Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir and the Bible says Esau is Edom. Now remember, Edom is Esau and Esau is the flesh. Esau is the temporary. Esau is Edom. And so this land of Edom becomes known for the people that are the descendants of Esau. No country was more of an enemy towards Israel than Edom was. They were hostile towards Edom. Other enemies came and went.

The Canaanites seceded by the Philistines who were succeeded by the Syrians who were succeeded by the Greeks. All of these were great enemies to Israel but Edom was just always there inflicting Israel. In fact, shortly after the Exodus as they come out of Egypt the Bible says that they wanted to take passage way through Edom and it was the king of Edom who said absolutely not why because flesh will never let you take the easy way to promise. And so you find that they could not make their way through Edom because flesh will always stop you from inheriting what God wants you to have. And so while they were trying to pass through this land, Edom again that enemy would not allow them to pass through. Fought against them, warred against them. The flesh will not allow you to obtain things easily. Now this brings us to our text here today.

Our text here today starts with a man by the name of Jerorahem. He's become the king of Israel. And as this man is the king, the Edomites rebel against him. And as the Edomites rebel against him he assembles two other kings. He assembles Jehoshaphat and then he assembles the king of Moab and these kings come together and they ask what shall we do? He says where do we go? And you'll find that Jehoshaphat speaks up and he says we've got to go through the wilderness of Edom. And as they were in this journey the Bible says they were without water. They had no water, their people were dying of thirst, their animals needed thirst. They were thirsty. They were without the life -giving substance of water. And Jehoshaphat comes up with a puzzling idea. He says is there not a man of God around here

that we can ask to pray and get a word from God for? What a novel idea can we get a man of God around here to speak a word over us because things just aren't happening like we think they're supposed to happen. And so they find one by the name of Elisha and this is what I find so amazing. What qualified Elisha to stand before these men was this. He watered the hands of Elijah. Servant Hood paved the way for him to stand before kings. It wasn't that he had already healed the waters of Jericho. It wasn't that he parted the waters of Jordan, hither and thither as the Bible says no. It was that he was a servant to his man of God. I wanna tell you today that Servant Hood will bring you places that nothing else will, amen. And this is a church that serves.

I've seen you countless times, give of your time, your effort and all of the things that you give so that we can have the things that we have and the events that we have and I want you to know that's why this church is so blessed. Don't ever lose the passion that we have to have to serve in the kingdom of God. If it wasn't too good for Jesus, it's not too good for me, amen. And so it was this Servant Hood that brings him before these great kings and Elisha, I love this story. He stands there and he says, all right, this is what you need to do. You need to get some shovels and you need to dig. Now again, you have to remember, they are without water, they're dying of thirst. And he says, I know you all need water but I'm gonna tell you what you're gonna have to realize.

This victory is not coming by wind nor is this victory coming by rain. Now remember they had seen victories by the wind before for was it not God that by the wind who parted the Red Sea and allowed them to go across on dry ground and by the snap of God's fingers, the waters roll back and it takes out their enemy. The Bible says it was a strong east wind that did that work. Was it not the rain that was sent by Elijah that ends the famine? Why? Because they had seen victories by wind and rain and the prophet is standing here and he's saying you're not gonna have this victory by wind or by rain. Now there's something very important that we have to note here. Remember what I said, Edom is Esau and Esau is the flesh. Now you have to understand that Jehoshaphat

had dominion over Edom at this time. And if you look at this, he is the last king that has authority over Edom. After Jehoshaphat, no other Jewish kingdom will have rule over Edom again. And so the first king that takes dominion over them, you find that David takes authority over them and he says I know how to keep Edom in check. He says we've got to put garrisons throughout this land. What does that mean? That means military forces. We've got to make sure that we don't just get a temporary victory over the flesh but the only way you're gonna have permanent victory over the flesh is if you put up some forces throughout the land and make sure they're not just gonna be a moment of victory in an altar but you're gonna have some spiritual forces that are standing there making sure that enemy doesn't show back up on Monday

or Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday or Friday. And so David understands that the way to keep Edom in check is by putting garrisons up. Can I tell you the only way you're gonna keep your flesh in check is if you have more spiritual forces outside of just Sunday and Wednesday. You better have a garrison of prayer that shows up on Monday and you better have a garrison of the word of God that shows up on Tuesday. And I think everybody should have at least one fast day a week. That's what keeps the flesh in its place. And so they have authority over Edom. And so he says this is not gonna come by wind and this is not gonna come by rain. You're gonna have to grab a shovel and you're gonna have to dig if you want victory today. Now listen, it's not a comfortable victory

and it's not a victory of instantaneous overwhelming wind or rain. Now I know we all like the instant victory. I know we all like the victory that happens when we come to the altar, we lift our hands and boom, I mean it just happens. Anybody ever had an instant victory with God? And I thank God for every time that that's happened. But I will argue that the greatest victories that I have had are not the ones that happened immediately. It's the ones where I had to get a shovel in my hand. And when I didn't feel like pressing, I pressed on. And when I didn't feel like pushing, I pushed on. And when I didn't feel like getting up and doing it again, I got up and I did it again. There's some victories you're never going to obtain. And this is just my personal opinion.

I feel like some of the reasons why we battle the same things over and over again is because we're expecting God to do it in a moment and we're not willing to be faithful with the shovel and dig when it's not easy and press when it's not easy and push when it's not convenient. And so he says dig and dig again. I find it interesting. Isaiah 12 and three says, therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. With joy you've got to learn how to draw the water from the wells of salvation. Now, when we think about drawing water in this day, we think about just turning the faucet and the water shows up. But you got to think about the process that they had to draw water. They didn't just have water in their house. They had to leave their home and go to a well.

It wasn't an easy thing for them to get water from a well. He said, you've got to get a bucket and you've got to get a rope and you got to take that vessel and you got to go all the way to wherever your well is at. You got to throw that bucket down in there. You got to throw that vessel down in there. You got to get it full of water. Did a little research. I wanted to know about how big those vessels were that they drew water with. They said somewhere between two and three gallons. Now you got to think about that. Sometimes they were watering herds. Sometimes they were watering their entire home. How many trips did it take for them to get full of water? He said, you've got to find joy in the drawing. You've got to find joy in the process

of the water that's trying to flow up. You got to have joy when you're going to church. I know you've worked hard today. I know you've had a long day. I know it's been difficult and you have every reason to not be happy sitting in your chair today. But do we really? Because if we want the wells of salvation to flow, we got to get joy when we go to the well. Think about the fatigue that would set in their arms as they begin to pull that water up or turn the crank on the well. But it didn't matter because they knew there's a life -giving resource down there. I'm going to find joy in the drawing. It was Abraham's servant who was sent to go find a wife for his son, Isaac. And as he was sent, he says, Lord, he says, this is all I want as I go

to the homeland of my mastery. He says, this is what I pray for, God. He said, I want to find somebody that when I ask water, while they're drawing from the well that they're willing to water my camels also. And so he's going, and as he's going, he sees this beautiful young lady he says, and he says, can I get some water from this well? And she happily gets him water. And while he's getting water for him, she says, might I also water your camels? Now, I did a little research on this, too. You have to understand that he had 10 camels. You have to understand that those 10 camels, let me make sure I give it to you right, would drink, those 10 camels would drink 250 gallons of water. Now, if the pitcher was between two and three gallons, let's split that right down the middle,

two and a half gallon pitcher, that is 100 trips to the well for her to fill up enough in that trough for the camels to be sustained after such a long journey. But for her to become the bride of the covenant, she had to be willing to go the distance. She had to be willing to draw when it wasn't convenient. And she had to do it with a little bit of joy. She didn't know what she was gonna get in return. She just had to find joy in the drawing. Can I tell you, you've got to find joy when you're drawing from this well. I know, I know, you're gonna have to wake up in the morning and find joy drawing from this well. It was her willingness to draw that made her qualified to be the bride to carry on the covenant. And I think if we're gonna be the bride

that carries this covenant, we've got to be willing to draw from this well. There's power in repetition, friend. I said, there's power in repetition. Naaman had to dip seven times before he got a miracle. Elijah's servant had to run to the horizon seven times before he saw that cloud the size of a man's hand. Hannah had to keep praying until the man said, go thy way, God has granted thee thy petition. The king could have had permanent victory when Elisha said, smite the earth, but he stopped that for three times. He should have kept going until he had permanent victory. Why? Because when you're willing to do something when it's not convenient, that's when you find the well of salvation begins to draw forth. Mama, I feel the Holy Ghost right now. Let's just lift our hands and worship Jesus for a minute. Woo, I feel the wells of salvation in this house

right now. Woo, I tell y 'all, can I minister to somebody on a Wednesday night? There's power in your repetition. I know sometimes we wanna quit. I know sometimes we wonder if it's worth doing this over and over and over and over again. But sometimes, friend, you gotta find the joy in the drawing. Was it not Jesus in his parable that said, of the unjust ruler, she weary me by her continual coming? Notice with me the foundation of that parable is this in Luke 18 and one, and he spoke a parable unto this end, that men ought to always pray and faint not. He said, this is what I'm likening prayer unto, continual coming, continual coming. He said, if an unjust ruler will answer a prayer by continual coming, he says in verse number seven of Luke 18, and shall not God avenge his own elect,

which cried day and night unto them, though he bear along with them, I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the sum of man cometh, will he find faith on earth? Is he gonna find somebody that keeps on keeping on, even when there's no evidence in it, even when it seems like there's no proof in it at time? And I know we've all got proof, but sometimes we gotta build our faith up. And I pray this word helps you build up your faith tonight. Keep doing what you know to do. Get that shovel and dig again. I said, get that shovel and dig again. Water will come from that well. I notice in James five, and I'm gonna read this in the amplified version. And I know the amplified version isn't exactly the most accurate when it comes to translation, but man, I just found this so intriguing today.

It says, therefore confess your sins, one to another, your false steps, your offenses and pray for one another, that you might be healed and restored, the heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man. The heartfelt. I do believe there's a big difference between vain prayers and heartfelt prayers. We're going somewhere and persistent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. When we put it into action and made it effective by God, it is dynamic and it can have tremendous power. Verse number 17, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours with the same physical, mental and spiritual limitations and shortcomings. Think about that. The great prophet Elijah, you know the one who didn't even have to die, that guy, he's just like us. I love James. He just makes things practical. You're sick, get an elder up here. He'll pray for you. I mean, he just makes things simple.

He's like, we put Elijah on this giant pedestal. He said, let me take some hosts. He's just like me and you. He fights the same junk we fight. But you know what he did? He kept praying and it was a heartfelt prayer. I know we find him hiding under a tree, but at least he was honest, heartfelt prayer. And he prayed intensely for it not to rain and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. He said, I'm not gonna quit praying until God answers my prayer. Why? Because the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Your persistence will produce what you pray for. I said, your persistence will produce what you pray for. It may not come by wind and it may not come by rain. But if you keep doing what you know to do, water's gonna flow from that well.

He just kept praying. He kept praying until it happened. Numbers 21 and 17. I love this so much. It says, then Israel sang this song. This is a song. Spring up, oh well. Sing ye unto it. Sing unto the well. I think, and I just wanna say this, I feel like we've lost our oh in the church. I'm just gonna tell you what, I know that may not make sense. But I've grown up in this thing, all right? I've been in this my whole life. And I can't remember prayer meetings. I can't remember Sunday nights. I can't remember Wednesday nights where you would hear this. Oh! Anybody know what I'm talking about? Those groanings? You know what that is? That's singing to the well. When you don't know what to pray. When you don't know what to do. When all you've known to do is put your hand on that shovel and dig again,

and dig again, and dig again, and dig again. Sometimes all you have is an oh God. I started looking through this today. Psalms six and two. Oh Lord, heal me for my bones are in agony. Psalms 25 and 11. For the sake of your name, oh Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Psalms 42 and one. As the deer pants for the streams of water, so my soul pants for you. Oh God, Psalms 51, 10. Create in me a pure heart. Oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 57 and one. Have mercy on me. Oh God, Psalms 130 and one. Out of the depths I cried to you. Oh Lord. The Bible says that there's not a dot nor a tittle in there on accident. If there's an oh in there, it means something. When's the last time you sang to that well?

Oh well, spring up again. I looked for the wind and the wind didn't blow. I looked for the rain and the rain didn't come. Maybe the well is looking for your oh to come back. You lift your hands right now. I feel the Holy Ghost in this house. Somebody needs to get your oh back. Oh well, spring up in your life right now. Come on, sing to that well for just a moment. Oh well, ha ha. Ay -ya -la -ba -ya -la -ba, yeah -ya -ya -la -ba -ya -la -ha. I'm almost done. My man, I feel the Holy Ghost in this house right now. Whoo, shat -tah -la -ba -kay -ah -do -lo. Some of the greatest prayers you will ever pray will not be when you can pontificate to the Lord and wax eloquent. Some of the greatest prayers you will ever pray.

Some of the most effective prayers you will ever pray are gonna sound a little bit like this. Oh, they were without water. They were tired. And the prophet says, dig, why am I digging? Because you've got to sing to that well. I know you don't feel like it. I know sometimes we're weary and well -doing, but don't faint, don't faint. Why? Because if you can find an oh, sometimes all you need is when you know not what to pray. When you know not what to pray, the Spirit maketh intercession. Grownings which cannot be uttered. There's no utterance for what comes out of you. There's no word for what comes out of you. There's no language for what comes out of you. No, no, no, it's just, oh, oh, oh, oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God, I need thee.

Oh, I need thee every hour. I need thee, oh God. I'm telling you, some of you are gonna experience victory. You just gotta get your oh back. Some of you are gonna experience victory. And I feel like if you could ever start singing to that well again, water's gonna flow from Edom. Whoo, shaltoloboye alabahata, yeah. I feel the Holy Ghost right now. I'm done. Would you stand with me all over this house? Would you lift your hands right now? The Holy Ghost is interrupting the rest of this sermon right now. Lift your hands and lift your voices. Somebody get your oh right now. Come on, somebody get your oh right now. Hey, I feel like water's coming from Edom. Sholobosata, yeah. Ike eleya la la la burroto, yeah, yeah, yeah. Ina rakata elabohosata. I alabohonolobosata, ha. Come on, get a little joy in the drawing.

Get a little joy in the drawing. Get a little joy in the drawing right now. Spring up, oh, well, oh, well, oh, well. I alabahandarakatorokosotore, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel strength coming into this house. I feel miracles coming into this house. Get your joy in the drawing. Get your joy back in the drawing. Come on, that's it, that's it, that's it, that's it. Let the oh come back into your soul. Hell, spring up in this house. Come on, it may not be for you tonight, but you don't know what your neighbor's been going through. It may not be for you tonight, but you don't know the hell. The brother sitting next to you's been fighting. If you can't get an oh for you, get an oh for them right now. Come on, I'll tell you alabah. Come on, there's power in your consistency. Elder, there's power in your consistency.

Young man, there's power in your consistency. Young lady, there's power in your consistency. Come on, you keep coming back. You keep doing it again. I hear the water coming from an unexpected place. Whoo! I know, I know it's Wednesday night. I know it's Wednesday night, but I feel something so strong in the Holy Ghost right now. James said, he said, if you're going through something, he said, tell your brother. He said, tell him because the effectual fervent prayer, it avails much. If you're going through something right now, really you're going, whatever it is, would you go to somebody? You don't have to tell them your deepest darkest secrets. You don't have to tell them everything you've ever done all the days of your life, but just go to them right now and say, listen, I'm struggling. And I just believe that they're going to pray for you.

And there's going to be a well spring up in you tonight. Could we do that? Is that all right? Could we have a moment of honesty right now? Is this all right on a Wednesday night? If you're going through something, just turn to your neighbor. Just say, listen, I'm struggling right now. I'm hurting right now. I need prayer right now. Come on, you don't even have to get to the altar if you don't feel comfortable doing it in the altar. Just turn to somebody you're sitting next to right now. Turn to your brother in Christ. Turn to your sister in Christ. Just say, listen, I'm going through something right now. I need a touch from the Holy Ghost. That's it, that's it. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man. Just means believer there. You just got to be a believer for that prayer to work.

Come on, turn to him. Now, when you pray for him, pray for him like you're praying for yourself. He said it's a fervent prayer. He said it's a fervent prayer. Come on, that means with fervor, with intensity. Come on, like you're praying for your kid, like you're praying for your own self. Pray for them right now. Pray until that well springs up in them. Come on, that's it. I'm done, I'm gonna lay this mic down. I'm gonna pray with people. Would you just do what you feel now? If you want to be dismissed, we're done. You can be dismissed, but the Holy Ghost is moving right now.