We all go through desperate situations in our lives. This truth is one we are all well-acquainted with as human beings. Because sin came into the world through Adam and Eve, we will have times that feel out of our control and extremely difficult. You may even be walking through a desperate time. We will walk through many of these situations throughout our lives. The question is, how do we respond when these situations come? Today we will look into the story of three men in Scripture and how they responded when they found themselves in quite a desperate situation. Our study will challenge us to turn to God, the one in control of every situation we face, even the most difficult situations.
BREAK THE ICE
If you had to describe your life in 6 words, what would you say? Why?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Bible Study Questions
1. When was a time in the past when you felt like you were in a desperate situation?
WATCH SERMON RECAP
2. Read 2 Kings 3:1-10. What did King Joram, the king of Israel at the time, think caused his desperate situation? What were the actual causes of his desperate situation?
2 Kings 3:1-10
"Ahab’s son Joram began to rule over Israel in the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twelve years. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not to the same extent as his father and mother. He at least tore down the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had set up. 3 Nevertheless, he continued in the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had committed and led the people of Israel to commit. 4 King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. He used to pay the king of Israel an annual tribute of 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 But after Ahab’s death, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Joram promptly mustered the army of Israel and marched from Samaria. 7 On the way, he sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you join me in battle against him?” And Jehoshaphat replied, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” 8 Then Jehoshaphat asked, “What route will we take?” “We will attack from the wilderness of Edom,” Joram replied. 9 The king of Edom and his troops joined them, and all three armies traveled along a roundabout route through the wilderness for seven days. But there was no water for the men or their animals. 10 “What should we do?” the king of Israel cried out. “The Lord has brought the three of us here to let the king of Moab defeat us.”
"Ahab’s son Joram began to rule over Israel in the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twelve years. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not to the same extent as his father and mother. He at least tore down the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had set up. 3 Nevertheless, he continued in the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had committed and led the people of Israel to commit.
4 King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. He used to pay the king of Israel an annual tribute of 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 But after Ahab’s death, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Joram promptly mustered the army of Israel and marched from Samaria. 7 On the way, he sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you join me in battle against him?”
And Jehoshaphat replied, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” 8 Then Jehoshaphat asked, “What route will we take?”
“We will attack from the wilderness of Edom,” Joram replied.
9 The king of Edom and his troops joined them, and all three armies traveled along a roundabout route through the wilderness for seven days. But there was no water for the men or their animals.
10 “What should we do?” the king of Israel cried out. “The Lord has brought the three of us here to let the king of Moab defeat us.”
3. Read 2 Kings 3:11-19. Where did Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, remind the kings with him to turn to in their desperate situation? What were the results of turning to God?
2 Kings 3:11-19
"But King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord with us? If there is, we can ask the Lord what to do through him.” One of King Joram’s officers replied, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to be Elijah’s personal assistant.” 12 Jehoshaphat said, “Yes, the Lord speaks through him.” So the king of Israel, King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and the king of Edom went to consult with Elisha. 13 “Why are you coming to me?” Elisha asked the king of Israel. “Go to the pagan prophets of your father and mother!” But King Joram of Israel said, “No! For it was the Lord who called us three kings here—only to be defeated by the king of Moab!” 14 Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I wouldn’t even bother with you except for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15 Now bring me someone who can play the harp.” While the harp was being played, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha, 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water! 17 You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. You will have plenty for yourselves and your cattle and other animals. 18 But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab! 19 You will conquer the best of their towns, even the fortified ones. You will cut down all their good trees, stop up all their springs, and ruin all their good land with stones.”
"But King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord with us? If there is, we can ask the Lord what to do through him.”
One of King Joram’s officers replied, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to be Elijah’s personal assistant.”
12 Jehoshaphat said, “Yes, the Lord speaks through him.” So the king of Israel, King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and the king of Edom went to consult with Elisha.
13 “Why are you coming to me?” Elisha asked the king of Israel. “Go to the pagan prophets of your father and mother!”
But King Joram of Israel said, “No! For it was the Lord who called us three kings here—only to be defeated by the king of Moab!”
14 Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I wouldn’t even bother with you except for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15 Now bring me someone who can play the harp.”
While the harp was being played, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha, 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water! 17 You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. You will have plenty for yourselves and your cattle and other animals. 18 But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab! 19 You will conquer the best of their towns, even the fortified ones. You will cut down all their good trees, stop up all their springs, and ruin all their good land with stones.”
4. Read 2 Kings 3:22-24. How did God bring good out of this desperate situation?
Application
2 Kings 3:22-24
"But when they got up the next morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it appear red to the Moabites—like blood. 23 “It’s blood!” the Moabites exclaimed. “The three armies must have attacked and killed each other! Let’s go, men of Moab, and collect the plunder!” 24 But when the Moabites arrived at the Israelite camp, the army of Israel rushed out and attacked them until they turned and ran. The army of Israel chased them into the land of Moab, destroying everything as they went."
"But when they got up the next morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it appear red to the Moabites—like blood. 23 “It’s blood!” the Moabites exclaimed. “The three armies must have attacked and killed each other! Let’s go, men of Moab, and collect the plunder!”
24 But when the Moabites arrived at the Israelite camp, the army of Israel rushed out and attacked them until they turned and ran. The army of Israel chased them into the land of Moab, destroying everything as they went."
1. What situation are you facing right now that feels desperate?
2. How has God brought good out of desperate situations that you have faced in the past?
3. What would it look like to turn to God right now in the desperate situation that you are facing?
MOVING FORWARD
Do you know someone who is going through a difficult situation right now? You could be the person who reminds them to turn to God. Then, invite that person to one of our weekend services, where they will hear the message of hope in Jesus, even during difficult times. Pray together. As you pray, pray for each one of these people that they would accept the invitation and that God would be working in their hearts.
GOING DEEPER
Our desperate situations can leave us feeling hopeless. When we cannot see a way out, hope seems lost. We may find ourselves having a hard time holding on to hope. As we consider hope in our desperate situation, We could all use encouragement from Scripture. Let’s spend the next few minutes diving into what Romans 8:24 teaches us about how to hope during desperate times.
Where Is Our Hope?
We must begin our understanding of hope and what it means to hope by looking at where our hope is placed. After all, the object of our faith impacts everything.
What Is Hope?
Before we understand how to hope in desperate times, we need to have a good understanding of hope. So let’s look at the way the Apostle Paul described hope in Romans 8 to shift our perspective of what it means to have hope during desperate times.
How Do We Hope?
Now that we have discussed where our hope is placed as followers of Christ and what hope is, the question we have to answer is, “How do we hope?” We will look at 2 different ways we can hope from Romans 8 in the middle of our desperate times.
Paul calls us in this passage of Scripture to hope patiently. According to A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Early Christian Literature by Ardnt, Danker, Bauer, and Gingrich, the Greek Word translated as “patiently” carries with it the connotation of endurance in the face of difficulty. How does this understanding impact your view of how to hope?
Paul also calls us in this passage to wait confidently. According to A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Early Christian Literature by Ardnt, Danker, Bauer, and Gingrich, the Greek Word translated as “confidently” carries with it the connotation of eagerness as we hope. How does this understanding impact your view of how to hope?
Reflect:
As you think about how we are called to hope patiently and confidently, which of these two attributes do you need to grow in the most? Remember to consider the Greek definitions of these words. Then, share with your group which you would like to grow in and one step you can take to grow in that area. After everyone has shared, pray together that God will give you patience and confidence as you hope in Him.
MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
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