:7 That Jehoram was able to tell Jehoshaphat that his 'horses' were many tells us, almost incidentally, that he had forsaken the commandment (Deuteronomy 17:16) give to Israel.
:25 In telling us that he 'felled all the good trees' again we see a violation of the law - Deuteronomy 20:19 though they were told by God to 'fell every good tree' (2Kin 3:19) How do we resolve this seeming contradiction?

Brother Michael Parry has made the following suggestion.

Today's chapter speaks of 3 kings coming to Elisha's door.  What an honour!  3 Kings coming to seek his advice!  Now for the "type": the water which brought salvation to the kings, brought death to the enemy.
Does this teach of the water of baptism, and of the judgement of the Lord when He returns?

Vs.19,25 The felling of the good trees might seem, at first glance, to be contrary to the Law (Deut 20:19).  However, on closer examination, we see that there is no contradiction. 

The prohibition under the Law to cutting down good trees only applied in laying siege to a city.  Trees that bear fruit had to be preserved while others could be cut down to help in the siege (Deut 20:20). 

The idea of laying siege to a city was to ultimately force the residents of the city to yield and give up the city to the attackers.  The city would not be destroyed but occupied by the new tenants.  Thus, the good trees had to be preserved for the continuation of city life. 

However, the Moabite cities were not laid to siege for their continuance, but were utterly destroyed.  And so, the destruction of everything, including the good trees, was appropriate. 

3:14  Jehoshaphat must have been brought up with a start when he heard the words of the prophet. He was compromised by association with Jehoram – doubtless because of the marriage between his son and the house of Ahab.

3:1 The identification of the overlap between Ahab and Jehoshaphat should alert us to the fact that this overlap will highlight some connections between the two kings. All the kings overlapped right up to the end of Hoshea’s reign in Samaria but the overlap is rarely mentioned. We are being invited to think about the overlap so we should be looking, in the narrative, for points of contact.

3:11 So Jehoshaphat tries to bring a Scriptural approach to the problem – however he is fighting a losing battle. He would have done better not to be there at all.

V.15 Elisha was very upset at the presence of the three kings.  An agitated mind is not conducive to addressing Yahweh.  And so, Elisha called for a musician to help him calm down.  Remember, this is how David was able to calm Saul down from his dark moods (1Sam 16:23).

Yahweh had given Elijah a lesson as to how He addressed His people.  It was not in a state of tumult, but in calm (1Kin 19:12).  If we are upset, then let us not approach Yahweh until we have calmed down.  This is proper.

Vs.:2,3 Although Jehoram stopped Baal worship, worship of the golden calves that Jeroboam had set up in Dan and Bethel, continued.

V.6 Under the law, when numbering occurred, a tax would also have been collected (Exo 30:12,13).

V.9 Although Edom had been subdued and incorporated into Israel it would later rebel.  This traditional enemy of Israel would go on to help Nebuchadnezzar against Judah.

V.22 The low, red sun on the eastern horizon, reflected off the ditches of water, which appeared to the Moabites as blood.

V.27 For the Moabites, the battle had been lost.  The king of Moab was trapped.  In desperation and anger, he did that which was abhorrent to the Israelites under the Law.  He sacrificed his son to Chemosh (the Moabite equivalent to the Ammonite god Molech) (Lev 18:21). The Israelites were horrified by this act, and withdrew from the battleground.

2Kin 3:9,11 - lack of water may hint a spiritual drought of the word - they should have inquired of God initially.

2Kin 3:10,13 - Jehoram had no faith in God that he would be delivered from Moab.

2Kin 3:20,22,23,24 - V.20 mentions sacrifice and in the following verses we have mention of water with an appearance of blood which led to salvation for some and death for the enemy (sin?) - see David Simpson's 2004 comments.  We recall when Christ was pierced in his side blood and water poured out (John 19:34).

2Kin 3:19,25,27 - God's instructions to overthrow every city of  Moab were not carried out and we have a sacrifice of a firstborn son (death of sinful nature?).

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

This chapter and chapter 50 contains some dreadful prophecies that speak of the total destruction of Babylon. They were given by Jeremiah just as the Babylonian empire was reaching the peak of its glory. Once Jeremiah had written it all down on a scroll he told Seraiah to take it and read it to the people of Babylon. Whether they chose to take the warnings seriously and listen to them or not was up to them - but they had been warned and when it happened they would know it was from the LORD.
In another part of the Bible we are told that God will do nothing without revealing it to his servants first. (Amos 3 v 7). So God has put his plan in the Bible. It is written in black and white, in words we can understand and there for us to see. In the Bible God warns us of the punishments that are about to come on the wicked and on us if we choose not to serve him. He also tells us of a brilliant future in the kingdom that is in store for us if we choose to live for God now. It is all written there in the Bible as an advance warning for you and me. You have been warned. Take God's warning seriously.

Vs.59-61 We very often associate the warnings against Babylon with prophets such as Daniel (who went to Babylon with the first wave of captives); and Ezekiel (who was likely in Babylon).  Indeed, Daniel was there to interpret Babylon's and Belshazzar's downfall when the writing was, literally, on the wall (Dan 5:24-31). 

However, we must not forget that the writings of Jeremiah also went to Babylon to instruct the Jews what was to happen.  Daniel, himself, was instructed by the words of Jeremiah (Dan 9:2). And, here, we have just read that Seraiah (the chief priest Jer 52:24) was charged to read Jeremiah's words concerning the destruction of Babylon to the Babylonian captives.

51:37  In the overthrow and destruction of Babylon we see a reversal of Jerusalem’s fate – Jer 9:11. Babylon, the oppressor, now suffers the fate of the city she oppressed.

V.6 The warning to Israel to flee from Babylon, lest they should be involved in the punishment of her iniquity. The exhortation for spititual Israel is still the same in the 21st century, as we await our future king's return. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not her plagues" Rev 18:4

51:21 The destruction of the horse and rider mimics what happened to Egypt Exo 15:1

51:25 The ‘burnt mountain’ motif is picked up in Rev 8:8 to speak of the overthrow of Babylon spoken of there.

Vs.7,8 These verses are mirrored in Rev 14:8;17:4;18:2,9, amongst other verses.  The first application considers  physical Babylon, which was conquered by Cyrus.  The second application concerns spiritual Babylon, the apostate church, which will be conquered by Jesus when he returns to earth.

51:42 In speaking of the covering of Babylon with ‘the multitude of the waves’ we see the destruction of Babylon being likened to the destruction of Egypt when Israel were delivered under Moses – Exo 15:10

V.2 The use of fanners (KJV); winnowers (ESV) employs the metaphor of the Medes as farmers who will separate the wheat from the chaff at harvest time.  Babylon is considered the chaff (Psa 1:4).

V.5 See Psa 94:14.

V.6 Likewise, Jesus’ people are told to flee spiritual Babylon, the apostate system of worship (Rev 18:4).

V.13 The great whore of Babylon sits on many waters also. The phrase, many waters is synonymous with many people. 

According to Wikipedia on the Roman Catholic Church, Church membership in 2007 was 1.147 billion people. The Catholic population increase of 139% outpaced the world population increase of 117% between 1950 and 2000.

V.16 When Jesus returns, there will physical and political changes that will take place on a magnitude not seen before.  Jesus will forcefully eradicate all ungodliness, which includes spiritual Babylon (Rev 16:18).

Vs.20-23 Compare this with the role of Jesus in the latter days (Psa 2:7-9).

Vs.25,26 Babylon would be made desolate, never again to be inhabited (vs.37,62; Isa 13:19-22).  The same treatment will apply to spiritual Babylon (Rome) in the end times (Rev 18:10,19).

V.41 Sheshak is a code word for Babel (Babylon).

v41, in referring to Babylon as Sheshach, is referring us to the other time Jeremiah uses that code name. It's like when your wife only calls you "Jonathan" when she's angry with you, and "Jon" the rest of the time. You know exactly what that form of the name means to you. So also here, we know Jeremiah wants us to link this passage with Jer 25:26.

Here in 25:17-27 is a long list of the nations that would be made desolate by the judgements God would bring upon them. It starts with Jerusalem in v18 as an example. Then all the middle eastern nations in v19-25, followed by the "kings of the north" and finally "all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth" (v26). After that, Babylon would be judged as a final act: "the king of Sheshach shall drink after them". This prophecy was fulfilled by Babylon's military exploits at the time of Jeremiah and Daniel. But did Babylon's sword really reach all the kingdoms of the world? As has already been mentioned, there are many links between this chapter and Revelation. So are we to see a repeat, and complete fulfillment of this pattern of judgements in the near future?

51:20 In presenting Judah as the one who ‘will break in pieces the nations’ we see Jeremiah using the words of Psa 2:9 which speaks of the work of Jesus at his return to associate redeemed Israel with that work.

The issue of the wearing of coverings is dealt with by the use of Old Testament Scriptures.

So whatever we think about the issue it is clear that it has fundamental principles behind it which are lodged right back in Genesis in the creation of Eve.

• The believers at Corinth had been holding the breaking of bread service completely wrong (v18-22).
• Paul tells them that this service is in fact the partaking of the body and blood of Christ (v23-26).
• He makes the logical step, that if they do it unworthily, then they will be guilty of that body and blood (v27 see also Hebrews 10v29).
• If one is guilty of the body and blood of Christ, then he will bring judgment upon himself (v29).
• In order to turn them away from them doing this, God has been afflicting them (v30)
• This is chastening from God, rather than condemnation (v32)

The advice of Paul is in v31. If they would judge themselves, and turn away from their evil practices, then God would not have to judge them himself. This way they would avoid the chastening described in v30.

11:9 In saying that the woman was made ‘for the man’ Paul is not advocating that the wife is the servant of the husband. He is laying out the respective status of both in the partnership. As Scripture says Eve was a ‘help’ Gen 2:18 – the first use of ‘help’ in Scripture!

11:25-27 Notice the repeated use of ‘cup’ when speaking of the breaking of bread. This is consistent with Jesus’ use in the gospels. He always speaks of the ‘cup’. The cup in Scripture has particular significance. It can be a cup of blessing or a cup of cursing. In the context of breaking bread it all depends on the attitude of the partaker.

11:8 Notice how the ordering of the creation of Adam and then the formation of Eve is actually used to make a principle – such is the importance of the details in Scripture. We should take heed in our own Bible study to be careful to note what the text says and use the detail to grow our understanding of it.

V.13 The word for uncovered is akatakaluptos which is the exact opposite of katakalupto, which means completely covered (v.6).

V.15 Some contend that this verse suggests long hair is a sufficient covering for a woman. However, Paul is just contrasting the acceptable state of hair for a man and woman in vs.14 and 15.

The word covering comes from the Gr. peribolaion which describes something loosely thrown around, like a cloak. Thus, long hair is becoming for a woman. However, the word used for covered in v.6, comes from the Gr. katakalupto which means fully covered.

Paul is saying that a woman’s head should not only be covered, but completely covered, hair and all. This should give pause to those women who think it acceptable to throw on a hankie-sized piece of headgear.

V.16  We have no such custom (KJV) is Paul's plain retort to the contentious individual who espouses the idea that it is all right for men to have long hair; for women to pray or prophesy (engage in acts of worship) with their heads uncovered; or for men's heads to be covered while worshipping.

V.24 Broken (KJV) refers to the bread and not to Jesus’ body, which was not broken.  This is because no bone of the Pascal Lamb, which represented Jesus, should be broken (Exo 12:46; John 19:36).

Some manuscripts do not have the word broken, and most modern versions render Jesus’ statement as: "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (ESV).

11:18 ‘in the church’ seems to be a specialised phrase and does not just mean when the believers met together. Rather it specifically speak so the time when they met to remember the lord’s death in the taking of the bread and the wine