Joram looked down, but Jehoshaphat looked up. The king of Israel looked to himself and his weakness, but the king of Judah looked to Jehovah and the strength he knew was available in Him. Joram found fault with God and blamed Him for what he thought was a hopeless disaster. Jehoshaphat looked beyond the difficulties of the present and found comfort and hope in the Lord.

Jehoshaphat recognized that here was a situation for which human resources were inadequate. For such a time of extreme peril the voice of a prophet was needed. Only a divine message could provide the counsel and guidance that would now point the way out of this valley of death.

To every man is given the privilege of prayer and of inquiring personally of the Lord, but God chooses the manner in which the divine answer is given. In His wisdom and providence God has chosen to speak to His people through His messengers the prophets, to provide messages of light and life and hope. To him who will listen to these messages there opens a way of light and gladness. To him who refuses to hearken, there is only darkness, defeat, and despair.

How high or how lowly the position of this servant was we do not know. But we do know that it was he who now gave the word concerning where the man might be found who was so desperately needed at this critical hour. Position mattered little at such a time as this. A prophet was needed, and it was a servant who knew where the prophet could be found. How often in the cause of the Lord it is given to a humble individual to make some suggestion that ultimately leads to the greatest of victories. God works through any man who surrenders himself to do the divine bidding, no matter how lowly the earthly status of such a one may be.

It appears that Elisha was somewhere in the vicinity. Joram evidently did not know that the prophet was anywhere around. But the servant knew, and God knew. There is never a crisis with the Lord. God foresaw this situation, and His servant was available so that the necessary light might be given at the very time it was so desperately needed.

This interesting detail reveals one of the ministrations Elisha had been accustomed to perform while in attendance upon the elder prophet. Elisha had done well the humble tasks committed to him, and now the Lord placed upon him responsibilities of the highest importance.

The custom of “pouring water on the hands” of someone as a sign of ministration is still prevalent in the Near East today. Water is scarce in most Bible lands, and cannot be squandered. Before a meal is served in a Bedouin tent or in the villages where no municipal water system exists, a servant will place a bowl before his master and the guests. They will take a cake of soap and hold their hands over the bowl. Then a thin stream of water is poured over their hands from a spouted jug or a metal vessel that resembles a teapot. In this way hands are washed before food is taken—without the use of spoons or forks. The one who pours the water is always one who serves, and not the man of honor.