"By what route shall we attack?" he asked. "Through the Desert of Edom," he answered. – 2 Kings 3:8

Today's Scripture Reading (March 6, 2026): 2 Kings 3

On August 2, 1914, German troops entered Luxembourg and Belgium. Both countries had declared their neutrality in the early days of World War I. Germany had requested free passage through the two territories, but both countries denied Germany access to their land. The problem that Germany faced was that the quickest way to Paris was from the north through Belgium. German strategists had determined that victory in World War I depended on defeating France quickly, so they needed to attack France from the north. The Germans hoped that the other nations would ignore the violation of Luxembourg and Belgium's territories. That didn't happen. The United Kingdom, which had also declared its neutrality, found that the violation of Belgian territory was a bridge too far and entered the war on the side of France.

Germany's move made sense. Between the terrain and France's military build-up on the German-French border, the easier option was to move through Luxembourg and Belgium, if only the rest of the world had allowed that strategy to happen. But they didn't, and taking the route through Belgium might have cost Germany the war, but who knows what might have happened if Germany had taken the harder path to Paris, attacking from the German border to the east of the French Capital.

Moab has been paying tribute to Israel under Ahab's rule. However, after the death of Ahab, Moab decides that this might be the time to break the hold that Israel has on them. Joram takes his father's throne and doesn't want to appear weak before the nations of the world. But he also has no military experience, so he does something that is sometimes very hard for any of us. He asks for help. He asks Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, whether he will support him as Jehoshaphat had supported his father, Ahab, and whether Jehoshaphat has any advice on the route they should take to reach Moab. Israel had a border with Moab in the north. However, Jehoshaphat invites Joram to come through Judah, traveling around the southern end of the Dead Sea, and then through the desert territory of Edom to attack Moab from the south, something that Moab might not be expecting. Unlike Belgium in the First World War, Edom was already paying tribute to Judah, so it was not in any position to stop or oppose this move, if it even knew it was happening.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 4