Potent opposition is what he felt. How it unfolded remains obscured by the millennia, but we can again pose questions. Did Jehoram’s commanders stage their battle plan poorly? Did Edom lay a masterful ambush? Did the Lord act to hamper the efforts of Jehoram? Did they, in confidence, ride out ahead of their army, find themselves isolated and thus captured? If you like to speculate about these things, fine, just remember not to hold them too dogmatically. Too few details are known. What is clear is how Jehoram wound up terribly disadvantaged: night fell, he and the remaining contingent of Judah’s chariots found themselves thoroughly hemmed in by the forces of Edom.
They were unwilling to await the dawn in such a precarious position. We are told that they rose up, presumably in a surprise attack and broke out of their containment. If that was not humiliation enough when they broke through the news was not good. The foot-soldiers and the charioteers did not find themselves rejoicing in a reassembled fighting force. His army fled home.
Let your mind drift to the conflict between David and Goliath. The giant and the forces behind him presumed that David would be easily dispatched resulting in a route of Israel’s forces, but the outcome was a surprise reversal of fortune. Once Goliath had fallen the Philistines ran. The same phenomenon, though this time against Israel, probably happened when they foot-soldiers saw their king and the most potent part of their force surrounded. They probably discerned that come the morning the chariots would be gone and the king killed or captured. They were on enemy territory and terribly disadvantaged so the fled to their homes in Judah. Imagine the consternation, the humiliation, the anger when Jehoram broke through only to find that his men had turned tail and hurriedly retreated for safer places.
Edom would never again come under the dominion of Judah. Jehoram, the wicked king of Judah was responsible for the loss of a significant vassal. But, read on to see another loss.
Shrinking: Libnah lost
22 To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time. (2 Kings 8: 21-22a–NIV)
Libnah is a town much closer to home than Edom. At least Edom was down south of the Dead Sea, 60 or more miles as the crow flies from Jerusalem. Libnah, being about half-way between the northern third of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean, seems to be only about 20 miles east-southeast of the capital. Presumably, Jehoram was in no shape mentally, politically, or militarily to put down this rebellion either.
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