Overflowing Grace

Introduction

THE STORY:

Selfish desire (1-5). . . leads to a . . .

Desperate situation (6-10). . . which leads them to . . .

Turn to the Lord (11-15). . . where they receive. . .

Overflowing grace (16-20). . . and . . .

Supernatural victory (21-25)

2 Kings 3:1–25 (ESV) — 1 In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless, he clung to the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from it.

After Solomon Israel is split - Israel and Judah

Jehoram is son of Ahab and Jezebel.

“He did what was evil. . .”

Put away pillar of Baal but still tolerated the Baal worship.

4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

Selfish desire (1-5)

Moab was subject to Israel and paid tribute to Israel.

When change of leadership happened, Mesha saw this as a good time to rebel.

Jehoram didn’t want to lose the income so he went to war with Moab.

Desperate situation (6-10)

6 So King Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “By which way shall we march?” Jehoram answered, “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them. 10 Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”

Jehoram (Israel) aligned with Jehoshaphat (Judah - Good king) and the King of Edom to attack Moab

Chose to not attack from north where there would be more fortified cities.

Chose to attack Moab from the south, going through Judah then through Edom.

God lost? and now they are desperate in the desert.

Notice the difference in Jehoram’s and Jehoshaphat’s response to the situation.

Turn to the Lord (11-15)

11 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” 12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.”

Elisha was with the army as they travelled — Why? Following the Lord’s direction?

“What have I. . .” Jehoram does not have a relationship with the Lord.

Ironically, Baal is the god of rain.

But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 14 And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. 15 But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.

Elisha is pretty upset - perhaps the music was to calm him.

Overflowing grace (16-20)

16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ 17 For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’ 18 This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, 19 and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

Other translations of v16: “Make this valley full of ditches.”

Hard to translate — I think this is a better translation. Either way the idea is that they were to prepare for God to do something amazing.

This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord — This is what caught me this week — It’s like hitting the EASY button.

For God, what we see as heavy he sees as light.

20 The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.

South to north — wasn’t flowing through a river.

Perhaps rain on the mountains and flowing into the trenches?

Supernatural victory (21-25)

21 When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border. 22 And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.

Edom means “red”

Wadi Hasa has red stone canyons.

23 And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!” 24 But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went. 25 And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it.

THE TRUTH:

Apart from God’s Word, your plans lead only to dead ends and deserts.

Reveals our utter dependence on God.

Look how the mighty armies crumble for want of water.

This is not a statement that comes true when we find ourselves in the desert — it is an eternal truth that is especially revealed when we are in the desert.

*How much of our plans are made without thought of God’s Word — what He has said about it — and without His power?

If we are to accomplish ANYTHING of significance for Christ, we must have the Holy Spirit’s power!

So dependent is the Christian church upon the Holy Ghost, that there never was an acceptable sigh heaved by a penitent apart from him; never did holy song mount to heaven except he gave it wings; never was there true prayer or faithful ministry except through the power and might of the Holy Ghost. Sinners are never saved apart from the Spirit of God. No moral suasion, no force of example, no potence of logic, no might of rhetoric, ever changed the heart. The living Spirit alone can put life into dead souls. And when those souls are quickened, we are still as dependent as ever upon the Spirit of God.

C. H. Spurgeon, “‘Make This Valley Full of Ditches,’” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 13 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1867), 231–232.

Reveals our self-centered focus.

GOD caused this, not me!

They were the ones who got lost (circuitous route)

Illust - GPS made me lost.

Turn to God and see judgment turned to grace.

v10 -

2 Kings 3:10 (ESV) — 10 Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”

Jehoram immediately sees the problem as a judgment from God — not a result of his poor planning or terrible navigation skills.

King of Israel (Jehoram) blames God for their problem.

Certainly couldn’t be Jehoram’s fault — greedy, violent, Baal worshiper.

He believes the lie that God is out to get him.

Stop seeking solutions to fix your life and seek God!

Why is this so hard?

Sometimes we view God as the source of our problems rather than the answer to them.

Jehoshaphat shows there are two ways to respond to a desert or a dead end — God is out to get me or God has something for me.

You can either blame God or look to him.

This story is a picture of the gospel.

God’s grace overcomes certain death for those who trust in him and his covenant.

2 Kings 3:13–14 (ESV) — 13 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? (no relationship - no reason for God to help) Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 14 And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you.

Jehoshaphat’s father was Solomon. Solomon’s father is David with whom God made a covenant.

Jehoshaphat followed God. There was a relationship.

Jesus makes a way through the new covenant for you to have a relationship with him by trusting on his death and resurrection.

God’s unmerited grace in the face of judgment and death is a true picture of the gospel.

God’s grace falls even on Jehoram — whose parents were EVIL! God’s grace came regardless of past.

God’s great work demands your expectation and preparation.

Dig those ditches

Our biggest problems are God’s easiest challenges.

Our responsibility is to prep the soil for God’s great work.

You want God to work in your life? Be obedient.

“I want to see God move the army.” Did you dig the ditches?

“I son’t see how that would help.” Doesn’t matter. Be obedient.

The wisdom is God’s — the obedience is yours.

*You can’t receive the power of God in your life without the obedience to God of your life!*

i.e., you know God has been stirring your heart about something. He’s been speaking to you. you need to respond in obedience.

Things you need to do. Things you need to stop.

You can expect God to work, but you can’t demand how he’ll do it.

You may not see the rain or the wind, but you will see it’s effects.

Sometimes I wonder if the church is digging ditches or still in the circuitous route.

Are we preparing for the Holy Spirit to provide supernatural resources? Sick — healed, Facing death — receive life.

Are we preparing for the Holy Spirit to defeat the enemy in the lives of those in the church? Marriages restored, assault of Satan and sin on our children to be stopped and reversed, abused and hurting healed, etc.

God’s grace is shown so you might know God and make Him known.

God’s grace is shown so you might know God.

Could God have done this another way? Could God have simply kept the army from getting lost? Wouldn’t that have been better?

God’s goal is not to make things easy in your life; it is for him to be made known in your life.

Many times people meet God in the desert:

Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Israel, David, Paul. The Spirit even led Jesus to the desert for a time of testing.

Sometimes God allows us to walk into a desert so that we might seek him.

Sick and tired of people saying God doesn’t know what will happen — that’s trash. I believe in a God who knows EXACTLY what will happen and he orchestrates it according to his glory and your good.

Can you imagine how the “Baal worshippers” in the armies must have responded when their god could not deliver rain, yet Yahweh delivers a flood with no rain?

That’s God’s grace!

God’s grace is shown so you might make God known.

Kings know who God is and God is made known through them.

Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone) in Louvre

Discovered in 1868

in Louvre

oldest known reference to Yahweh — personal name for God outside the Bible.

The people of Israel experienced God’s grace so they might demonstrate God’s grace.

Conclusion