Undeserved Blessing
Sermon Series: The Winning Way
9. So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.
10. “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?”
11. But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha, son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
12. 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. Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”
14. “No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.”
15. Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay attention to you. But now bring me a harpist.”
16. While the harpist was playing, the Hand of the Lord came on Elisha and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water.”
17. “For this is what the Lord says: you will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water and you, your cattle, and your other animals will drink.”
18. “This is an easy thing in the Eyes of the Lord; He will also deliver Moab into your hands.”
2 Kings 3:9-18
No One Deserves God’s Blessing
There are several things in this passage that makes it absolutely incredible that God would bless people that don’t deserve it. First, the king of Israel (Jehoram) was a wicked king and also the son of the wicked king Ahab. Their family was steeped into idolatry and pagan practices as result of the influences of his wicked mother, Jezebel. Why in the world would God bless them?
Even more incredible is the fact that they are affiliated with the king of Edom who are also people given to idolatry. Edom or Esau was a nation that often fought against Israel. Much like the other nations of Canaan, they also had no relationship with the Living God. Yet, they were allied with Israel and had set out to engage in battle against the people of Moab.
Perhaps the most perplexing thing about this odd trio of nations is the king of Judah and his troops? You might call them the good folks in the bad bunch. Why in the world would they involve themselves in a conflict that was not theirs? It was Israel who had a grievance with the people of Moab, so what did the nation of Judah have to do with their quarrel with Moab? No matter how the situation is assessed, not a single one of those nations deserved to be blessed by God. They were all outside of the Will of God and therefore outside of God’s Blessing. Yet there is one reason why God did bless them and one reason only: Grace. It was God’s unmerited favor that provided for them and met their need. It is true that by Grace, God looks beyond our fault and sees our need.
What makes this message so relevant to our current times is the fact that many are seeking God’s blessings on the conditions of merit or even worse, the false notion that God is obligated to bless no matter what. Not only are these false conditions, but they can also be dangerous if people depend on “goodness,” “covenant security,” or “knowledge” as qualifiers for God’s blessings. Don’t get me wrong. It is absolutely wonderful that people live good moral lives, but being good is never good enough for Grace. Covenant Security is the belief that God has made a contractual agreement with some to bless them as a result of them entering or being born into a contractual arrangement. Such is the common beliefs of those who claim to be the lost tribes of Israel or any other race. The same is true for those who pretend to have superior knowledge into spiritual things and based on that knowledge they have some sort of inside connection with God. These are dangerous doctrines that don’t follow the teachings of Scripture. Amazing Grace is just that. Grace is all about God pouring out His kindness on those who don’t deserve it. Those who depend on other basis for blessings have diminished the Sacrificial Work of Christ and insulted the Holy Spirit who comes to reveal God’s Goodness. Ephesians 2:8-9, is still relevant in our age. For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. Don’t believe the cleverly disguised doctrine of works. Such practices are just as idolatrous as the wood carvings and statues that people bowed down to in ancient times. The essence of Grace brings us into a much richer relationship with God. Through Grace, God can and does bless us with much more than we deserve and in many cases beyond all that we can imagine. That is Grace. I would much rather God bless me by His Grace and that way He can bless me as much as He wants even when I don’t deserve it. I can also praise God more freely because of Amazing Grace.
Jehoshaphat got two things right.
Let’s rewind the tape and find out why these three kings and their armies got into this desperate situation. According to 2 Kings 3, Moab had broken their agreement to pay tribute to Israel. Following the death of Ahab, Moab revolted against Israel. Well, this led to Israel’s declaration of war. Since Moab was a fairly large nation, Jehoram needed some allies who would help in the war effort. The Scripture passage refers to the king of Israel asking those nations to join him but there is no mention that he prayed and asked God for direction. He was being presumptuous that God would bless his efforts even if he didn’t petition the Lord’s help. That’s a big mistake. Never assume that you are right and that God will automatically be your back up. The Bible declares that God’s ways are not our ways. Isaiah 55:8. The second mistake was for those kings to assume that Israel’s battle was their battle. Jesus admonishes us in the New Testament to be careful when you plan to go into battle and consider the cost. None of those nations had considered the risks involved in waging war and even getting to the battle field.
Fast forward ten days into the march to Moab, their armies ran out of water. They were now targets for their enemy due to their failure to plan a battle strategy. So, what did the king of Israel do? He blamed God. “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?” I have seen this scenario play out countless times as people get themselves into trouble and then have the unmitigated gall to ask, “Why did the Lord let this happen?” Please understand, God gives us a free will, but that free will comes at a cost. There are consequences to each decision that you make whether it is good or bad. So the advice is to choose wisely.
Jehoshaphat recognized their peril and rather than give in to the pity party and perish, he realized they needed God’s help. His first response was to seek God’s direction and help. But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” What sense does it make to sit around and complain or worse yet, to blame God? Rather than dealing in negativity, if you are in trouble you must turn quickly to the Lord and ask for His help. Psalm 46:1 makes a strong declaration that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Ask God to help you.
Now that you have a better picture as to why we need to focus on undeserved blessing, our attention is drawn to Jehoshaphat’s desire to seek God. He, no doubt, recognized that he was in the wrong crowd. He probably recognized that he had “messed up” and was in a difficult situation as a result of a bad decision. But rather than giving up, he looked up. Jehoshaphat redirected their thinking and actions. Rather than blaming God, they needed to ask God. They needed a Word from the Lord. God’s Word was available as they set out to find Elisha, the prophet. 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. There is no shame in turning to God’s Word when life sends hardships your way. Seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near … let the wicked forsake his way and the ungodly their thoughts and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6. That is how Jehoshaphat put himself in position to receive undeserved blessing.
Elisha’s Announcement of Undeserved Blessing
What was true then is also true today. Life is filled with pickled situations that we will sometimes find ourselves in. Yet, it is not unusual for God to send those undeserved and even unexplained blessings. While we cannot earn those blessings, there are certain things that we can do to benefit from them.
Elisha was the instrument that God used to announce the undeserved blessing, but the kings had to search for the prophet. In our lives, we must literally seek the Lord and not just expect the Lord to do something. Seek His Will. Seek to know God better. Seek to honor God with your praise. Seek God in prayer. Seek God in your conversation.
Elisha responded to their request by the Word of the Lord. While the harpist was playing, the Hand of the Lord came on Elisha and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water.” God always has the answer and God’s answer is always the right answer. God was going to literally fill the valley with water. The next morning, those armies would awaken to water flowing from the direction of Edom. Two things that should be noted. First, they had to wait one more night until the appointed time. Waiting does not mean doing nothing. Wait means anticipation that God will do just as He said He would do. Second, they had to dig the ditches during the night to catch the water. If God does send an undeserved blessing, do you have the capacity to receive it? Recall that the promise of water also came with a command. Make this valley full of ditches was not just a suggestion, it was a command. Their obedience was an act of faith that God would perform what He had promised.
Just as Elisha had spoken, God also provided. Verse 20 elaborates that when the meat offering was offered, that there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. The offering was worship. It is quite easy to worship God when we have the blessing, but what about worship in anticipation of the blessing. They worshipped God and the Lord honored that worship. It was perfect timing because we serve a perfect God who is right on time. God provided for their need and will always provide for our needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19.
Not only did God provide for their need, but God also gave them an even greater undeserved blessing. They asked for water, but God added victory over the army of Moab. The Bible says that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or even think. This is an easy thing in the Eyes of the Lord; He will also deliver Moab into your hands. The victory was a blessing they did not ask for but they needed it. Guess what? God gave them victory over their enemies. Ladies and gentlemen, we serve the same God and He sends undeserved blessings upon our lives. We must get into position to receive them.