In this chapter, the Lord promises destruction for Moab for their worship to other gods. Here’s the chapter in its entirety: “This message was given concerning Moab.
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Destruction is certain for the city of Nebo; it will soon lie in ruins. The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured; the fortress will be humiliated and broken down. No one will ever brag about Moab again, for there is a plot against her life. In Heshbon plans have been completed to destroy her. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘we will cut her off from being a nation.’ The city of Madmen, too, will be silenced; the sword will follow you there. And then the roar of battle will surge against Horonaim, for all Moab is being destroyed. Her little ones will cry out. Her refugees will climb the hills of Luhith, weeping bitterly, while cries of terror rise from Horonaim below. Flee for your lives! Hide in the wilderness! Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and princes, will be exiled to distant lands!”
“All the towns will be destroyed, both on the plateaus and in the valleys, for the Lord has spoken. Oh, that Moab had wings so she could fly away, for her cities will be left empty, with no one living in them. Cursed be those who refuse to do the work the Lord has given them, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!”
“From her earliest history, Moab has lived in peace. She is like wine that has been allowed to settle. She has not been poured from flask to flask, and she is now fragrant and smooth. But the time is coming soon,” says the Lord, “when I will send troublemakers to pour her from her jar. They will pour her out, then shatter the jar! At last Moab will be ashamed of her idol Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed of her gold calf at Bethel.”
“You used to boast, ‘We are heroes, mighty men of war.’ But now Moab and her towns will be destroyed. Her most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,” says the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty. “Calamity is coming fast to Moab; it threatens ominously.”
“You friends of Moab, weep for her and cry! See how the strong scepter is broken, how the beautiful staff is shattered! Come down from your glory and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon, for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too. They will tear down all your towers. The people of Aroer stand anxiously beside the road to watch. They shout to those who flee from Moab, ‘What has happened there?’
“And the reply comes back, ‘Moab lies in ruins; weep and wail! Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River; Moab has been destroyed!’ All the cities of the plateau lie in ruins, too. Judgment has been poured out on them all – on Holon and Jahaz and Mephaath, and on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim, and on Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon, and on Kerioth and Bozrah – all the cities of Moab, far and near.”
“The strength of Moab has ended. Her horns have been cut off, and her arms have been broken,” says the Lord. “Let her stagger and fall like a drunkard, for she has rebelled against the Lord. Moab will wallow in her own vomit, ridiculed by all. Did you not make Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught in the company of thieves that you should despise her as you do?”
“You people of Moab, flee from your cities and towns! Live in the caves like doves that nest in the clefts of the rocks. We have heard of the pride of Moab, for it is very great. We know of her loftiness, her arrogance, and her haughty heart. I know about her insolence,” says the Lord, “but her boasts are false; they accomplish nothing. Yes, I wail for Moab; my heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.”
“You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards, I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer. Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea, but the destroyer has stripped you bare! He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits. Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab. The presses yield no wine. Nonone treads the grapes with shouts of joy. There is shouting, yes, but not of joy. Instead, their awful cries of terror can be heard from Heshbon clear across to Elealeh and Jahaz; from Zoar all the way to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up now.”
“I will put on end to Moab,” says the Lord, “for they offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false gods. (Why are we so foolish, and drawn to worship other gods? Lord, help us understand, so we don’t make the same mistakes.) My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared. They shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of sackcloth. Crying and sorrow will be in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted bottle. How it is broken! Hear the wailing! See the shame of Moab! She has become an object of ridicule, an example of ruin to all her neighbors.”
“An eagle swoops down on the land of Moab,” says the Lord. “Her cities will fall; her strongholds will be seized. Even the mightiest warriors will be as frightened as a woman about to give birth. Moab will no longer be a nation, for she has boasted against the Lord.”
“Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, O Moab,” says the Lord. “Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will step into a snare. I will see to it that you do not get away, for the time of your judgment has come,” says the Lord. “The people flee as far as Heshbon but are unable to go on. For a fire comes from Heshbon, King Sihon’s ancestral home, to devour the entire land with all its rebellious people.”
“O Moab, your destruction is sure! The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed! Your sons and daughters have been taken away as captives. But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Moab,” says the Lord.
This is the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Moab.” (Jeremiah 48)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us remain focused on you! Help us know in our hearts that you are the one and only God, and give you your praise and honor continuously! Lord, we love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
Comments