March 20, Jeremiah 48
For thus says the LORD: "Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle, and spread his wings against Moab; the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains; Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he has magnified himself against the LORD. - Jeremiah 48:40-42
I trust you've noticed, as I have, that some bad situations and circumstances we encounter in life can be traced back to bad decisions. The bad decision may have been my own, or it could have been someone else's choice that produced my undesirable circumstance. Either way, the connection between choices and consequences is hard to deny.
Chapter 48 is a prophecy about the coming destruction of one of Israel and Judah's long time adversaries, the nation of Moab. The whole story of Moab is one of bad decisions. Let's think about that for a while.
Way back in Genesis, Abraham and his nephew Lot had to separate because the herdsmen tending their flocks could not get along. Abraham proposed the separation and gave his nephew first choice of which way he wanted to go. Whatever he chose, Abraham said he and his would move in the other direction. Lot chose the land that looked best to him, the well-watered Jordan valley to the east. He settled among the cities of the valley, and set up his tent in Sodom.
I'm sure you remember how that turned out. The LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, but he saved Lot, his wife and their two daughters. Angels led them out of the city and told them to flee and not look back. Mrs. Lot did turn back and turned to a pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters went on to Zoar and settled in a cave in the hills, afraid to live in the city any longer. Lot's daughters conspired with each other to make their father drunk and have incestuous relations with them so they could have children. Lot's firstborn daughter had a son as a result of the incestuous union and named him Moab. His descendants grew to become the nation of Moab. They were enemies of Israel throughout Israel's history. During the Exodus journey, the Moabites wouldn't let the Israelites cross their land. Balaam used to Moabites to lead Israel into idolatry before the Israelites ever got to Canaan. The Moabites fought with Israel over and over through the centuries until Babylon did away with both countries.
The Moabites worshiped the despicable Chemos, one of the fertility gods whose worshipers engaged in lascivious behavior and even offered their children as human sacrifices. God said he would completely destroy the Moabites because they had opposed God's people and worshiped other gods.
When Nebuchadnezzar came for the Moabites, he would descend on them like an eagle swooping down on a helpless little animal. Their arrogance and pride would dissolve in the terror of Nebuchadnezzar's attack. The nation would be broken, and become a horror to all who heard about their fate.
This is an unusual chapter because many of its lines have parallels in Isaiah, Ezekiel and the other prophets. It’s also different because it mentions more cities and specific places within a doomed country than any of the other prophecies of doom. The long list of places across Moab suggests the devastation would be complete. The parallel passages about Moab remind us that God sent multiple warnings through different spokesmen prophets. When rebellious sinners would not listen and humble themselves, they were doomed to die.
God sentenced the Moabite nation to death, and said they would no longer be a people. The descendants of Lot would become extinct, except for some survivors who fled and lived among other Arab peoples.
How would God restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days? I believe that phrase refers to the times of Messiah, and there would be descendants of Lot who would come to God through Christ. The same was true of the Israelites who survived. The Davidic monarchy ended, the nations of Israel and Judah were dismantled. But a remnant of the people survived. From them came the first followers of Jesus and the first people to hear and obey the gospel. The far-removed descendants of Abraham and Lot would be reconciled in the same way that you and I can be God's child. All nations, even the survivors of doomed ones can be reconciled to God through Christ, by faithful trust in Jesus Christ and humble submission to him as Lord of our lives.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—March 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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