Woe Upon Moab

Well hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. So this is the first time I've been back for a while. I was out of country, didn't want to kind of just broadcast that to everyone, but took a break so I could go somewhere else in the world and come back, and it was a good trip. But now I'm back here with Bubba, and we're going to talk about Jeremiah's judgment on Moab.
Well, not really. Jeremiah, it's God's word. But let's have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll find out what the Lord has to say about Jeremiah, or what Jeremiah has to say about Moab. Yeah. Chapter 48. Do you want some coffee? No. It would help with your raspy voice. Raspy voice? I do not have tea. It will make me sour. Okay. Alright, Jeremiah chapter 48. We're going to just kind of read a paragraph, talk, read a paragraph, talk, okay?
Against Moab, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Woe to Nebu, for it is plundered. Kir Jatharim is shamed and taken. The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed. No more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her. Come, let us cut her off as a nation. You also shall be cut down, O madmen. The sword shall pursue you. A voice of crying shall come or shall be from Horonim, plundering and great destruction.
So these are different cities in Moab. And the cry is going to come in verse 4. Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. For in the ascent of Laith they ascended with continual weeping. For in their descent of Horanaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
Alright, so what's that paragraph talking about? Is it almost sounds like mobs already been destroyed Well, it's yeah, it's it's it's but it's it's more like that. It says will Right. Yeah. Oh, I Is it destroyed? Is it half-cast? I guess half, actually. That's the present. Well, I'd have to look at... So Hebrew has a way of whether or not it's perfect or imperfect, but that's kind of a different... Normally it's time-tense, but not necessarily always. But anyways, that's fine. Point being, this is God's proclaiming judgment, woe, woe on the nation of Moab.
Moab is, if you went down from the Sea of Galilee, down the Jordan River, you have the Dead Sea. If you went just to the east of the Dead Sea, that's kind of the general area of Moab. Go ahead and you want to read 6 through 8? Flee, save your lives, and be like the Neanderthal in the wilderness. For because you are trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken. And Shemash shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together. And the vile Plunderer shall come against every city. No one shall escape. The valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed as the world has broken.
Now interesting, right? Flee, save your lives. But the interesting part to me is the end of verse 7. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity. That's their God. He says, your God's going to be taken captive. And then notice who says this, as Jehovah has spoken. The God of Israel isn't just a little micro God over just the nation of Judah, but He's the God of gods. He's the King of kings. He's the supreme one over all the gods. All the other gods are but mere idols. And it's saying, your God's going to be taken captive. Even the plains where you like to put your sheep out to pasture, That's one of the benefits with having an actual God besides having a God made of wood. An actual God can't be taken captive. A God made of wood can't. Yeah, just so we understand, right? This is one of those things that are difficult. Sometimes we think of like, people will kind of sophisticate this and they'll say, well I don't actually worship this god of wood or god of stone or whatever, right? I worship what that god represents behind it. And so, if you had an Asherah pole, you weren't actually worshipping the wood of the Asherah pole, you were worshipping the god who that wood represented. But God says, that goddess isn't real and you're bowing down to a piece of wood that can't help itself, and you'll even treat that piece of wood like it's sacred or special or something. Right? Like, that's how...
And so, we want to be careful, because there are even those who'll say, oh, hold on, we're not actually worshipping the piece of wood, we're worshipping what that idol represents, what's behind it. And we want to go, well, no, it's still just a piece of wood. Chumash isn't anything, and the Lord's gonna take your imaginary God captive.
Alright. Give wings to Moab, verse 9, that she may flee and get away, for her city shall be desolate without any to dwell in them. Cursed is he who does the work of Jehovah deceitfully, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood. Alright. What's that paragraph getting at? Even those who, like, deceitfully are worshipping the Lord is still going to be taken captive.
Good. Want to do verse 11? Moab has been at ease from his youth. He has settled on his dregs. His dock been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore, his taste remained in him, and his scent has not changed. Alright, so Moab's been at ease. Its whole life, right? That's what it says. From its youth, the nation has been at ease. but not forever. That's about to be changed.
12 and 13. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I shall send him wine workers who will tip him over and empty his vessels and break the bottles. Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. Ooh, interesting, right? What happened at Bethel? That's where Jeroboam had built his golden calf, right? One at Bethel and one up at Dan. And so, just like the Israelites became ashamed of what they had done at Bethel, you're going to be ashamed of your little idol, Chemosh.
And so he says, you're like somebody who's made wine, and your life has been good, but someday, what's going to happen? Other winemakers are going to come in, tip over. Yeah, they're going to knock everything over. They're not even going to try to use it, they're just going to destroy it.
How can you say we are mighty and strong men for the world? Moab is plundered and gone, up from her cities. Her chosen young men have gone down to this land, says the king, whose name is the Lord of hosts. You can't say that you're strong. You can't say that you've got some type of great king. Who is the king? The Lord God of hosts. Jehovah, God of armies.
All right, verse 16. The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction comes quickly. Bemoan him, all you who are around him, and all you who know his name. Say how the strong staff is broken, the beautiful rod.
All right, so it's again like telling them to wail like this. All right, verse 18 through 20. Odada and have a team to bond come down from your glory and sit in thirst For the plunder of mob has come against you. He's a story strongholds or inhabitant of a half hour Stand by the way and watch ask him who flees and horror who escapes say what has happened? Mob is ashamed for he is broken down railing cry. Tell it in a run and that more is treasured. Yeah, all right, so the word of this is going to spread out. Good.
20 through 25. And judgment has come on the plain country, on Holon and Jehaza and Mephath, on Deban and Nebo and Beth Deblathim, on Kirjathim and Bethgamul and Bethmeun, on Kirioth and Bozrah, on all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. The horn of Moab is cut off and his arm is broken, says the Lord."
All right, so like all these different cities up in the plain, right? Talks about like, this is like the strength of Moab. And what's he say happens? It's broken down. The arm is like, like God took his arm and broke it. This is the god of armies, right? This is warfare language, where they would get their horses and their steeds and have their pasture land and their cities gone.
Good. You want to read 26 through 28? Sure. Make him drunk, because he exalted himself against the Lord. Boab shall swallow in his vomit, and he shall also be in derision. For was not Israel a delusion to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, you shake your head and scorn. You who dwell in Moab, leave the cities and dwell among the rocks, and be like the dove which makes her nest in the side of the cave's mouth.
So what's it saying there? flee, just go live in the mountains, guys. Sounds like he sounds like he's going to a mountain. Oh yeah, so the destruction is coming, right? But here, he's saying you exalted yourself against the Lord. When the armies of God, when the Babylonians came and they were destroying the city, you just shook your head like that worthless Jehovah. It reminds me of what they did with Jesus, wagging their heads at him when he was being crucified, acting like, you know, this is just a weakling and this is no way in God's plan. But this wasn't God's plan. And so I think here they're being shown as culpable.
There's actually some family relation between Moab and Israel through the line of Esau. And so they should have been helpers and defenders, but instead they've despised the Lord and they despise his people.
We have heard the pride of Moab. He is exceedingly proud. Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, and of the haughtiness of his heart, I know his wrath, says the Lord, but it is not right. His lies have made nothing right. Therefore I will wail for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab. I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres, O vine of Sibna, I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazzer. Your plants have gone over the sea. They reach to the sea of Jazzer. The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage. Joy and gladness are taken, and the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab. I have caused wine to fall from the winepress. No one will tread with joyous shouting, not joyous shouting. From the cry of Heshbon to Eleleh and to Jahaz, they have uttered their voice from Zor to Horonayim, like a three-year-old heifer, for the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate."
Just continual woe, right? But this is even like the Lord wailing for them, like, why are you doing this? Your destruction is because of your attitudes and sins. All right. 35 says the Lord I would cause I will cause to see Samoa the one who sacrifices the high places and one bonds instance to his gods therefore my heart shall wail like flutes from around and like flutes my heart shall wail for the men of Coherence therefore the rich have acquired acquired have perished.
Yeah, the riches they have acquired. Yeah, for the riches they have acquired. Yeah, notice, right, why is God doing this? What's the Lord's heart when he's talking about the destruction of Moab? Yeah, right? I mean, sometimes people think of God like, you know, like this wrathful, vengeful king with, like, you know, glee as he's destroying the nations. He's weeping. Right? Like, this is the God who's mourning the people because they have chosen this way. They've gone to their high places, they've gone to their idols, they've set up the places to go worship and serve the one true living God. And they've had centuries of opportunity to turn from that. But they haven't.
For every head shall be bald and every beard clipped. On all the hands shall be cuts and on the loins sackcloth. A general lamentation on all the housetops of Moab and in its streets. For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure, says the Lord. They shall wail. How she is broken down, how Moab has turned her back with shame. So Moab shall be a derision and a dismay to all those about her.
So this just continues on about how bad it's going to be. They're going to be bald, beards clipped, right? That's signs of shame. Their hands are going to be cut. They're not going to have full clothes, no more robes, right? Like sackcloths, loins of sackcloth. There's going to be lamentations, people wailing in the street, crying out. And he says, go ahead and wail.
And then it's verse 40 through 44. He was 40. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, and spread his wings over Moab. Keroith is taken, and the strongholds are surprised. The mighty men's hearts in Moab on that day shall be like the heart of a woman in Bethphage. And Moab shall be destroyed as a people, because he exalted himself against the Lord. Fear in the pit and the snare shall be upon you, O inhabitant of Moab. Moab, Moab, says the Lord. He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit. He who gets caught out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For upon Moab it will, upon it will I bring the year of their punishment, says the law.
Yeah. Pretty scary, huh? Yep. Yeah, I mean, you haven't been there before, when your mother birthed you. Well, you were there, but you don't remember it. But every time your mom gets birthed, like, I mean, I'm like, scared. Like, when she gave birth to Judah, I mean, I was literally praying to God that she wouldn't die. Like, I was so afraid for her life. So that type of pain and wailing, and he says that's what it's going to be like in Moab.
Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of exhaustion. But a fire shall come out of Heshbon, a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the brow of Moab, the crown of the head of the sons of Tomalt. Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perish, for your sons have been taken captive and your daughters captive. There's more woe, but then the final one, verse 47. "...I will bring back the captives of Moab in the later days, saith the LORD, as follows the judgment of Moab."
So what's he say there? It's kind of interesting at the very end. God's not the type of God who's just like, punishment, punishment, punishment. He's very much like, there's punishment. It's not an eternal punishment, it's just I'm going to get punished, but I'm going to bring it back. He does this with Israel a lot. He punishes them and they cry back out.
Well, yeah, but I'm not sure that he's treating them the same way that he treats his chosen people, right? Not the same way, but punishment is not. His fury is not everlasting. It stops.
Hold on. I want to bring that back a little bit because I think you're going in a direction that could be dangerous. He does make a promise that their captives are going to be brought back. Moab's not going to be utterly desolate forever. But why I say where you're going is a possible dangerous direction is because G-d has created a place for eternal torment. It's called Hell. He is a God that says if you're going to continue to be chemosh as children, Jesus is the one who teaches us, more than anybody else, that there is a place for weeping and gnashing of teeth, where the fire is not quenched and the worm doesn't die. We actually believe in a very, very difficult, challenging doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell. We see that in the parable that Jesus tells about Lazarus and the rich man. We just want to be careful. God does judge that way, but even here to an unbelieving nation, to Moab, He shows temporal mercy in this life, saying, yet, I'm going to still, even though you did all these horrible things, I'm still going to allow your nation to exist.
So how would you summarize this whole section in chapter 48? It's a long section.
Welcome back. Moab is destroyed. Moab is going to be destroyed. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So Moab is going to be destroyed. I would say woe upon Moab for its, uh, woe upon Moab for her following Chemosh and despising the Lord. Uh, okay. Let's go ahead and talk about best verse. Is there anything in here that, uh, you would underline to kind of get at the heart of what this is about? I might do 29 through 31. Okay. That's a large section. Okay, yeah, yeah. See glasses? Yeah. Oh, I was looking at 20, sorry. Yeah, I see 20. Yeah, I'm looking at the small print without my glasses. Yeah. Interestingly, I don't know why I don't have anything underlined in my Bible this time. I think verse 7 is probably what I would underline in my Bible.
So let's talk about last seat calling. What's our call to action? What does this tell us to do? And especially, how does this lead us to Jesus Christ? I think it's a good reminder that God doesn't take sin lightly. It's not just like, well, all you did was sweep down the floor, but he takes things very seriously, even some of the things. When you have a corrupt nation, you can tell there's still people in the nation that aren't that bad, because they see themselves as above average. I'm better than most people, but God still takes our sin seriously. Yeah, I think that's a good...
God takes our sin seriously. I think about these woes, and we might even be able to say these curses upon God's people. And I think about Jesus, you know. He became a curse for us. A curse is written, a curse is anybody who is hung on a tree. And that Jesus became the curse. We, naturally, are like Moab. we follow after all sorts of pleasurable things that we want in life, rather than going after the Lord. And so, we can think about idolatry and think about, oh, they followed this stupid piece of wood or stone, chemosh, idol god. And yet, we read Colossians and it talks about our covetousness as idolatry. So, we We struggle with that the same way. We can't see ourselves as prideful, so much above the Moabites. Actually, God was gracious to us. We were not His people, and yet He's made us His people because of His Son.
You good to go? Yep. Alright, let's pray. God, thank you for this long and challenging passage. We pray that we would please take it to heart, follow after you, and love you. Thank you for your mercy and your care for us in Jesus' name. Amen. May God bless you. May you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ. We'll see you next time. Bye. Bye.