Slices
Prepare
As Jesus instructed, pray for those who persecute you today (Matthew 5:44).
Bible passage
A message about Moab
48 Concerning Moab:
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
‘Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered.
2 Moab will be praised no more;
in Heshbon people will plot her downfall:
“Come, let us put an end to that nation.”
You, the people of Madmen, will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,
cries of great havoc and destruction.
4 Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.
5 They go up the hill to Luhith,
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
6 Flee! Run for your lives;
become like a bush in the desert.
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh will go into exile,
together with his priests and officials.
8 The destroyer will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateau destroyed,
because the Lord has spoken.
9 Put salt on Moab,
for she will be laid waste;
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
10 ‘A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!
11 ‘Moab has been at rest from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,
not poured from one jar to another –
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
12 But days are coming,’
declares the Lord,
‘when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
and smash her jars.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.
14 ‘How can you say, “We are warriors,
men valiant in battle”?
15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,’
declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
16 ‘The fall of Moab is at hand;
her calamity will come quickly.
17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;
say, “How broken is the mighty sceptre,
how broken the glorious staff!”
18 ‘Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.
19 Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, “What has happened?”
20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wail and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon
that Moab is destroyed.
21 Judgment has come to the plateau –
to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,
22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24 to Kerioth and Bozrah –
to all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s horn is cut off;
her arm is broken,’
declares the Lord.
Explore
This is a painful oracle. The kingdom of Moab, though historically an enemy, had had close ties with Israel-Judah for hundreds of years (Genesis 19:30–38). King David’s ancestor Ruth was a Moabite (Ruth 1:22), and his parents had sought refuge there (1 Samuel 22:3–5). Visible to Judah over the rift valley, they had close familiarity with each other. Having formed an ill-fated alliance against Babylon (27:3), both experienced the same devastation: slaughter for most; exile for the rest (v 7).
While geographically close, the kingdom of Moab was far from its neighbour in that they had their own god, Chemosh (vs 7,13). Trusting Chemosh and themselves, they had become complacent and eventually as rank and bitter as undecanted wine (v 11).
The people of Israel, though brought as low, had the lifeline of God’s covenantal love and mercy. They might have been tempted, if not to gloat, to feel smug and a little superior. Maybe you recognise that tendency – I do. But the imperative here is to mourn: to grieve the terrible suffering of others, regardless of its cause. There is nothing to celebrate here.
Respond
‘Lord, give me a soft heart towards the sufferings of others, even if they seem to deserve it or have brought it on themselves. By your Holy Spirit, empower me to pray for my enemies. Amen.’
Deeper Bible study
Lord, please deliver me from constructing my security on the shifting sands of false premises, politically, ideologically or theologically. Give me wisdom to distinguish between falsehood and the truth.
From time to time, men and women make speeches that change the course of history. Martin Luther King’s speech in Washington DC on 28 August 1963, led directly to two pivotal Civil Rights Acts that transformed the fortunes of millions of African Americans. Jeremiah 48 is similarly powerful in determining the fate of Moab. The Lord is Sovereign. His utterances, cast into stone, for good or ill, determine the futures of the objects of his decisions.
The Lord's declaration starts with a list of six of the most important cities of Moab: Nebo, Kiriathaim, Heshbon, Madmen, Horonaim and Luhith (other towns are added – see vs 21–24). The ‘Woe’ (v 1) announces distress, death and God’s judgement. Moab’s centres of power, security, influence and safety – and their populations – have been weighed in the balance, found wanting and destined for destruction. The destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (580 BC) will be catastrophic and will spread to the valleys, plains and hills (vs 8,9). Complacent Moab, likened to undisturbed wine (vs 11–14), will be poured out.
The other object of the Lord's wrath is Chemosh, the Moabite god and his priests. They, too, will go into exile. Both Judah, who trusted in Bethel, and Moab, whose people trusted in their own strength and in Chemosh, will be thrust out into exile. Although the human agent of this destruction is Nebuchadnezzar, the true originator of the judgement is God. Ultimately, all nations and human beings will have to give an account before God. He is the final judge. Blessed is the nation, man or woman whose trust is in the name of the Lord.
Every day, competing ideologies seek our allegiance. Influencers try to persuade us to buy into their lifestyle remedies. Be wise in choosing who or what you trust.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Amos 9; Revelation 9
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that Local Mission Partner Lightspace working in Grantham may have wisdom as they support school communities, listening to staff as they share their hopes and concerns. Pray too for interest and a good response as they share the story of the birth of Jesus.
