Jeremiah 48 reminds me of the city of New
Orleans. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the city had never received a
direct hit from a major storm. I was told that many of the people
there believed that the city was protected by voodoo. Despite very
specific warnings, many residents did not believe the city could be
damaged, so they did not even attempt to prepare. Today’s chapter
continues the discipline of Israel’s neighbors, specifically,
“Concerning Moab“.
The Moabites were a distant relative of the Israelites through
Abraham’s nephew, Lot. Though Moab never worshipped the God of
Abraham, the nation generally lived in peace and prosperity. Like
many today, they had mistaken God’s patience for God’s approval.
2 Peter 3:9 reminds us, “The
Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.
Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance“.
This very long chapter contains much judgment on a nation that
conducted human sacrifice in the worship of a false god. The
description is of total devastation, “the
stronghold will
be disgraced and shattered… Moab will be praised no more… cries
of great havoc and destruction… Moab will be broken; her little
ones will cry out… anguished cries… Flee! Run for your lives“.
We are given a hint to the underlying problem of the nation, “Since
you trust in your deeds and riches“.
Sound familiar?
Next
the chapter mentions an odd fact. Unlike the surrounding nations,
Moab was never in captivity, “Moab
has been at rest from youth“.
Like a preserved bottle of wine, “She
tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged… she has not gone
into exile… But days are coming“.
The party will be over, “they
will empty her pitchers and smash her jars… Moab will be destroyed
and her towns invaded… her calamity will come quickly“.
The prophesy even includes a picture from Mardi Gras, “Make
her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.
Let Moab
wallow in her vomit; let her be
an object of ridicule“. I bet
she got lots of beads!
Next
we see the scenes of the aftermath, “We
have heard of Moab’s
pride… her arrogance… her insolence… her conceit and the
haughtiness of her heart… I weep for you… I moan for the people…
Joy and gladness are gone… I
have stopped the flow of wine… Although there are shouts, they are
not shouts of joy“. The jazz
band has been replaced with a funeral dirge, “On
all the roofs in Moab and in
the public squares there is nothing but mourning“.
Jeremiah explains, “Moab will
be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord“.
The feeling of invincibility is gone, “Woe
to you, Moab! …your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into
captivity“.
Yet this
chapter ends with a curious verse. “‘Yet
I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come’, declares the
Lord“. One of the coolest
verses in the Bible is included in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew
chapter 1. There, Ruth, the Moabite women is included in the
ancestry from Abraham to Christ.
Ruth was redeemed by her Jewish lord
because of his love for her. That means there is hope for us too. 1
Corinthians 6 lists a number of sins, followed by this reminder to
the followers of Christ, “And
that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God“.
Even the saints from Moab can come marching in through faith in the
risen Christ!