Friday, May 10, 2024

Jeremiah 48: Prophecy against Moab

1 Concerning Moab. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
“Woe to Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The high stronghold has been put to shame and [a]shattered.
2 There is no longer praise for Moab;
In Heshbon they have devised disaster against her:
‘Come and let’s cut her off from being a nation!’
You too, [b]Madmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow you.
3 The sound of an outcry from Horonaim,
‘Devastation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is broken,
Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.
5 For they will go up by the ascent of Luhith
With continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the [c]anguished cry of destruction.
6 Flee, save yourselves,
So that you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures,
You yourself will also be captured;
And Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
8 A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will be ruined
And the plateau will be destroyed,
As the Lord has said.
9 Give [d]wings to Moab,
For she will [e]flee away;
And her cities will become a desolation,
Without inhabitants in them.
10 Cursed is the one who does the Lord’s work negligently,
And cursed is the one who restrains his sword from blood.

Jeremiah lists many places (Nebo, Kiriathaim, Heshbon, Horonaim, ...) from Moab. They will be destroyed because they trust in their own achievements and treasures v8. They will be captured. They had a god called Chemosh, but he will go off into exile with his priests and leaders v7. Verse 10 is somehow strange. I understood that cursed is the one who restrains his sword from killing Moabites.
If Moab was not guilty because they trusted in their own achievements and treasures, then many people today will also taken as not guilty.

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