CHAPTER 48

(600 B.C.)

PROPHECY CONCERNING MOAB: INVASION BY BABYLON

¹Against Moab thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed. (This Prophecy was given about 23 years before the overthrow of Moab by the Babylonians. Moab was in modern day Jordan, actually bordering the southern extremity of the Dead Sea.)

²There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also you shall be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue you. (There shall be no more praise of Moab, refers to her military power and courage.)

³A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction. (The city Horonaim was probably located on the border of Edom. Heshbon being on the opposite border shows the scope of the desolation that would afflict Moab.)

⁴Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. (Her little ones refer to children. They would suffer greatly!)

⁵For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. (A little over a hundred years before, as prophesied by Isaiah, Moab was subdued by Assyria and compelled to pay tribute [Isa., Chpts. 15-16]. But after Assyria fell, Moab was free again, but only until the Babylonians overran it. Therefore, the Moabites had been warned by God on at least two occasions regarding coming judgment, but they would heed neither warning!)

FLIGHT OF MOAB

⁶Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. (Flee, save your lives, could be literally translated: Flee, save your souls. The statement is actually a plea by the Holy Spirit through the Prophet for Moab to get right with God. Proper Repentance, if not stopping the Babylonians, would at least have guaranteed favorable treatment, ensured by the Lord. In fact, this Prophecy is actually given for that very reason, that Moab may hear and, thereby, heed the Words of the Lord. It would have saved them terrible suffering and agony had they done so.)

⁷For because you have trusted in your works and in your treasures, you shall also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together. (The urge for Repentance in the Sixth Verse is followed by the reason for the great need of Repentance. It speaks of their trust in idols, in this case, Chemosh. Moab is called the land of the people of Chemosh, the patron-god, the king and lord, of this people. This was a most hideous, heathenistic god, with the sacrifice of children as a burnt offering being a part of their worship of him [II Ki. 3:27]. All of this, and we speak of this system of worship, would be destroyed by the Babylonians.)

⁸And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. (The spoiler is the Babylonian army.)

⁹Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. (The spirit of this Verse is the haste with which the Moabites will attempt to flee from their cities because of the attacking Babylonians.)

¹⁰Cursed be he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he who keeps back his sword from blood. (Babylon has been appointed by the Lord as the instrument of chastisement for Moab. They are admonished not to keep back the sword from blood; hence, the fleeing of the Moabites from the cities!)

THE DESOLATION OF MOAB

¹¹Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he has settled on his lees, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither has he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. (Moab derived its name from a son of Lot who was born by an incestuous union between Lot and his older daughter [Gen. 19:37]. Moab is here likened to wine, and the Babylonian monarch to a pourer-out of wine.)

¹²Therefore, behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will send unto him wanderers, who shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles. (This speaks of the Babylonians pouring out the wine, i.e., the prosperity of Moab.)

¹³And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the House of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence. (As the House of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence, refers to Jeroboam, who set up a golden calf at Beth-el as a symbol of the strong God Jehovah. Even though symbolizing Jehovah, God called it idolatry, and it was odious in His sight.

The Lord is here saying that as the calf was helpless to deliver Israel, likewise, Chemosh will be just as helpless.)

¹⁴How say you, We are mighty and strong men for the war? (The Holy Spirit here belittles the supposed power of Moab.)

¹⁵Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, says the King, Whose Name is the LORD of Hosts. (Says the King, Whose Name is the LORD of Hosts, refers to the boasts of the king of Moab versus the acclamation of the King of Glory.

The Holy Spirit is emphatic in this statement comparing Kings: the absolute helplessness of the one and the absolute Sovereignty of the Other.)

¹⁶The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hastes fast. (Even though the Holy Spirit uses the phrases, Near to come and Hastes fast, it would still be approximately 20 years before the calamity of Moab. And yet, when the destruction would come, it would seem as though the time had passed very quickly.)

¹⁷All y ou who are about him, bemoan him; and all you who know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod! (This expresses the sympathy extended by the surrounding nations concerning Moabs destruction. The country they thought was impregnable is destroyed by the Babylonians.)

¹⁸You daughter who does inhabit Dibon, come down from your glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon you, and he shall destroy your strong holds. (Sit in thirst, actually refers to sitting in the dust of defeat. Incidentally, Dibon was where the famous Moabite stone containing the inscription of king Mesha was found [II Ki. 3:4]. This account commemorated the revolt of the king of Moab against Israel and his subsequent rebuilding of many important towns. This occurred approximately 300 years before Jeremiah [II Ki. 3:4-5].

The stone was found on August 19, 1868 by the Rev. F. Klein, a German Missionary working with the Church Missionary Society. The great importance of the inscription on the stone linguistically, religiously, and historically lies in its close relation to the Old Testament.)

¹⁹O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him who flees, and her who escapes, and say, What is done? (It is interesting that the way was probably the kings highway, over which Moses had requested passage about 800 years before, but was refused [Deut. 2:27-30]. It is now traveled by Moabite fugitives fleeing for their lives from the Babylonian army.)

²⁰Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell you it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled (the word confounded means to be brought to shame),

²¹And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,

²²And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim,

²³And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,

²⁴And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. (The purpose of these Verses is to portray the total destruction brought upon the entirety of Moab.)

²⁵The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, says the LORD. (The horn of Moab refers to the king of Moab.)

REASONS FOR JUDGMENT

²⁶Make you him drunken: for he magnified himself against the LORD: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. (For he magnified himself against the LORD, indicates a further reason for the judgment. At any earlier point, the Prophet said it was the callousness produced by long prosperity [Vs. 11]; but here another sin is mentioned Moabs haughty contempt for Jehovah.

In effect, this says that offenses against Israel, Gods chosen People, irrespective of their spiritual condition, were also offenses against Israels God. For instance, Moab laughed with derision when the Assyrians carried the Ten Tribes into captivity.)

²⁷For was not Israel a derision unto you? was he found among thieves? for since you spoke of him, you skipped for joy. (The question, For was not Israel a derision unto you?, pertains to the unwarranted animosity of Moab for Israel, primarily because they were the people of Jehovah.)

²⁸O y ou who dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that makes her nest in the sides of the holes mouth. (Upon the advance of the Babylonians, the Moabites would try to hide in the rocks and caves.)

²⁹We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. (The major cause of this pride which God hated was the worship of their heathenistic god, Chemosh. They prided themselves that their god was greater than all others, even greater than the God of Israel and Judah. They were not content to merely believe this; they, as well, voiced it, and loudly! Hence, all the prosperity they attributed to Chemosh would be taken away by Jehovah of Judah.)

³⁰I know his wrath, says the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it. (I know his wrath, says the LORD, refers to Moabs railings against Jehovah.)

LAMENT FOR MOAB

³¹Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; my heart shall mourn for the men of Kir-heres. (The judgment against Moab is to be so severe that Jeremiah, while understanding the justness of that judgment, still cannot help but be greatly moved, and cry out for all Moab.)

³²O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer: your plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon your summer fruits and upon your vintage. (This that they boasted Chemosh had given them is now to be taken away, and Chemosh will be helpless to stop it.)

³³And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting. (Their shouting shall be no shouting, means that there will be shouting, but not that of the peaceful vintagers at their work; instead, it will be the shouting of pain and sorrow.)

³⁴From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate. (This Passage speaks of the beautiful valleys of Moab which, because of their solitude, were thought to be beyond the grasp of the Babylonians. Such was not to be!)

³⁵Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, says the LORD, him who offers in the high places, and him who burns incense to his gods. (This speaks of the idol worship of Moab. The abominable offerings in the high places included the sacrifice of little baby boys and all its attendant horror! Therefore, the phrase, I will cause to cease, irrespective of the manner, is welcomed by the honest heart.)

³⁶Therefore my heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and my heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: because the riches that he has gotten are perished. (This refers to what was given, they claimed, by Chemosh, but would now be taken away by Jehovah.)

³⁷For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. (Cutting the hair, lacerating the hands, and wearing sackcloth were expressions of mourning in that society of long ago.)

³⁸There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, sa ys the LORD. (Moabs usefulness as a nation has come to an end. Because of its many sins, it has reached the place that it must be excised, like a surgeon removing a cancer from a patient.)

³⁹They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how has Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him. (This Verse proclaims the end of the pride of Verse 29. Instead of pride, Moab now has turned the back with shame!)

REASON FOR BABYLONIAN INVASION

⁴⁰For thus says the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab. (The pronoun he refers to Nebuchadnezzar, and the Verse refers to his speed in overrunning Moab, i.e., fly as an eagle.)

⁴¹Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty mens hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. (The hearts of her mighty men, who had heretofore boasted of their invincibility, now palpitate as the heart of a woman in her pangs.)

⁴²And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against the LORD. (Has magnified himself against the LORD, expresses the cause of the demise of all who ignore the Book, i.e., the Bible.)

⁴³Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon you, O inhabitant of Moab, says the LORD. (This Scripture proclaims the fact that Chemosh has not saved his people and in fact cannot save his people.)

⁴⁴He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he who gets up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, says the LORD. (This refers to a particular time that judgment would come upon Moab if they did not repent.)

⁴⁵They who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. (This is quoted from Num. 21:28. But, whereas it meant one thing then [the conquest of Moab by Sihon, the giant king of the Amorites, some 800 years before], it now refers to Moabs destruction by the Babylonians.)

⁴⁶Woe be unto you, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perish: for your sons are taken captives, and your daughters captives. (This Passage is based on Num. 21:29. They had offered sons and daughters to this god in human sacrifice, and now their sons and daughters would be taken captive by the Babylonians.)

FUTURE RESTORATION OF MOAB

⁴⁷Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. (In all forty-seven Verses of this Chapter, this is the only mention of the coming Restoration of these ancient people called Moabites. It will take place at the Second Coming.)