November 28th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

"Moab Is My Washbasin"

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Opening Prayer

I praise You, Lord. Your strength sustains me, Your counsel directs me, and Your Word instructs me.

Read Jeremiah 48:1-25

[1] 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 scepter, 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.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Jesus is indeed Lord … and we have only to relax into his welcoming embrace to know rest from a troubled conscience and peace of heart” (H. Williamson).

Think Further

Moab was Israel’s neighbor. Descended from Lot, they worshiped their god, Chemosh. Solomon, in his later years, transgressed by building a temple dedicated to Chemosh near Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7,8). Ruth was from Moab, and David sent his parents there when Saul was pursuing him. The Moabite stone is a particularly important archaeological discovery, in which the king of Moab gives credit to Chemosh for a victory over Israel.

As Moabites watched Jerusalem being destroyed, it gave them a false sense of security. They continued to worship their false deity and felt safe. Their god was a spiritual crutch, adequate for the good times, but totally useless when they needed him. Jeremiah prophesied that  Moab, too, would be destroyed by the ruthless Babylonian war machine. They would suffer as would Israel, but for Moab it would be much worse. Israel’s faith in the Lord Almighty would make a huge difference since he was able to sustain them even in the midst of disaster, whereas Moab would find no help from their false deity. Chemosh was a disaster, and Moab would be ashamed of him as Israel became ashamed of Bethel where the syncretistic worship had become one main reason for God’s judging Israel (13).

Christians are not immune from trouble, or God’s judgment in this life. We face it like everyone else; it shatters our lives and destroys our peace. However, we are not alone when trouble strikes, as idol worshipers are. As Christians, we have someone to turn to in our hour of need; even if God is disciplining us, we know he still loves us. Jesus did not hide from his disciples the fact that hard times lay ahead. However, the warnings of hard times must be understood in the context of his promise, “And surely I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20).

Apply

Jesus said “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matt. 6:34). Bring any worries to God now.

Closing prayer

Lord, I thank You that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me never to forget that promise.

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