relationships (Jeremiah 51:1-64) Selflessness

(Jeremiah 51:1-64) 

1    This is what the Lord says:
     “Behold, I am going to stir up 
     The spirit of a destroyer against Babylon 
     And against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai.
2   I will send foreigners to Babylon so that they may winnow her 
     And devastate her land;
     For they will be opposed to her on every side 
     On the day of her disaster.
3   Let not him who bends his bow bend it,
     Nor let him rise up in his coat of armor.
     Do not spare her young men;
     Devote all her army to destruction.
4   They will fall down dead in the land of the Chaldeans,
     And pierced through in their streets.”

5   For neither Israel nor Judah has been forsaken 
     By his God, the Lord of armies,
     Although their land is full of guilt 
     Before the Holy One of Israel.
6   Flee from the midst of Babylon,
     And each of you save his life!
     Do not perish in her punishment,
     For this is the Lord’s time of vengeance;
     He is going to repay to her what she deserves.
7   Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord,
     Intoxicating all the earth.
     The nations have drunk of her wine;
     Therefore the nations are going insane.
8   Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
     Wail over her!
     Bring balm for her pain;
     Perhaps she may be healed.
9   We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed;
     Abandon her and let’s each go to his own country,
     For her judgment has reached to heaven 
     And it rises to the clouds.
10 The Lord has brought about our vindication;
     Come and let’s recount in Zion 
     The work of the Lord our God!

11 Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers!
     The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes,
     Because His plan is against Babylon to destroy it;
     For it is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.
12 Lift up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon;
     Post a strong guard,
     Station sentries,
     Set up an ambush!
     For the Lord has both planned and performed 
     What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 You who live by many waters,
     Abundant in treasures,
     Your end has come,
     The measure of your end.
14 The Lord of armies has sworn by Himself:
     “I will certainly fill you with a population like locusts,
     And they will cry out with shouts of victory over you.”

15 It is He who made the earth by His power,
     Who established the world by His wisdom,
     And by His understanding He stretched out the heavens.
16 When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
     And He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth.
     He makes lightning for the rain 
     And brings out wind from His storehouses.
17 Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge;
     Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
     For his cast metal images are deceitful,
     And there is no breath in them.
18 They are worthless, a work of mockery;
     At the time of their punishment they will perish.
19 The portion of Jacob is not like these;
     For He is the Maker of everything,
     And of the tribe of His inheritance;
     The Lord of armies is His name.
20 He says, “You are My war-club, My weapon of war;
     And with you I shatter nations,
     And with you I destroy kingdoms.
21 With you I shatter the horse and his rider,
     And with you I shatter the chariot and its rider,
22 And with you I shatter man and woman,
     And with you I shatter the old man and youth,
     And with you I shatter the young man and virgin,
23 And with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock,
     And with you I shatter the farmer and his team,
     And with you I shatter governors and officials.

24 “But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.

25 “Behold, I am against you, mountain of destruction 
     That destroys the whole earth,” declares the Lord,
     “And I will stretch out My hand against you,
     And roll you down from the rocky cliffs,
     And I will make you a burnt out mountain.
26 They will not take from you even a stone for a corner 
     Nor a stone for foundations,
     But you will be desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

27 Lift up a signal flag in the land,
     Blow a trumpet among the nations!
     Consecrate the nations against her,
     Summon against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz;
     Appoint an officer against her,
     Bring up the horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her,
     The kings of the Medes,
     Their governors and all their officials,
     And every land under their control.
29 So the land quakes and writhes,
     For the plans of the Lord against Babylon stand,
     To make the land of Babylon 
     A desolation without inhabitants.
30 The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting,
     They stay in the strongholds;
     Their strength is exhausted,
     They are becoming like women;
     Their homes are set on fire,
     The bars of her gates are broken.
31 One courier runs to meet another,
     And one messenger to meet another,
     To tell the king of Babylon 
     That his city has been captured from end to end;
32 The river crossing places have been seized,
     And they have burned the marshes with fire,
     And the men of war are terrified.

33 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
     “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor 
     At the time that it is tread down;
     In just a little while the time of harvest will come for her.”

34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me, he has crushed me,
     He has set me down like an empty vessel;
     He has swallowed me like a monster,
     He has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
     He has washed me away.
35 May the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,”
     The inhabitant of Zion will say;
     And, “May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
     Jerusalem will say.

36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

     “Behold, I am going to plead your case
     And take vengeance for you;
     And I will dry up her sea 
     And make her fountain dry.
37 Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals,
     An object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.
38 They will roar together like young lions,
     They will growl like lions’ cubs.
39 When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet 
     And make them drunk, so that they may rejoice in triumph,
     And may sleep a perpetual sleep
     And not wake up,” declares the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,
     Like rams together with male goats.

41 “How Sheshak has been captured,
     And the praise of the whole earth has been seized!
     How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
42 The sea has come up over Babylon;
     She has been engulfed by its roaring waves.
43 Her cities have become an object of horror,
     A dry land and a desert,
     A land in which no one lives 
     And through which no one of mankind passes.
44 I will punish Bel in Babylon,
     And I will make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth;
     And the nations will no longer stream toward him.
     Even the wall of Babylon has fallen down!

45 “Come out from her midst, My people,
     And each of you save yourselves 
     From the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 Now, so that your heart does not grow faint,
     And you are not afraid at the report that will be heard in the land—
     For the report will come in one year,
     And after that another report in another year,
     And violence will be in the land 
     With ruler against ruler—
47 Therefore behold, days are coming 
     When I will punish the idols of Babylon;
     And her whole land will be put to shame.
     And all her slain will fall in her midst.
48 Then heaven and earth and everything that is in them 
     Will shout for joy over Babylon,
     Because the destroyers will come to her from the north,”
     Declares the Lord.

49 Indeed, Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,
     As the slain of all the earth have also fallen for Babylon.
50 You who have escaped the sword,
     Go! Do not stay!
     Remember the Lord from far away,
     And let Jerusalem come to your mind.
51 We are ashamed because we have heard rebuke;
     Disgrace has covered our faces,
     Because strangers have entered 
     The holy places of the Lord’s house.

52 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
     “When I will punish her idols,
     And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.
53 Though Babylon ascends to the heavens,
     And though she fortifies her lofty stronghold,
     Destroyers will come from Me to her,” declares the Lord.

54 The sound of an outcry from Babylon,
     And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is going to destroy Babylon,
     And He will make her loud noise vanish from her.
     And their waves will roar like many waters;
     The clamor of their voices sounds forth.
56 For the destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,
     And her warriors will be captured,
     Their bows shattered;
     For the Lord is a God of retribution,
     He will fully repay.
57 “I will make her leaders and her wise men drunk,
     Her governors, her officials, and her warriors,
     So that they will sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake up,”
     Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.

58 This is what the Lord of armies says:

     “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely demolished,
     And her high gates will be set on fire;
     So the peoples will labor for nothing,
     And the nations become exhausted only for fire.”

59 The command that Jeremiah the prophet gave Seraiah the son of Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (And Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 Jeremiah wrote on a single scroll all the disaster which would come against Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud, 62 and say, ‘You, Lord, have promised concerning this place to cut it off, so that there will be nothing living in it, whether man or animal; but it will be a permanent desolation.’ 63 And as soon as you finish reading this scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again, because of the disaster that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become exhausted.’” To this point are the words of Jeremiah.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Deception is just one of the dangers of dabbling in the world's desires and sinful, selfish ways, as well as indulging in our own desires and sinful, selfish ways.  In order to justify our wayward actions, we must continually lie to ourselves, which is exactly how it would be to become so drunk, all reasoning and self-control are gone, and all senses are numb, making one very vulnerable.

One of the biggest traps is our own selfishness and wanting to get our own way.  And if we are really honest with ourselves, we will see how this direction will never satisfy us.  But then our pride steps in and tries to keep us there, in some endless futile rat-race, which quickly becomes survival of the fittest.  This is why God tells us in verses 45-46 to get out of that - NOW!!!  It's never too late.  It's never too soon!!!

To really "save ourselves" is to humble our hearts before the Lord and ask HIM to save us.  He is the only one who is able.  That, and He wants to, since He desires to have a personal relationship with us!  And in a relationship with the Lord, everything is opposite of what the world strives for.  In God's kingdom, when we are selfless, the Lord will complete us, satisfy us, and fill our hearts with His peace, joy and love.

We can be more confident in the Lord, trusting Him with our future, and helping us with the relationships of those around us, when we keep in mind the amazing things God has already done.  Verse 10 tells us to come and recount the work of the Lord.  And verse 50 tells us to remember the Lord "from far away" - wherever we are!  It is all too easy to forget about God, even when we have made Him Lord of our lives.  But it is good - things work out for good - when we continually, consciously embrace a close relationship with Him, as we continually, consciously put Him and His will first in our lives.

relationships (Jeremiah 50:1-46) Habitation of Righteousness

(Jeremiah 50:1-46) 

The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:

2 “Declare and proclaim among the nations.
     Proclaim it and lift up a flag,
     Do not conceal it. Say,
     ‘Babylon has been captured,
     Bel has been put to shame, Marduk has been shattered;
     Her idols have been put to shame, her images have been shattered.’

3 For a nation has come up against her from the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Whether people or animals, they have wandered off, they have gone!

4 “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God whom they will seek. 5 They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction; they will come so that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

6   “My people have become lost sheep;
     Their shepherds have led them astray.
     They have made them turn aside on the mountains.
     They have gone from mountain to hill,
     They have forgotten their resting place.
7   All who found them have devoured them;
     And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty,
     Since they have sinned against the Lord who is the habitation of righteousness,
     The Lord, the hope of their fathers.’

8   “Wander away from the midst of Babylon 
     And go out from the land of the Chaldeans;
     Be like male goats at the head of the flock.
9   For behold, I am going to rouse and bring up against Babylon
     A contingent of great nations from the land of the north,
     And they will draw up their battle lines against her;
     From there she will be taken captive.
     Their arrows will be like an expert warrior 
     Who does not return empty-handed.
10 Chaldea will become plunder;
     All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord.

11 “Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
     You who pillage My heritage,
     Because you skip about like a threshing heifer 
     And neigh like stallions,
12 Your mother will be greatly ashamed,
     She who gave you birth will be humiliated.
     Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
     A wilderness, a dry land and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord she will not be inhabited,
     But she will be completely desolate;
     Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified 
     And will hiss because of all her wounds.
14 Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side,
     All of you who bend the bow;
     Shoot at her, do not spare your arrows,
     For she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Raise your battle cry against her on every side!
     She has given herself up, her towers have fallen,
     Her walls have been torn down.
     For this is the vengeance of the Lord:
     Take vengeance on her;
     As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 Eliminate the sower from Babylon 
     And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest;
     From the sword of the oppressor 
     Each of them will turn back to his own people 
     And each of them will flee to his own land.

17 “Israel is a scattered flock, the lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has gnawed his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days and at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the wrongdoing of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will forgive those whom I leave as a remnant.’

21 “Against the land of Merathaim, go up against it,
     And against the inhabitants of Pekod.
     Kill and completely destroy them,” declares the Lord,
     “And do according to everything that I have commanded you.
22 The noise of battle is in the land,
     And great destruction.
23 How the hammer of the whole earth 
     Has been cut off and broken!
     How Babylon has become 
     An object of horror among the nations!
24 I set a trap for you and you were also caught, Babylon,
     While you yourself were not aware;
     You have been found and also seized 
     Because you have engaged in conflict with the Lord.”
25 The Lord has opened His armory 
     And has brought out the weapons of His indignation,
     For it is a work of the Lord God of armies 
     In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come to her from the farthest border;
     Open up her barns,
     Pile her up like heaps of grain 
     And completely destroy her,
     Let nothing be left to her.
27 Put all her bulls to the sword;
     Let them go down to the slaughter!
     Woe be upon them, for their day has come,
     The time of their punishment.

28 There is a sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon,
     To declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God,
     Vengeance for His temple.

29 “Summon many against Babylon,
     All those who bend the bow:
     Encamp against her on every side,
     Let there be no escape.
     Repay her according to her work;
     According to all that she has done, so do to her;
     For she has become arrogant against the Lord,
     Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,
     And all her men of war will perish on that day,” declares the Lord.
31 “Behold, I am against you, arrogant one,”
     Declares the Lord God of armies,
     “For your day has come,
     The time when I will punish you.
32 The arrogant one will stumble and fall 
     With no one to raise him up;
     And I will set fire to his cities,
     And it will devour all his surroundings.”

33 This is what the Lord of armies says:
     “The sons of Israel are oppressed,
     And the sons of Judah as well;
     And all who took them captive have held them firmly,
     They have refused to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong, the Lord of armies is His name;
     He will vigorously plead their case 
     So that He may bring rest to their land,
     But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A sword against the Chaldeans,” declares the Lord,
     “And against the inhabitants of Babylon 
     And against her leaders and her wise men!
36 A sword against the oracle priests, and they will become fools!
     A sword against her warriors, and they will be shattered!
37 A sword against their horses, against their chariots,
     And against all the foreigners who are in the midst of her,
     And they will become women!
     A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!
38 A drought on her waters, and they will be dried up!
     For it is a land of idols,
     And they go insane at frightful images.

39 “Therefore the desert creatures will live there with the jackals;
     The ostriches also will live in it.
     It will never again be inhabited 
     Nor lived in from generation to generation.
40 As when God overthrew Sodom 
     And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the Lord,
     “No one will live there,
     Nor will anyone of mankind reside in it.

41 “Behold, a people is coming from the north,
     And a great nation and many kings 
     Will be roused from the remote parts of the earth.
42 They seize their bow and javelin;
     They are cruel and have no mercy.
     Their voice roars like the sea;
     And they ride on horses,
     Drawn up like a man for the battle 
     Against you, daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
     And his hands hang limp;
     Distress has gripped him,
     Agony like a woman in childbirth.

44 “Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase them away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is chosen. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand against Me?” 45 Therefore hear the plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has in mind against the land of the Chaldeans: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the shout, “Babylon has been conquered!” the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Lord is the habitation of righteousness!  Therefore, we can only find salvation and forgiveness in the Lord.  Because we are all born with a sin nature which carries with it a price on our heads, and the price is death, the Lord Jesus is the only one who can redeem us because He has paid that price with His death.  Through His resurrection, He had victory over death, so that He can offer eternal life.  

Therefor, when we accept His free gift of salvation and forgiveness of our sins, our inheritance is no longer death, but everlasting life.  Then, in Him, He is our righteousness.  And because He fights for us!  He is our hope, our shelter and care... our habitation of righteousness!  And in all of this, we can enjoy and experience a close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself!

relationships (Jeremiah 49:1-22) Be Part of a Family

(Jeremiah 49:1-22) 

Concerning the sons of Ammon. This is what the Lord says:

     “Does Israel have no sons?
     Or has he no heirs?
     Why then has Malcam taken possession of Gad,
     And his people settled in its cities?
2   Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
     “When I will cause an alarm of war to be heard 
     Against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon;
     And it will become a desolate heap,
     And her towns will be set on fire.
     Then Israel will take possession of his possessors,”
     Says the Lord.
3  “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed!
     Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
     Put on sackcloth and mourn,
     And move about inside the walls;
     For Malcam will go into exile
     Together with his priests and his leaders.
4   How you boast about the valleys!
     Your valley is flowing away,
     You backsliding daughter
     Who trusts in her treasures, saying,
     ‘Who can come against me?’
5   Behold, I am going to bring terror upon you,”
     Declares the Lord God of armies,
     “From all directions around you;
     And you will be driven away one after another,
     With no one to gather the fugitives together.
6   But afterward I will restore 
     The fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
     Declares the Lord.

7   Concerning Edom.
     This is what the Lord of armies says:
     “Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman?
     Has good advice been lost by the prudent?
     Has their wisdom decayed?
8   Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,
     You inhabitants of Dedan,
     For I will bring the disaster of Esau upon him 
     At the time I punish him.
9   If grape pickers came to you,
     Would they not leave gleanings?
     If thieves came by night,
     They would destroy only what was sufficient for them.
10 But I have stripped Esau bare,
     I have uncovered his hiding places
     So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
     His offspring have been destroyed along with his brothers
     And his neighbors, and he no longer exists.
11 Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
     And let your widows trust in Me.”

12 For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, those who were not sentenced to drink the cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have sworn by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror, a disgrace, a wasteland, and a curse; and all its cities will become permanent ruins.”

14 I have heard a message from the Lord,
     And a messenger is being sent among the nations, saying,
     “Gather yourselves together and come against her,
     And rise up for battle!”
15 “For behold, I have made you small among the nations,
     Despised among people.
16 As for the terror you cause,
     The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
     You who live in the clefts of the rock,
     Who occupy the height of the hill.
     Though you make your nest as high as an eagle’s,
     I will bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.

17 “Edom will become an object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will hiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the Lord, “no one will live there, nor will anyone of mankind reside in it. 19 Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase him away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is chosen. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand against Me?”

20 Therefore hear the plan of the Lord which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has in mind against the inhabitants of Teman: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture desolate because of them. 21 The earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, He will mount up and swoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings against Bozrah; and the hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

There has been a common theme in these last few chapters of Jeremiah.  There is punishment and destruction for anyone who is arrogant and decides to trusts in their own strength and resources, in their own creations, and in their own way.  But for anyone who humbly decides to trust in the Lord and turn to Him for salvation, there is restoration and life.  Because He is all-knowing, He knows if people in a particular country are going to turn to Him.  This is when we see prophecies about fortunes being restored to nations and/or groups of people.

God is not a bully who wants to make anyone miserable.  Otherwise, why did He come in flesh to suffer and die on a cross in order to pay the price for all sin, for all people, for all time?  He loves everyone and wants all to come to know Him personally, and wants the best for us.  But because He loves everyone, He has given all people a free will, so He cannot and will not force a person to accept His free gift of salvation.  We are all helpless, wayward orphans with a choice:  to go it on our own, or be part of God's family, where the perfect heavenly Father wants to help us, guide us and bless us.

relationships (Jeremiah 48:1-47) Only Way to Restoration

(Jeremiah 48:1-47) 

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 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, 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 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 wings to Moab,
     For she will 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.

11 “Moab has been at ease since his youth;
     He has also been peaceful, like wine on its dregs,
     And he has not been poured from vessel to vessel,
     Nor has he gone into exile.
     Therefore he retains his flavor,
     And his aroma has not changed.

12 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will pour out his vessels and smash his jars. 13 And Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

14 How can you say, ‘We are warriors,
     And men competent for battle’?
15 Moab has been destroyed and men have gone up to his cities;
     His choicest young men have also gone down to the slaughter,”
     Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
16 “The disaster of Moab will soon come,
     And his catastrophe has hurried quickly.
17 Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
     And all of you who know his name;
     Say, ‘How the mighty scepter has been broken,
     A staff of splendor!’
18 Come down from your glory
     And sit on the parched ground,
     O daughter living in Dibon,
     For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
     He has ruined your strongholds.
19 Stand by the road and keep watch,
     You inhabitant of Aroer;
     Ask him who flees and her who escapes
     And say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab has been put to shame, for it has been shattered.
     Wail and cry out;
     Declare by the Arnon
     That Moab has been destroyed.

21 “Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, Jahzah, and against Mephaath, 22 against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 against Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm broken,” declares the Lord. 26 “Make him drunk, for he has become arrogant toward the Lord; so Moab will vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. 27 Now was Israel not a laughingstock to you? Or was he caught among thieves? For whenever you speak about him you shake your head in scorn.

28 Leave the cities and live among the rocky cliffs,
     You inhabitants of Moab,
     And be like a dove that nests
     Beyond the mouth of the chasm.
29 We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—
     Of his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance, and his self-exaltation.
30 I know his fury,” declares the Lord,
     “But it is futile;
     His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.
31 Therefore I will wail for Moab,
     For all of Moab I will cry out;
     I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
32 More than the weeping for Jazer 
     I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!
     Your tendrils stretched across the sea,
     They reached to the sea of Jazer;
     Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvest
     The destroyer has fallen.
33 So joy and rejoicing are removed 
     From the fruitful field, and from the land of Moab.
     And I have eliminated the wine from the wine presses;
     No one will tread them with shouting,
     The shouting will not be shouts of joy.

34 From the outcry at Heshbon to Elealeh, to Jahaz they have raised their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim, and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. 35 And I will put an end to Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the high place and the one who burns incense to his gods.

36 “Therefore My heart makes a sound like flutes for Moab; My heart also makes a sound like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have lost the abundance it produced. 37 For every head is shaved bald, and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands, and sackcloth around the waists. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in its public squares there is mourning everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable vessel,” declares the Lord. 39 “How shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back—he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an object of terror to all around him.”

40 For this is what the Lord says:
     “Behold, one will fly swiftly like an eagle
     And spread out his wings against Moab.
41 Kerioth has been captured
     And the strongholds have been seized,
     So the hearts of the warriors of Moab on that day
     Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
42 Moab will be destroyed from being a people 
     Because he has become arrogant toward the Lord.
43 Terror, pit, and snare are coming upon you,
     Inhabitant of Moab,” declares the Lord.
44 “The one who flees from the terror
     Will fall into the pit,
     And the one who climbs up out of the pit
     Will be caught in the snare;
     For I will bring upon her, upon Moab,
     The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.

45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
     The fugitives stand without strength;
     For a fire has spread out from Heshbon
     And a flame from the midst of Sihon,
     And it has devoured the forehead of Moab
     And the scalps of the loud revelers.
46 Woe to you, Moab!
     The people of Chemosh have perished;
     For your sons have been taken away captive,
     And your daughters into captivity.
47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab 
     In the latter days,” declares the Lord.

This is the extent of the judgment on Moab.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In this passage we can see that God doesn't want to punish anyone, but where there is sin, there is death.  God is holy and only in Him can a person find everlasting life.  All we have to do is go to Him for salvation with humble hearts, being forgiven of our sins, which is arrogance against the Lord.  And taking on His righteousness, our efforts to serve God will not be in vain.  In His strength and wisdom, we are able to do His work diligently because He equips us and gives us what we need.  It is only in a relationship with the Lord that we can find true and eternal restoration, comfort, peace and joy.