Humble dependency upon God ~ Bob Caldwell


48:27 For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, You shake your head in scorn.
The nation of Moab saw itself as a people who were invincible. They had complete confidence in their ability to withstand anything that came against them (48:7). It was in light of this that they looked at Israel with disdain (48:27).
We see a similar description of the Ammonites. They, too, saw themselves as a people superior to their neighbors. And the people of Edom were no different. They were so impressed with themselves and the fierceness with which they fought that they too believed themselves to be invincible. These three nations had one other thing in common: they were all horribly self-deceived (49:16).
These nations were not much different than how many of us approach life. A false sense of pride that feels superior over others and no need for humble dependency upon God will, in the end, be our undoing. In a real sense, the desire to be free from dependency upon God and hold a position of superiority over those around us can be traced by the fall of Adam and Eve.

The fall of humanity was the direct result of Satan's temptation laid before Adam and Eve with the offer to become "gods"—free from any dependency upon God, free to determine for themselves their own course and values for life, and free to decide good and evil for themselves. It was in this freedom from God that resulted in Cain's decision to force his dominance over his brother Abel. Cain rejected the God Abel worshiped and the way God chose to be worshiped. It was ultimately this self-exalting passion that led Cain to kill his brother.
This poison of pride within our souls has left a world in conflict ever since. From within our families to the nations of the world, this struggle for dominance over others and freedom from God's will has helped to shape the history of the human experience. The only antidote for this terrible poison that has created so much sorrow is Jesus Christ, the prince of peace, and the one who described Himself as meek and lowly, a servant of all. It is only when He takes up residency within us that the corrupting poison of self-exalting pride finds its match.
We must, therefore, be born again and become partakers of His divine life if we are ever able to be free from the cycle of pride's destructive influence on us.
Jeremiah 48:1-49:22  Judgment on Moab
1 Against Moab.
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
"Woe to Nebo!
For it is plundered,
Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
2 No more praise of Moab.
In Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
'Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.'
You also shall be cut down, O Madmen!
The sword shall pursue you;
3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim:
'Plundering and great destruction!'
4 "Moab is destroyed;
Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
5 For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6 "Flee, save your lives!
And be like the juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His priests and his princes together.
8 And the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the LORD has spoken.
9 "Give wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10 Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11 "Moab has been at ease from his youth;
He has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.
12 "Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD,
"That I shall send him wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13 Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh,
As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
14 "How can you say, 'We are mighty
And strong men for the war'?
15 Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter," says the King,
Whose name is the LORD of hosts.
16 "The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
17 Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, 'How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!'
18 "O daughter inhabiting Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
19 O inhabitant of Aroer,
Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, 'What has happened?'
20 Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
Wail and cry!
Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered.
21 "And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
22 On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23 On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24 On Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off,
And his arm is broken," says the LORD.
26 "Make him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the LORD.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27 For was not Israel a derision to you?
Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in scorn.
28 You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and dwell in the rock,
And be like the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave's mouth.
29 "We have heard the pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart."
30 "I know his wrath," says the LORD,
"But it is not right;
His lies have made nothing right.
31 Therefore I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32 O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
33 Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!
34 "From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.
35 "Moreover," says the LORD,
"I will cause to cease in Moab
The one who offers sacrifices in the high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36 Therefore My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore the riches they have acquired have perished.
37 "For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth—
38 A general lamentation
On all the housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure," says the LORD.
39 "They shall wail:
'How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!'
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her."
40 For thus says the LORD:
"Behold, one shall fly like an eagle,
And spread his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
The mighty men's hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the LORD.
43 Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab," says the LORD.
44 "He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the snare.
For upon Moab, upon it I will bring
The year of their punishment," says the LORD.
45 "Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of Sihon,
And shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46 Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.
47 "Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
In the latter days," says the LORD.
Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Jeremiah 49Judgment on Ammon
1 Against the Ammonites.
Thus says the LORD:
"Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then does Milcom inherit Gad,
And his people dwell in its cities?
2 Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD,
"That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war
In Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall be a desolate mound,
And her villages shall be burned with fire.
Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance," says the LORD.
3 "Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is plundered!
Cry, you daughters of Rabbah,
Gird yourselves with sackcloth!
Lament and run to and fro by the walls;
For Milcom shall go into captivity
With his priests and his princes together.
4 Why do you boast in the valleys,
Your flowing valley, O backsliding daughter?
Who trusted in her treasures, saying,
'Who will come against me?'
5 Behold, I will bring fear upon you,"
Says the Lord GOD of hosts,
"From all those who are around you;
You shall be driven out, everyone headlong,
And no one will gather those who wander off.
6 But afterward I will bring back
The captives of the people of Ammon," says the LORD.
Judgment on Edom
7 Against Edom.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"Is wisdom no more in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom vanished?
8 Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
The time that I will punish him.
9 If grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves by night,
Would they not destroy until they have enough?
10 But I have made Esau bare;
I have uncovered his secret places,
And he shall not be able to hide himself.
His descendants are plundered,
His brethren and his neighbors,
And he is no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children,
I will preserve them alive;
And let your widows trust in Me."
12 For thus says the LORD: "Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it. 13 For I have sworn by Myself," says the LORD, "that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual wastes."
14 I have heard a message from the LORD,
And an ambassador has been sent to the nations:
"Gather together, come against her,
And rise up to battle!
15 "For indeed, I will make you small among nations,
Despised among men.
16 Your fierceness has deceived you,
The pride of your heart,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Who hold the height of the hill!
Though you make your nest as high as the eagle,
I will bring you down from there," says the LORD.
17 "Edom also shall be an astonishment;
Everyone who goes by it will be astonished
And will hiss at all its plagues.
18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors," says the LORD,
"No one shall remain there,
Nor shall a son of man dwell in it.
19 "Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will suddenly make him run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?"
20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Edom,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.
21 The earth shakes at the noise of their fall;
At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.
22 Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle,
And spread His wings over Bozrah;
The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
Jeremiah 48:1-49:22
v. 1 Against Moab – Moab was a vassal state to the Assyrians during the 7th century BC. The prophecies against Moab in this chapter were fulfilled in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign (582 BC). The cities listed in this chapter are Moabite cities (Nebo, Kiriathaim, Heshbon, Horonaim, Luhith, Dibon, Aroer, Kir Hareseth, Jazer, Sibmah, Kerioth and Sihon).
v. 7 Chemosh shall go forth into captivity – Chemosh was the national god of the Moabites. Chemosh was portrayed as a divine warrior holding a spear and positioned to defend the Moabite people.
v. 11 has not been emptied from vessel to vessel – In verses 11-12 the judgment of Moab is being compared to the process of fermenting wine. In order to complete the wine making process, wine must be poured from its original vessel into a new vessel.
v. 13 Bethel – This is possibly a reference to the western Semitic deity or the city where one of Jeroboam's golden calves was placed (1 Kings 12:25-33).
v. 17 How the strong staff is broken – Staffs and rods were symbols of authority and dominion.
v. 25 The horns of Moab is cut off – The crowns of gods and kings often had horns as a sign of their power and authority. The horn was also used in battles and war.
v. 37 every head shall be bald and every beard clipped – These acts were signs of mourning, as was the cutting of ones hands and the wearing of sackcloth.
v. 40 one shall fly like an eagle – The eagle was Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah 49
v. 1 Milcom – Milcom is Hebrew for Molech. Molech was an Ammonite god to whom child sacrifices were offered (32:35; Lev. 20:2-5; 2 Kings 23:10).
v. 2 Rabbah – Rabbah was the capital city of the Ammonite kingdom.
v. 4 O backsliding daughter – The backsliding or unfaithful daughter is a personification of the Ammonites. According to history (Josephus, Antiquities) Ammon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 582 BC.
v. 7 Against Edom – Edom was a vassal state of the Assyrians from the reigns of Tiglath-Pileser III to Ashurbanipal. Edom submitted themselves to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar's reign in 605 BC. Edom was being judged, in part, because they remained passive while Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians (Ps. 137:7, Obad. 11).
Teman – Teman is a geographical name that is synonymous with Edom (Obad. 9). Teman was located in the northern section of the southern Transjordanian kingdom and was where the nation of Edom originated.
v. 8 I will bring the calamity of Esau upon them – Edom was another name for Esau, the brother of Jacob. The Edomites were descendants of Esau.
For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, You shake your head in scorn. –Jeremiah 48:27
Pride is the place where all sin begins, Lord. We know from Adam and Eve that it was not Your intention that this poison should ever invade this world that You created for us. Convict our hearts, God, where pride has begun to take root.
  Chapel Missions India
It's a wondrous privilege to be part of Chapel Missions India. Many of these precious people have given their lives to God through the efforts of the pastors in India so when death comes it's comforting to know they are eternally resting, healed and whole, in the arms of our Father.
Prayer Points
  • for the Run 4 Heaven's Gate half marathoners; that their efforts will raise thousands of dollars to send to the families in India suffering with AIDS

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