If you were to stand on the western shore of the Dead Sea and look eastward, you’d be able to see a plateau, the border between Israel and Jordan. This is also the land the Bible calls Moab.
The Moabites are descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot, and the Israelites are descendants of Abraham’s son Jacob. Historically, even though they are related, Israel never got along well with Moab, and they still don’t.
The Bible says the people of Israel are God’s chosen people, while the people of Moab are God’s enemies and the enemies of his people. However, what’s fascinating about Israel and Moab is that God’s judgment and promise of restoration are nearly identical for each.
The Judgment of Moab
In verse 1, the destruction of Moab is declared.
Jeremiah 48:1 CSB
About Moab, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Woe to Nebo, because it is about to be destroyed; Kiriathaim will be put to shame; it will be taken captive. The fortress will be put to shame and dismayed!
Nebo and Kiriathaim were towns in Moab, and all the towns in Moab were judged. In verses 1-7, twenty-five towns are mentioned, and in summary of their judgment, verse 8 says,
Jeremiah 48:8–9 CSB
The destroyer will move against every town; not one town will escape. The valley will perish, and the plain will be annihilated, as the Lord has said. Make Moab a salt marsh, for she will run away; her towns will become a desolation, without inhabitant.
Back then, if you wanted to destroy your enemy's land permanently, you polluted it with salt, and that’s what the Babylonians did. They turned Moab and all her towns into salt marshes.
Now notice in verse 46 how Moab’s judgment sounds very similar to Israel’s.
Jeremiah 48:46 CSB
Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished because your sons have been taken captive and your daughters have gone into captivity.
Moab’s sons and daughters were taken into captivity, just like Israel’s, which reminds us God is the ruler and judge of all nations. He’s the king of kings, and when a nation, any nation, sins against him, she will be judged.
Today, if you visit Jordan, you won’t be able to find any surviving Moabite cities, only archeological ruins proving that God’s word is true. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment.” The judgment of Moab is evidence that God keeps his word.
So why was Moab judged? Notice that her sins are very similar to the sins of Israel.
The Sins of Moab
The first sin of four mentioned in chapter 48 is the sin of self-righteousness. Jeremiah says,
Jeremiah 48:7 (CSB)
Because you trust in your works and treasures, you will be captured also.
Of course, trusting in our own works isn’t just a sin of the Moabites. We live in a culture that is constantly telling us, “You’re amazing, trust in yourself, and follow your dreams.” With that message being constantly preached in schools, homes, and entertainment, should it surprise us that we have a nation filled with self-righteous people who don’t see their need for God?
The truth is that no one is saved by their own works, and not one of us can do enough righteous acts to earn salvation. Instead, God gives righteousness to those who trust in Jesus.
Moab’s second sin was the sin of complacency.
Jeremiah 48:11 ESV
“Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.
Even though Moab’s situation was desperate, she was “at ease” and thought everything was fine. Complacency is “smug, self-satisfaction,” which perfectly describes everyone who doesn’t see a need to repent. The Moabites were sitting back, living the easy life, while drinking their wine.
It’s easy for Americans to be complacent with so many ways to live an easy life. Too many Christians have grown complacent, too, with many of us not making any real spiritual progress in years. Do we understand God’s word better than last year? Is our prayer life growing? Everyone needs to wake up to the fact that God promises judgment for the complacent.
Moab’s third sin is the sin of pride.
Jeremiah 48:29–30 CSB
We have heard of Moab’s pride, great pride, indeed— his insolence, arrogance, pride, and haughty heart. I know his outburst. This is the Lord’s declaration. It is empty. His boast is empty.
The words insolence, arrogance, and a haughty heart are all synonyms for pride which God says he hates (Proverbs 16:5). Why does God hate pride so much? It’s because pride is the sin that leads to all other sins and a state of mind completely at odds with who God is which is what verse 42 says.
Jeremiah 48:42 CSB
Moab will be destroyed as a people because he has exalted himself against the Lord.
God’s judgment is given to Moab in order to remove pride. In verse 18, he tells Moab,
Jeremiah 48:18 CSB
Come down from glory; sit on parched ground, resident of the daughter of Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.
Moab was given the opportunity to humble herself, to “come down from glory,” but since she refused, God took action to remove her pride. This sounds a lot like how he treated Israel.
Moab’s fourth sin is the sin of idolatry—the worshiping of false gods. God didn’t put up with Israel’s idolatry, and he doesn’t put up with Moab’s either.
Jeremiah 48:35 (CSB)
“In Moab, I will stop”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the one who offers sacrifices on the high place and burns incense to his gods.”
God stopped Moab’s idolatry with her destruction. It would have been far better if they had stopped themselves, but God would not allow her idolatry to continue.
The primary god the Moabites worshiped was Chemosh, which included sacrificing children. The worship of Chemosh was so widespread even Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, sacrificed his firstborn son to him (2 Kings 3:27).
So, because Moab and Judah both sinned in similar ways, they were judged in similar ways. The sons and daughters of Moab and God’s chosen people were taken into captivity. Their cities were destroyed, proving to all that there is only one true God to be worshiped.
Now, as one might expect, there was a lot of weeping with all of the devastations that came upon Moab.
The Weeping of Moab
Moab weeps for herself and her loss (Jeremiah 48:3-5; 37-38). Moab is disgraced and helpless, so she wails and cries. She’s shattered with unrelenting grief.
Surprisingly, even Jeremiah is moved and weeps for Moab. His words to Moab are not words of anger as we might expect, but words of mourning and lament. Jeremiah says,
Jeremiah 48:31–32 (CSB)
Therefore, I will wail over Moab. I will cry out for Moab, all of it; he will moan for the men of Kir-heres. I will weep for you, vine of Sibmah, with more than the weeping for Jazer.
Weeping is a proper response when people, even our enemies, experience the consequences of sin. Even God, himself, weeps for Moab. He says,
Jeremiah 48:36 (CSB)
Therefore, my heart moans like flutes for Moab, and my heart moans like flutes for the people of Kir-heres.
This sounds like language reserved for Israel, yet God says these words to the enemies of his people. Even though God is the one who judged Moab, his heart is broken for them. He doesn’t take any pleasure in their suffering. Moab is his enemy and the enemy of his people, yet he weeps for them.
As Christians, we, too, should share God’s heart for the lost. Instead of feeling smug and complacent, we should be deeply affected by the impending judgment of so many who don’t know him.
Thankfully, even when we don’t respond as we should to those who suffer, God is merciful with us and aims to help us care about the things he cares about. He does this through his judgment but also by restoring us. As evidence of his great mercy, we read of his plan to restore Israel and even Moab.
The Restoration of Moab
In verse 47, God says,
Jeremiah 48:47 CSB
Yet, I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the last days. This is the Lord’s declaration. The judgment on Moab ends here.
This is a remarkable declaration, especially since it is nearly identical to the declaration he made to Judah (Jer 33:11). And God has already kept his promise to restore the fortunes of Moab through Ruth the Moabitess. Ruth was a Moabitess who married the Israelite Boaz and then became the great-great-grandmother of Jesus. So we could say that the Moabites’ fortunes have already been restored through Christ, the descendant of Moab.
But is there still a future fulfillment? What about the Moabites of today? Although the nation of Moab no longer exists, many of the descendants of those who survived the invasion of Babylon now live in Jordan and Syria. So I think God’s promises to Moab have yet to be completely fulfilled, just like the promises made to Israel are not yet completely fulfilled. Someday I wouldn’t be surprised if many Muslims put their faith in Christ. In fact, there’s evidence it’s already happening.
God has judged the Moabites for their sins of self-righteousness, complacency, pride, and idolatry, but he also weeps for them and plans to show them mercy. Truly, God is an awesome God, the savior of the world (John 4:42; John 3:16; 1 John 4:14)!