A Message to the Philistines and the Moabites

The Philistines were at times a thorn in the side of Israel. When David became King he was able to have great military success against them killing their champion, Goliath, when David was a young man ( Samuel 17). They were a coastal people who worshipped a god called Dagon. Dagon looked like a creature who was half man and half fish. In chapter 47 this pagan nation is being warned by God about a coming disaster. The intention is that they would prepare themselves.

v. 1 We don’t know exactly when this particular Pharaoh struck down Gaza. The original hearers would have understood what was meant.

v. 2-3 The coming army is the Babylonians. They are coming like rising waters out of the North. Just as a flood covers everything, the territory of the Philistines will be submerged in the Babylonian army. Verse 3 reveals that the flood is indeed a military force:

The stampeding stallions and rushing chariots paint a vivid picture of the coming doom. The attack will be so great that even the men will be too afraid to help. Look how they are described:

The men cry out (2)

Fathers won’t even help their own children (3)

V.4-5 In that day alliances with other nations like Tyre and Sidon will do no good. It’s the Lord who is destroying the Philistines. No one could help them. Their attempts to get the attention of their god are mentioned:

Baldness

Gashing oneself

These were actions used to move the deity to action. Israel was forbidden from using both practices (Deut. 14:1).

v.6-7 In verse 6 we see the people questioning the Lord. they want to know how long this will last. They compel the sword to go back into its sheath.

A response to them is seen in verse 7.

How can the sword of the Lord be quiet when the Lord has given it instructions?

Ashkelon was a Philistine city on the coast of the Mediterranean. It was taken by Nebuchadnezzar in 604 BC.

It was important for the Jewish people to see that the Lord was not only punish them. He was punishing all nations who were in rebellion to Him. How did the Philistines receive this message? Did they receive it? It could be that some representatives of Philistia heard Jeremiah preach and brought word to his people. What we know for sure is God holds all nations accountable, but some nations He holds more accountable.

The Moabites (48)

1. There will be widespread devastation (1-10).

The Moabites were a nation that descended from an incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter (Genesis 19:37). The King of Moab was the one who hired Balaam to curse Israel in the book of Numbers. The Moabites joined Babylon in fighting against Judah (2 Kings 24:2). God had His eye on this nation as well. Even though it was a relatively small nation, the warning Jeremiah gives concerning them is the longest in this section.

In this chapter many of the cities of Moab are listed as being ruined by an invader. The large number of cities mentioned represent the fact that the entire nation is in danger. Look at verse 8 and you can see this. The only hope the people have is to flee from the cities (6).

Look at verse 5 and you can see the people fleeing cities, going up to one and down to another. They are running for their lives and weeping as they go. Their pitiful state is revealed in verse 6. A juniper tree will shrivel up and die in the desert.

The reason for this devastation can be found in verse 7.

They trusted in their own works and treasures. This is a common sin. They neglected the worship of the true God. They believed their own works and their material wealth were what mattered in life.

In addition to this they were idolaters. They worshipped a god named Chemosh. We see him in verse 7 as well. Because Moabite was defeated it was understood in that culture that its god had been defeated as well. The priests that represented their false god would be taken captive by the invaders. The only hope this nation has is to grow wings so it can fly away (9). That’s an impossibility.

I want to focus our attention on verse 10. It’s an interesting verse. It pronounces judgment on those who do the work of the Lord with slackness. Specifically, this work is the labor of war. It seems to me it’s a warning to the Babylonians not to hold anything back, and if they do, they can expect judgment themselves.

This reminds us that the Bible tells us to do whatever we do for the Lord wholeheartedly (Ephesians 6:7). As Christians we are to declare war on the sin in our life. We should battle whole heartedly against that sin. We should bring devastation against it.

2. The Lord will humble Moab (11-19).

Verses 11-13 are a rebuke to the laziness of the Moabites. Life had been easy for them lately. Certainly they had been defeated in the past but they had never suffer the devastation that some countries had. As verse 11 says, they had never been taken into exile. They are compared to jars of wine that have set still for so long that all the dregs were settled to the bottom. If left undisturbed for too long wine could become thick and undrinkable.

The Moabites were complacent and continued to be so, undisturbed by the discipline of the Lord. Soon the Lord would send an invader that would shake them up and break them in pieces. Then the Moabites would be ashamed of their idolatrous worship as the Jewish people were when their idolatry was exposed in Bethel (1 Kings 12:26-33). Bethel was the place where golden calves were introduced in Jewish worship. This lead to the nation being overtaken by the Assyrians.

Look at what the Moabites thought of themselves. They believed themselves to be heroes and mighty men of war (14). They were not what they thought. In fact they were to be pitied.

Their strongest men would be slaughtered (15)

They will be defeated quickly (16).

They should be grieved (17).

They will be brought low (18).

Notice verse 19. It sets up the next section. As the people flee the cities they will ask “What has happened?” That question reveals the unbelief the people are experiencing. Things happen so quickly the people are confused. One moment things are great and the next they are running for their lives.

3. An explanation of what has happened to Moab (20-29).

The nations is shattered. The reason is given in verses 26-27. Let’s look at that.

The nation exalted itself to the place of God. That’s what the phrase “he magnified himself against the Lord” means. How did it do this? Look at verse 27. They treated Israel like one would treat a thief. Zephaniah 2:8 mentions this as well. I’m not sure exactly what Moab did to Israel but their attitude toward them was unwarranted. There were times the Lord moved nations to discipline His people. However what Moab did was not a work of the Lord. They played as if they were God against Israel.

The nation was proud (29). The pride of the nation is intensified throughout verse 29 Look at how the nation is described: “very proud, loftiness, his pride, his arrogance, the haughtiness of his heart.” In one verse the pride of this nation is mentioned six times.

God instructs the invaders to “make them drunk”. This means they are to attack the Moabites with full force. They are to so overcome Moab that its soldiers are as helpless as a drunk man. The picture of them roiling around in their own vomit in verse 28 reveals a helpless people unable to help themselves from the most basic of predicaments. This proud nation that set itself up as God would be humbled.

4. God sorrows over Moab (30-39).

It’s clear that the One mourning over Moab is God. We know that by looking at verse 33. The one who is mourning is the One who made the wine cease from the winepress. Let’s consider a few things about God mourning for Moab:

He mourned for the entire nation (31). This implies that the whole nation would suffer.

He mourned the fact that they had fallen so far (32-33). This nation that once had great exports and enjoyed prosperity would have its joy removed.

He mourned their idolatry (35). The altars to false gods would be destroyed. God would disrupt their worship.

He mourned like one who was at a funeral (36-37). Lots of funeral rituals are mentioned in these verses. The playing of flutes, the shaving of one’s head and beard, the gashing of the body, the wearing of sackcloth, and lamentation on the housetops.

God’s heart is broken over the lost. God sees all the people experiencing judgment and death and He is grieved. Even the pagan nations who have never honored Him grieve Him. He takes no delight in their judgment.

A summary of the nation is seen in verse 39:

The nation is broken

The nation wails

The nation has turned its back in shame (retreat).

The nation has become a derision and a horror to those around it.

5. Moab will fall quickly (40-47).

Babylon will come as swiftly as an eagle (40). If you have ever witnessed a bird of prey make a kill you understand this text. A bird will snatch up its prey very quickly. Before the victim knows what has happened it is being carried away.

The ferocity of Babylon will cause the warriors to be as afraid as a woman who suddenly goes into labor.

Look at verse 42. Moab will no longer be a people. This prophecy came true. The Moabites disappeared as a nation. The reason being is the same as mentioned in verse 26. The nation magnified itself against the Lord.

There is no where for the nation to find safety. Look at verse 44.

If they flee from the terror they will fall into a pit.

If they climb out of the pit they will be caught in a snare.

Look at the end of verse 44. The Lord is doing these things. You cannot run from the Lord.

The Moabites will run to their cities for refuge but will find none (45). Verse 45 reminds us of the prophecy of Balaam against the Moabites many years earlier (Numbers 21:28-29).

For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon,

A flame from the city of Sihon:

It hath consumed Ar of Moab,

And the lords of the high places of Arnon.

The god, Chemosh, could not help his people (46). The nations would be obliterated, and the people killed or enslaved.

There is some hope in verse 47. A promise is given that the fortunes of Moab will be restored. How can this be when the nation will be completely obliterated (42)? I think it is fulfilled in that while the nation was destroyed not every single Moabite was. Because of that some from this nation could find salvation in the Messiah. The Bible tells us that people from every tribe and nation will be a part of Messiah’s kingdom. The compassion the Lord shows toward Moab in these verses is proof that his love is extended toward them. There will be Moabites in heaven and there will be Moabites in the millennial kingdom.

The love that God has for the nations should be reflected in His people. As members of the New Covenant, we have been given the great commission. It is our responsibility to take the gospel to a lost world. Nations should be warned and encouraged to come to Christ. God mourned over nations, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, we should share their heart for the lost.