Isaiah 15:1-16:14 Moab’s Turn
Isaiah continues his prophecies concerning the nations around Israel. Moab’s turn has come and it is a mixed one. Their plight hurts even God’s heart but their pride will break them.
When Israel was on their journey to the Promised Land, the land of Moab was the last place where the original generation fell. Because of their sin, they were to wander until the entire company of adults who left Egypt had died, except for Joshua and Caleb. The men of Israel got cozy with the women of Moab in the end of this time. These relationships led to the men of Israel worshiping the gods of Moab with their women. SAME trap Solomon would fall into later. Anyway, God put a stop to this by demanding the life of all men who had succumb to these ‘unions’. The final death we read about is where a man has dared to bring a woman of Moab into his tent. He and the woman are run through with one spear. And so ended the original generation on the journey from Egypt.
Skip forward hundreds of years and Moab is being pummeled. This may have been happening at the same time when Israel was being brought low by the Assyrians. Whatever timeframe it was, the severity of it even touched the heart of God. He felt compassion on them; “My heart cries out for Moab” (verse 5a) and he gave directions for Judah to welcome in the ‘outcasts of Moab” and to “be a shelter to them from the destroyer” (verse 4). Though God says that HE will bring on “a lion for those of Moab who escape” (verse 9b).
Once the immediate danger to Moab is gone, things change. First will come a subjugation of the people of Moab by the line of David; Judah. Moab will be a vassal to Judah as much as Judah is to Assyria. NEITHER subjugated people will like their position. Both will rebel from their rulers.
Moab will become proud once she returns to her land. She will dismiss the protection Judah gave to her and try to place herself above Judah. For this arrogance, God will complete what the enemy started. God will bring Moab to the brink of extinction. “All those who remain will be very few and feeble” (verse 14b).
There are SO MANY things in this world that I ask; “If God knew what was coming, why did he allow ________?” God KNEW that Moab would become proud after Judah saved them, but He told Judah to care for them anyway. Wouldn’t it have been simpler if he just let them fall in the first place? Why did He say His heart cried for them, only to say that He was going to be a lion to those who survived? These are just the tip of the iceberg questions that fit in the blank above!
God KNEW man was going to sin before He even spoke the first word of creation into existence. God KNOWS EXACTLY how many and who will refuse Him, from the foundations of the world until the final soul departs this earth. He KNEW the impact free will would have on His creation and what problems it would set in motion. And He KNEW and KNOWS EVERY sin I have ever committed or will commit!
Yet He had compassion on ALL of us. He made us so we can choose Him; not be forced to honor Him. He gave us His VERY best, knowing that we didn’t deserve it, because of LOVE. He chose the hard road out of love. He put that love first. Even with the people of Moab. Who is to say that some of those survivors wouldn’t ask to join Judah permanently because he discovered the ONE TRUE GOD while hiding out in Israel.
For the sake of the one, He provided the opportunity for ALL. He knows who will take Him up on His offer. He knows who will reject Him. But we don’t know. He lets us discover that individually. He lets us choose for ourselves whether to accept His free gift of salvation or reject it. He has already seen the end, as clearly as He saw the end of Moab. Because He is outside of time, He can do this. He can know with certainty what will be. But He loves us enough to let us discover our path, without the ‘spoiler alert’ for everything. NEVER DOUBT that Jesus would have still offered up His life on the cross if YOU were the ONLY ONE who would accept His gift of salvation!
Father God, THANK YOU for KNOWING me and STILL loving me! Sometimes I wonder why this is, but I’ll take it!!! I’m glad that NOTING I do is a surprise to You. It took a LONG TIME for me to believe the ‘if it was only me, Jesus would still have come’ concept. I KNOW there are MORE deserving people in this world than me. I just figured I was getting in on the ‘extra seating’ being offered. But I’m NOT. You, personally, held out salvation just for me! Thank You for helping me take hold of Your free gift of salvation! I would be LOST without You!!!
