Actually Isaiah gives two whole chapters (15 and 16) to his denunciation of the little nation/kingdom of “Moab.” Maybe because those people were distantly related to the Israelites! (Moab was the child of that infamously incestuous relationship between one of the daughters of Lot and her own father! See Genesis 19:37 for the documentation.) Get this … “Moab” literally means “of my father,” she freely admitting that her baby’s “dad” was her own father, Lot!
Wow!
Today we shall just notice Isaiah 15, and only part of the chapter at that! (With more to come later.)
There is (when Isaiah wrote, these predicted events were still in the future) a looming danger confronting Moab. And her devastation is miraculously described in some detail.
“The burden of Moab.” (Isaiah 15:1a) This simply means that God had placed this Sermon/Message (literally) Heavy Load on the Prophet’s heart. And he was compelled to preach it!
Listen!
The enemy is coming. And he “annihilates” one Moabite city after another! Isaiah even names the cities, these places! I will capitalize them for you. “Because in the night AR of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night KIR of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence. He (the citizenry of Moab) is gone up to BAJITH, and to DIBON, the high places (where altars to false gods were built), to weep. Moab shall howl over NEBO, and over MEDEBA: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off. In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly. And HESHBON shall cry, and ELEALEH: their voice shall be heard even unto JAHAZ: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.” Isaiah 15:1b-4 (when a verse numeration contains an “a” or “b,” it simply means the “first part” of the verse, or the “second part” of the verse. I have seen verses further labeled “c” or “d” or even “e,” if they were sufficiently long enough units of Scripture!)
City after city, fallen!
I at first thought Isaiah (or the enemy) was going from south to north. But that pattern did not hold consistent. Looks like their adversary is “all over the place!” Ravaging at random, at will!
“Ar” is mentioned 6 times in the Bible, thought to be a town way down south in Moab.
By the way … “Moab” is a little Land only about 30 miles by 30 miles (roughly square) in area! It sat east of the Dead Sea. Its western boundary basically was the Dead Sea, its eastern boundary the uninviting desert!
“Kir” (another little city) is mentioned 5 times in the Bible!
“Bajith” only here, in all God’s Word! (“Gone forever,” the archaeologist fears!)
“Dibon,” another Moabite location, means (in Hebrew) “wasting!”
“Nebo,” the area where Moses died, is named for one of the heathen deities of that day.
“Medeba” means “water of rest,” maybe an oasis?
“Bald heads and ‘cut-off’ beards?” What ancient captors did to their enemies, their “prey!” One of the less painful things! These acts were considered quite “shameful” to a man! (Much like hanging a crucifixion victim on a cross naked!)
Notice the reaction of the people, the Moabites …“howling!” Weeping loudly over their ravaged land!
Verse 3 amplifies this action even further: “In their streets they (the fleeced Moabites) shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.”
“Heshbon” is mentioned 38 times in the Old Testament! And is at times associated with different little City/States. This place initially belonged to the Israelites, but they lost it to the Moabites prior to the Babylonian Captivity.
“Elealeh” means “God is ascending!” and is another Jewish town “appropriated” by the Moabites in some hostile action. (The Moabites were not kind to the people of Israel!)
And “Jahaz,” the last named city in today’s Text … this one being hard (if not impossible) to now locate/identify. Such a fact however does not deter our believing this account of Isaiah’s, not one little bit.
Moab under attack! (Folks, I am right now thinking of the verse … “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Located at Numbers 32:23.)
But, who was the enemy?
He is unnamed, at least in Isaiah 11.
But in all likelihood, his identity is “Assyria.”
She was becoming the major “bully” back at that time.
Does God KNOW, or what?
Is God in control?
Yes!
If nothing else, Passages like this should bring us to our knees, admiring the Awesome Greatness of our Lord in Heaven. The KING of all kings!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
The Lord willing, more tomorrow about Moab. A very interesting Lesson upcoming, I believe. There is something different about this Oracle/Sermon against Moab. I’ll show you more in the morning.