Jeremiah 48
This is the story of Moab. An arrogant people. Looking down at those individuals without money and those nations who are poor. Never lifting a finger to help. Full of sense and self need. Totally lacking in humility.
The people of Moab worship their false gods and place their faith in buildings they build. Their homes, their investment properties, large scale developments, they have faith in them all.
Sounds familiar.
They worship money. They have never had to struggle against impossible odds to succeed in life. They have never faced terrible trouble. They have never had to flee their homes. They believe they can defeat anyone who comes against them. They have their networks of politicians they make donations to so they will support them. They are comfortable in their power and very, very secure.
Sounds familiar.
The people of Moab are not that unusual. In every generation of this world there have been people like that.
To a lesser extent we all fall for this trap.
I work in a building with limited parking and many practitioners. Most of the practitioners take the parking spots for themselves so clients have to struggle to find parking on the streets. Recently a fellow practitioner and I suggested we park on the streets and leave the car parks free for the clients. There was a horrified response and many practitioners came up with excuses as to why they couldn’t possibly do that.
Disheartening as it was, this is how so many of us act and feel.
We live in our comfortable homes that we own, and criticise those who struggle to find a home to rent in an undersupplied market, claiming they aren’t trying hard enough.
We look at those less fortunate than us, and nations less fortunate, and begrudge any money allocated to support them.
We occupy ourselves with buying a home, and maybe an investment property and don’t care what happens to others whose struggle is greater.
We support political parties who do not support those in need and support instead their political donors. Politicians whose god is power. And we don’t speak out against their policies.
What happened to Moab?
God destroyed them.
All their cities, their homes and investment portfolios. They were all destroyed. The politicians were destroyed. Their economy was destroyed.
Instead of thriving, wealthy cities, there were instead ghost towns of destroyed buildings. Piles of rubble for future inhabitants to raid in order to build their own buildings. Building their new cities on the rubble of Moab’s bricks and mortar.
Moab’s selfishness and greed, their easy lives and arrogance, were destroyed. In their place was a struggle to survive, a place where their wealth was worthless, where the easy life was extinguished. Instead of an easy, hedonistic, Me, Me life there was struggle and hard labour simply to survive. All joy ceased.
For the people, the land was covered in salt so nothing would grow. I don’t know if you have ever seen the impact salt has on the ground. In my western side yard there are only weeds. Nothing grows due to the heat and narrowness of the yard. So I use salt to kill the weeds. It is amazing to watch these plants shrivel as the salt is sprinkled on the ground. Nothing survives salt.
We can take an important lesson from the people of Moab. Our turn to face this judgement will come. It may not come in our generation, but it will come.
You may not care about what happens to future generations. One thing to remember though. God punished all Moab. Sometimes He punishes nations. Sometimes He punishes individuals.
In your lifetime He may not punish your nation. He may punish you. And never forget. You will stand in front of God to be judged, either in life or in death. Be grateful if it happens in life and you have the opportunity to repent and change. Because if it happens in death there is no opportunity to make good.
God punishes. But God also restores, once the lesson has been learned.
It is time we stopped thinking about our own comfortable, self concerned lives and started asking God if this is how He wants us to lead our lives.
