06.29.09
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General
| 14:18
Scripture: Isaiah 16:2 (NIV): Like fluttering birds pushed from the nest, so are the women of Moab at the fords of the Arnon."
Thought: To me, people in rebellion against God will at some point become directionless, confused and fearful.
Question: Have I found my anchor in the Savior, Jesus Christ?
If Moab does not "send [sacrificial] lambs as tribute "to the King of Israel, (yesterday's verse/God's urged recommendation), then a disarray of their people will begin to become apparent. When unwilling to bow to authority and abide in humility, a people puts its members at risk. "Like fluttering birds pushed from the nest", the women of Moab have been displaced from their homes. A break in the peaceful order has been interrupted by the spirit of rebellion. The women are uncertain as to how to proceed, so they are "fluttering"--directionless and in confusion. They gather "at the fords of the Arnon", a major river that flows east to west across their territory and into The Salt Sea (today's Dead Sea).
There "at the fords" they seek to cross the river as they, like their fellow countrymen, desire to escape the assault of the Assyrian persecutors. And certainly they would try to flee: the Assyrians were known to terrorize their victims with horrible consequences, including raping the women. (See blog on Isaiah 15:4).
"...pushed from the nest..." Who pushes baby birds from their nests? Why, it is the parent bird! It is the one who has authority--the nest-builder, if you please. And so God Almighty, our Creator, The One Who has supreme authority over us all, is The One Who chooses to remove the Moabite women from their "comfort zone." And why does God do this? Ultimately, and even as the parent bird does, it is for the peoples' good.
What is life without the guiding rudder of God's authority over our lives? Certainly He is our appropriate Master, is He not? If He is dismissed, rebelled against, disobeyed or ignored, we will bear the consequences of the resulting chaos we invite. What automobile can twist through country roads, speed down the highway, have its radio or wipers turned on, without its driver? Likewise, what souls can function at all without their Designer, their Maker?
These "fluttering birds", Moabite women under attack, are a good illustration of the chaos and risk of life without God's holy protection. A bird of prey may attack! Away from their own "nest" they may become hopelessly lost! As Matthew Henry states in his Commentary on Isaiah on this verse, "Those that will not yield to the fear of God shall be made to yield to the fear of everything else."
Prayer: Great God, I long to be bound by only one, great fear, Lord--the fear of You! Keep me, oh God, in Your salvation, that I need not fear anything else. I pray against any spirit of rebellion that would seek to rise up in me against You. Strengthen my devotion to You, Father, through the grace of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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06.25.09
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General
| 21:53
Scripture: Isaiah 16:1 (NIV): Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert, to the mount of the Daughter of Zion."
Thought: To me, the world today, like Moab of old, needs to remember and respect that Israel is God's chosen people!
Question: Have I yielded my "respect" to God and to God's chosen people?
This new chapter begins in the emphatic voice, that is, a commanding tone. The subject, or doer of these actiions, is understood: you "send lambs..." Who? The Moabites--the enemy of Israel to whom God has been speaking all through the previous chapter, chapter 15. God is looking to provide them some "steps of reformation"; ways to rectify their situation and return to a favorable position in His sight. Will they take God's recommendations?
"Send lambs as tribute..." Formerly, a system of "tribute", or what we today would call taxation, was in force over the land, including Moab. Tributes were paid to King David as explained in II Samuel 8:2: "David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute." (Now the tribute is owed to the current King--Hezekiah.) Also during the era of the earlier Kings following David, Moab continued tributes: II Kings 3:4 "Now Mesha King of Moab raised sheep, and he had to supply the king of Israel [referring to Joram, son of Ahab] with a hundred thousand lambs and with the wool of a hundred thousand rams." If further reading in this II Kings passage is done, we would find Moab rebelling against this tribute-paying and Israel mounting a military attack to "keep them in line." This aggression is set to head out "through the Desert of Edom" (II Kings 3:8), even as our verse today refers to "Sela, across the desert". Sela was the capital city of Edom. Edom is the area south of Moab. Sela, also spelled Selah, literally means "clefts of the rock" and this city is synonymous with the city of Petra, about 50 miles south of the tip of The Salt Sea (today's Dead Sea). "Across the desert" could refer to the Desert of Zin which extends like a strip of land basically from the southern end of The Dead Sea down to The Gulf of Alana--our present-day Gulf of Aqaba. To bring tribute "to the ruler of the land" "from Sela" to Jerusalem, is a reference to the territory under Hezekiah's jurisdiction and rule.
"...to the mount of the Daughter of Zion." this refers to Jerusalem, or the City of David--Israel's "capital" or primary city and the heart of Israeli rule and coommunity. God is giving the Moabites a chance to return to their former servitude and live once again under the mercy once provided them under David's rule. Will they obey this ruling? Will they "bite the bullet" in the sense of what they might consider "going backward" to a former system? Will they again become subservient to Israel? Will they "swallow their pride" and humble themselves under God's "chosen people"? To serve the Living God is also to serve His chosen people, Israel.
Prayer: Lord, Your people Israel are very important to You! You will yet defend and save them! Cause me, as Your child, to properly support Israel in these days. Give me Your wisdom in regard to this, Lord, and move me to pray for Jerusalem and all of Israel. In christ's Name, Amen.
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06.24.09
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General
| 11:51
Scripture: Isaiah 15:9 (NIV): "Dimon's waters are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon--a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land."
Thought: To me, God controls the "lion" of agression--both yesterday and today.
Question: Have I resisted Satan as he seeks to devour my soul?
Quoting from Hand-book of Bible Geography by George Henry Whitney, published in 1871, the original copy from Oxford University, "Dibon is a town east of Jordan [the Jordan River, that is], assigned to Gad, Numbers 21:30; 32:3 and 34; but afterward assigned to Reuben, Joshua 13:9 and 17. Later it was held by Moabites, Isaiah 15:2, Jeremiah 48:18 and 22. In Numbers 33:45 it is called Dibon-Gad, and doubtless is the Dimon of Isaiah 15:9. About three miles north of the Arnon [River, that is], exist extensive ruins, bearing the name 'Diban,' which are believed to be the site of Dibon." He describes its literal meaning as "river-place."
"Dimon's waters are full of blood..." This is reminiscent to me of the plagues of Egypt where, through Moses' staff, God filled the Nile River with blood, contaminating the waters, making it unfit for the Egyptians to drink. But here, the blood is from the victims of war--a conflict with Assyria allowed by God to come upon the wicked Moabites. There is, however, one element in common: both Egypt and Moab were idol-worshipping nations, and for their rejection of God they both received the pollution of bloodied waters in judgment of their sin.
"...but I will bring still more upon Dimon..." Though the water streams at Dimon/Dibon were already red with the blood of dying soldiers and battle victims, God would not relent and cease His process. "I will bring still more..."; the fighting would escalate until, like "a lion upon the fugities", the enemy would pursue and bear down upon them! Any "fugitives"--any of "those who remain in the land"--they will not escape. The lion, so-called "king of the beasts", will pursue and conquer until every last soul is hunted, found and destroyed.
God allows a "lion" to be released among us today, too, sometimes. "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (I Peter 5:8). Is this not happening by God's permissive decree? Is not God speaking in the first person in our verse here in Isaiah today? "...but I will bring still more upon Dimon..."! True, one is a planned judgment (Moab) and the other an allowed activity (I Peter), but both are under the controlling hand of God Almighty. One destroys condemned idolaters (Moab) and the other tests saved Christians (I Peter), but both have in common the sovereignty of God over all. If Moab were to repent, they could be saved! If Christians successfully "resist him [Satan], standing firm in the faith..." (I Peter 5:9), they, too, will be saved! God is in control! Let us worship Him alone!
Prayer: Powerful Father, I know You are controlling every movement of history, past and presently being made. Help me to yield to You as You would have me do, that I may please You, Lord, in all I undertake. Help me to resist the evil enemy, flee him and seek Your help and strength always! Amen.
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06.18.09
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General
| 21:25
Scripture: Isaiah 15:8 (NIV): "Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim."
Thought: To me, the emotional upheaval of sorrow does not move God as does the willing repentance of the heart.
Question: Have I cried before God to no avail?
Israel's enemy, Moab, is under attack (by the Assyrians). "Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;" To me, this statement illustrates how carefully the "division line" is drawn by the "hand of God," as it were, between His chosen people and their neighbor, the enemy, Moab. While Moab is being utterly torn up by these cruel Assyrians, Israel is protected and safe. The border line separates Israel from this conflict of war. This is clear proof how God is in control and how He "directs" judgment exactly where it ought to go.
"...their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim..." Eglaim was located (probably) somewhere between Ar and Kir and is, today, southeast of present-day Kerak in present-day Jordan. "...their lamentations as far as Beer Elim." Beer Elim would have been straight west of Eglaim and nearly to the coast of The Dead Sea. The point is, to me, that no town or area seems to be exempt from this Assyrian invasion and assault. From "the border" (along the Dead Sea) inland to Eglaim, and back again toward Beer Elim, the cries can be heard--covering the whole of Moab.
Cries, wails and lamentations, though made in abundance and loudly, even carrying for miles, may not make a difference as far as changing the Moabites' "fate." God has seen their sinfulness and though they may moan and cry, it will be to no avail unless their hearts turn or change. In that great chapter in Hebrews, chapter 12, dealing with this very topic of disciplinary methods God has employed and warnings given to Christian believers against sin, God makes it clear that to live without God, The True God, is a terrible fate. Hebrews 12: 16 and 17: "See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears." The King James Version says, "...he found no place of repentance..." Indeed! The "place of repentance" is a "change of mind"!
Moab would not change their mind and come into the worship of The One, True God. And so they were severely judged, with their "wailing" and "lamentation" reaching out over their entire homeland to no avail! Will America do as Moab did?
Prayer: Father, I appreciate so much Your hunger for our legitimate repentance. You strive to own us to the very core of our being! I pray that I would always seek to love You with all my being, and that Your love for me would lead me to real repentance. For Jesus' sake, Amen.
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06.17.09
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General
| 19:36
Scripture: Isaiah 15:7 (NIV): "So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars."
Thought: To me, a common human reaction to the negative impact of God's judgments is to escape.
Question: Am I trying to run away from God's judgments?
Moab is being judged by God. Isaiah is prophesying what will happen. He is led by God to deliver this "warning message" (oracle) to them ahead of time. Will they heed the warning? Will they change their ways? God would be sending the armies of the Assyrians to assault the Moabites. Our context is a description of the effects of that attack on the people of Moab.
Today's verse indicates one reaction they will have: they will make their plans to move. They choose to re-locate, and, like all of us healthy and wealthy North Americans, they take their possessions with them. Their land is quickly becoming a worthless wasteland, (see yesterday's verse). Now is the time to get out--to get away. Can they run away from the hand of God?
They take that which is important to them: "the wealth they have acquired and stored up..." This brings to mind the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. Jesus began, in that scripture, by giving a warning: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15). He proceeds to tell them the parable of a rich man who foolishly desired to preserve his wealth--the most valued aspect of his life's work. He had run out of "storage space", (sound familiar to today's American way?), for his grain and crops--what would he do? He determined, quite willfully, that he would continue in the same direction and tear down the old "storage units" and build even bigger ones. Having succeeded then, in preserving what was most important to him, he felt he could "Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." (Luke 12: 19b). But in the end, Christ says, "...God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12: 20 and 21).
"...they carry [their things]...over the Ravine of the Poplars." Poplars are trees that like water sources, and if growing naturally in a ravine, they would most likely be near an adequate water supply. Thus we see our beleaguered Moabites fleeing the dry land (of the previous verse), and seeking better land. What a burden it is to haul one's possessions around, isn't it? One's "value system" is really on display!
Prayer: Lord God, show me the truer riches. Reveal to me the vanity of acquiring more and more things. Help me to be settled where You have "planted" me instead of looking to "escape" or move on. Keep me from the sin of greed, Father. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.
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06.16.09
Posted in
General
| 20:15
Scripture: Isaiah 15:6 (NIV): "The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left."
Thought: To me, God is "shouting out" His judgments loudly and clearly.
Question: Is my spiritual life spring-fed or "dried up"?
"The waters of Nimrim are dried up..." These "waters" refer to an area of fresh water fountains located at the north end of The Salt Sea, (today's Dead Sea). They are not far from the location of the town of Jericho, just to the north and east of the top of The Dead Sea. Upon studying Physical Geography of the Holy Land by Edward Robinson, D.D., published in 1865, it is learned that this whole area is riddled with fresh-water brooks, marsh-land, hot springs and these aforementioned fountains, so that any traveller would be "struck with the abundance of sweet water along the side of The Dead Sea." (Quote from the book.) But during this time-frame, as Isaiah recorded this oracle from God, the hand of God's judgment "dried up" all this area.
"...the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left." Where the source of water vanishes, all plants, trees and vegetation soon disappear. Similarly in a spiritual way, when we refuse to entertain Jesus' teachings, we see a kind of death in our souls as well. Jesus declared Himself to be the source of "living water" in John 4:13 and 14: "Jesus answered [the woman at the well], 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life'." If we accept Christ, the Living Water, we will have life and all the fruits that living water produce. Without Christ, we will be subject to loss, even as Moab was as it underwent judgment--loss that reflects itself in the trappings of death.
Looking to the biblical record, when God judges a people, He usually accompanies His correction in their live with a display of judgment in their land. No doubt, it is all designed to awaken any who will listen and take heed: God is knocking on the door of our hearts--do we not hear Him? Do we not see the breakdown of our world around us? The blessings usually afforded us in nature, in the weather cycles and in the abundance of fresh water--when these go missing, do we hear God?
Prayer: Lord of Judgment, I am thankful for Your clear, plain voice as You "speak" to us through nature around us. Help me to listen and to realize that I am reaping what I sow. If negative conditions increase in the environment around me, help me to acknowledge Your Lordship and control. Cause me to be obedient, Lord, that Your blessings can flow freely in my life. Amen.
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06.15.09
Posted in
General
| 19:17
Scripture: Isaiah 15:5 (NIV): "My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the way to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction."
Thought: To me, if a person devotes himself to the wrong "god", all that remains to him is to lament his destruction.
Question: Does my heart cry out for those whose sins rule them?
"My heart cries out over Moab;" Whose heart is this? It is the LORD's!! God is not willing that any should perish. (II Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise [of the second coming of Christ], as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.") God is grieved at even Moab's misery. To see any nation driven out, assaulted, wandering and weeping, is not the plan God prefers. He would much rather see Moab repent of its abominable idolatries, (see blog on Isaiah 15:2), and turn to Him. Thus comes this prophetic warning!
"...her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah." Zoar is the city to which Lot fled when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. It is located on the south-easterly tip of The Dead Sea, possibly just south of the Brook Zared. This is approximately 11 or 12 miles south of Kir, (see blog in Isaiah 5:1). The Moabites are fugitives! Webster defines a fugitive as "one who runs away or tries to escape suddenly." Picture, therefore, Moab's citizens splintering off suddenly to the south to flee this Assyrian attack.
"...as far as Eglath Shelishiyah..." In the King James Version this is translated not as a geographical place but as a phrase descriptive of how they fled. KJV: "an heifer of three years old." In other words, they bawled like young mother heifers who have been separated from their calves, as they made their escape. Whether or not this is a name of a town near Zoar, or the description of sorrowful wailing, is not important. What is important is that those who choose to act out vile idolatry will not go unpunished by God. They are sorely saddened at their punishment. They must flee their homes and be fearful of remaining alive as they run to get away!
"They go up the way to Luhith, weeping as they go;" Luhith is supposedly, according to historian Eusebius, between Ar and Zoar, and atop a hill. Thus they climbed "up" to Luhith. Then "on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction." Coming down that same hill, they descend into Horonaim. Jeremiah 48: 3 - 5: "Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction. Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out. They go up the way to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go; on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard."
Away, away! They must try to escape this horror! All that is heard are their cries, their weeping and their lamenting! This is the cost of idolatry!
Prayer: Father, to any who read, and to myself, please impact Your Word upon our hearts that we may never become entangled in the worship of any other thing or any other person than You! May we not become fugitives of our own sins. Amen.
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06.13.09
Posted in
General
| 11:28
Scripture: Isaiah 15:4 (NIV): "Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint."
Thought: To me, even the mightiest of men can grow faint in heart when God's protection is removed.
Question: Have I ever cried out in utter despair because of God's judgments?
As seen in previous verses, God's oracle, (prophetic message of warning), to the Moabites, (east of Jerusalem), lists several cities of involvement: Ar, Kir, Dibon, Nebo and Medeba, to be exact. Today we add the cities of Heshbon and Elealeh. All are being assaulted by the Assyrians.
Both Assyria and Moab, as well as the Philistines in Isaiah 14: 28 - 32, are enemies of Israel. God had used Assyria to attack Israel in disciplinary fashion and warned of impending destruction as described in the beginning of the book of Isaiah. Then in chapter 10 we see Assyria also is to be destroyed, but not before God uses them to lay low Israel's enemies, including Moab, as described here in chapter 15.
Heshbon and Elealeh are cities just north of Dibon, Nebo and Medeba. They are north of The Salt Sea, (today's Dead Sea), and just east of the Jordan River. "Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz." Jahaz is about 10 miles north of Elealeh. If the voices of those under assault, mingled with the shouts of those who attack, are heard 10 miles away, it must be an extremely horrendous battle! Remember, this battle is a matter of historic record--can you imagine the magnitude of this conflict?
"Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint." No wonder they "cry out"! No wonder "their hearts are faint"! The fear gripping them must have been powerfully intense. The Assyrians were a dreaded force. They were great warriors, basing their assaults on robbery and empowering themselves with the loot of peoples they conquered. They practiced severe cruelties such as skinning their prisoners alive, cutting off hands, feet, noses, ear, or putting out the eyes, pulling out tongues and making mounds of human skulls. All these acts were intended to terrorize their victims. Even though the men of Moab are "armed", "their hearts are faint."
And the prophet, Isaiah, by the foreknowledge and wisdom of God, is predicting all of this to Israel, that they might be sobered and made to respond to God with fearful respect and obedience. Will they?
Prayer: Lord God, it is a fearful thing to come out from under Your powerful protection--to lay exposed to the horrors of evil perpetrators! I pray with thanksgiving that in and through Jesus Christ, You have shielded me from the ravages of a conflict like this. Jesus is my safe harbour! Amen.
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06.11.09
Posted in
General
| 17:47
Scripture: Isaiah 15:3 (NIV): "In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping."
Thought: To me, to become "prostrate with weeping" is but another opportunity for God to reach me.
Question: Have I ever humbled myself before God with tears?
"In the streets...on the roofs and in the public squares..." Moab is under attack. It has become so harsh that all the people are adversely affected. They display their grief openly and in front of each other. There is no hiding their pain. To me, this speaks of the universality both of the judgment upon them and of their reaction to it--there is no escape! Everyone is touched by it and their grief is fully public.
"...they wear sackcloth..." Sackcloth was a rough fabric made usually from goat hair, and worn on occasions of sorrowful repentance. The roughness was irritating to the skin and very uncomfortable, thus demonstrating the wearer's grief and humiliation--their strong dislike of their own sinful flesh. What a picture this conjures up as we imagine all Moabites, (those left alive, that is), dressed in this fashion!
"...they all wail, prostrate with weeping." One wonders to whom they wailed and wept. Was it to Jehovah or was it to their own god, Chemosh? Or maybe they cried out to the Assyrian god Nisroch, since this was their attacker. (Nisroch was depicted as an eagle-headed diety with wings and exaggerated muscles. See II Kings 19:36 and 37 for scriptural mention of this god.) Or perhaps they cried to no one; too traumatized to direct their sorrow to any god in particular, but needing to simply cry and vent out their agonies.
This is truly an oracle of woe--a litany of multiplied sorrow upon sorrow, destruction upon destruction. Let it be realized that God is sending this clear message to His own people, in His Word, so that they may see His intended righteousness and holiness, not only as it applies to them, but also as it applies "to the nations"--the rest of the world around Israel. God's judgments are but a channel to understand His holiness. God wants Israel to be holy, yes, but He also wants the entire world to be accountable for its idolatry. God wants to prove to Israel that He loves and cares to protect them from all their enemies, yes, but He also wants to display to such enemies His sovereign power as the One True God over all the earth.
It is a truth that when a soul is brought to wailing and made "prostrate with weeping" that the heart may be softened. Under this breaking stress, the heart may be "cracked open" for God to access. Let us believe with hope that this is exactly what happened in many cases there in Moab. Let us believe with hope that once-wicked idolaters were humbled before the true God and opened their hearts to Him and the conquering power of His "tough" love.
Let us believe with hope that the same thing can happen with individual souls today! Psalm 30:5: "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Purification via judgment is temporary, but the results endure forever.
Prayer: Sovereign Lord, King of the Nations, I thank You that in Your infinite wisdom You allow conditions of wailing, humiliation and weeping, even to us today. Through them we can find You! May it be so, Lord. I pray for those who need to find You, that You will reach them in their weeping. Amen.
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06.10.09
Posted in
General
| 19:48
Scripture: Isaiah 15:2 (NIV): "Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off."
Thought: To me, the humanly devised "high places" are neither high nor respectable to our Holy God.
Question: Do I weep and wail at the loss of my pet sins?
North of Kir was Ar, (yesterday's verse), two major cities of Moab that came under God's judgment. North of Ar is Dibon, another city in this region found straight east of the Salt Sea, (today's Dead Sea). Continuing north another 18 to 20 miles is Mt. Nebo, and just east of Mt. Nebo lies the city of Medeba. This entire region is suffering under the conquering destruction of God's judgment, as exercised upon them through the Assyrians.
"Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep:" Dibon was another ancient primary city of Moab and is located north of the Arnon River in today's west-central Jordan. It's temple and high places would have been erected in honor of Baal-Peor, the Moab god mentioned in Numbers 25:1 - 5. "High Places" commonly refer to locations of pagan worship, where idol worshippers sought to elevate themselves closer to their gods. Some believe this god, Baal-Peor, so named because of sacrificing done to the god Baal on Mt. Peor, (a mountain very near Mt. Nebo in the Abarim range), was similar to or the very same as the god Chemosh, the national deity of Moab. These Moabites and followers of Baal-Peor/Chemosh are so stricken by God's judgment upon them that they "weep", "wail", have "every head...shaved" and "every beard cut off." How difficult their punishment was! How strong their sense of loss!
But if one studies the practices associated with Baal-Peor, there is left no room for sympathy for these Moabites. One source of study offering greater detail to Old Testament writings is the Jewish Talmud: a collection of ancient rabbinic writings on Jewish law, traditions and history. The Jewish Talmud traditions associate the name Baal-Peor with (genital) exposure and excrement, saying "Peor", literally in Hebrew, "open", combined with "Baal", literally, "Lord", means "Lord of the Opening." The rites of worship were extremely disgusting. Some Jewish traditions say the area in front of the idol Peor was used as a latrine and that the worship of the idol consisted of excrementing before it. No wonder God's anger burned against these "worshippers"! (See Numbers 25:3)
God Almighty does not lightly or whimsically judge! There is every good, pure and righteous reason for defeating such enemies. They are an abomination to our good God! And thus, through His chosen instrument of judgment, the Assyrians, God will give Jews a "victory", laying low the unholy enemies around them.
"Every head is shaved and every beard cut off." These are customary acts of mourning. Notice how "every" head is shaved and "every" beard cut off. No one is excluded from this grief. God has wisely allowed Assyria, in all its cruel power, to achieve a thorough and maximum assault on Moab.
Prayer: Lord of Holiness and purity, how glad I am that You are in ultimate control! I thank You for this public record in scripture of how all evil peoples will be judged for their sins and idolatry. It causes me to meditate on Your Holiness even more deeply. Have Your way, Father! Thank You for Your Son's purity and sinlessness and for His blood over me! Without His cleansing, I, too, would be judged for my own idolatries! Amen.
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