Jeremiah 48:40-47 – Live responsibly before God

In these closing verses in Jeremiah 48:40-47, the prophet declared God’s final judgment and destruction of Moab. Babylon, the nation whom the Lord would use in dealing with Moab would swoop down on her like an eagle pouncing on her prey. As the city of Kerioth was being captured, the stronghold of Moab would be seized. So much so that the hearts of their men would become faint and frail like a pregnant woman travailing in labor. God once again underscored the reason for the judgment in verse 42. It was because as a people Moah had become arrogant toward the Lord.

In verses 43-44, God made it explicitly known what Moab would be experiencing. There was no place that they could go to dodge the impending judgment. He put it this way: This was how God put it:  

 “Terror, pit, and snare are coming upon you,

O inhabitant of Moab” declares the Lord.
“The one who flees from the terror
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the snare;
For I shall bring upon her, even upon Moab,
The year of their punishment” declares the Lord.   

 

In verses 46-47, Jeremiah made known that the key cities in Moab would end up being burnt and the people captured and taken into captivity. And yet in His mercy, God promised to restore the fortune of Moab in the latter days.   

 

Jeremiah’s declaration of judgment on Moab recorded in chapter 48 was a lengthy one. In this prophecy, it is impossible to miss the message of how depraved sin and pride are. We can see it as a call of God not to be complacent in life and never to cherish any form of idols in life. We must recognize the sovereignty of God and worship only Him as we live lives responsibly. Know this: ultimately, everyone, believers or not, will all be accountable to Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are told in Philippians 2:9-11 that God has “…highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.”