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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“In Moab, I will put an end to those who
make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,” declares the
Lord.
“So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth. On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares
there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,” declares the Lord.
“How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”
This is what the Lord says: “Look! An
eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab. Kerioth will be captured
and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors will be
like the heart of a woman in labor.”
“Yet
I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,” declares the Lord.
Here
ends the judgment on Moab.
Jeremiah 48:35-41, 47
This ends today’s reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
What do you worship in life?
As you ponder the question, know that it doesn’t necessarily
need to be looked at from a religious connotation as we find this definition of
worship when we look at the dictionary:
An extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an
object of esteem.
In other words, almost anything could become a focus of one’s
worship and the world certainly offers plenty of options to that end.
People are worshiped like sports stars, music artists,
actors or actresses, philosophers, scientists, or politicians.
Money is worshiped to the point where people will go to any
lengths to get it and when they have it, they are usually very reluctant to
part with it.
And of course, there are any number of other material items
a person can give their devotion to. Maybe it’s a car or a boat or a house.
Could be a hobby or a job position.
Why spend all this time talking about worldly items we may
choose to idolize and develop affection for?
Because any or all of them can take us away from what the
Lord intends true worship to be and that is full and intentional dedication and
commitment to Him and His purposes.
So what happens when we engage in false worship and give our
desires to anything outside of the Lord?
Well, take a look at Moab as we finish up our study of God’s
messages to the nation and its people in Jeremiah 48:
“In
Moab, I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn
incense to their gods,” declares the Lord.
“So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth. On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares
there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,” declares the Lord.
“How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”
This
is what the Lord says: “Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings
over Moab. Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the
hearts of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.”
“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,” declares
the Lord.
Here ends the judgment on Moab. Jeremiah 48:35-41, 47
As we have seen in this series, the Moabites were called out
by God for many sins.
They had misplaced their trust, giving it to anything and
everything except the Lord.
They were lazy and lacked ambition when it came to seeking
and carrying out the Lord’s will and way.
They were defiant in the way they lived in the Lord’s sight,
blatantly disregarding, disrespecting, and dishonoring Him in every way.
And as we saw in yesterday’s message, the Moabites were
arrogant in the way they conducted themselves before the Lord, a life attitude
that led to the Lord having to humble them through harsh consequences.
All these were terrible atrocities before God but all of
them paled in comparison to the final sin He calls them out for: the sin of
false worship.
You see the Moabites had traded the Lord in for a god of
their own, a god they called Chemosh. Chemosh was Moab’s national deity and the
people brought their worship to it, making “offerings on the high places” and
burning incense there as well. Of course, this placed them in direct opposition
to the one and only true God who had told His own people that He was a jealous
God and there was to be no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3-4a).
The prophet Jeremiah knew of God’s judgment that would come
on any nation who defied Him and worshiped other gods. This is why we find him
lamenting over what was coming on the Moabites for God was sending the full
might of the Babylonians under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar and when
they assaulted Moab, nothing would be left intact. The once proud, wealthy,
powerful nation and its people were laid to waste, shattered by the power and
will of the God they refused to worship and obey. In the aftermath of the
Babylonian onslaught, Moab was left to be an object of ridicule and horror “to
all those around her”.
If the Moabites could speak to us today, do you think they
would tell you their sin of false worship was worth it?
I don’t. In fact, I believe they would warn us to not repeat
their mistakes, to turn to the Lord God Almighty completely and give Him our
full attention and adoration, obedient to every word He says and every calling
He gives.
Again I ask you, what do you worship in life?
If it’s anything outside of the Lord, you need to make some
changes and make them quick.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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