Jeremiah 48:1 says, Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed. God now had Jeremiah prophesy against Moab. God will send His judgment against not some who defy Him, but against all who do. Verse two adds, There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. People of the world may have praised Moab, but God said they no longer would. There are countries today that the world may praise or fear, but if they stand against God, then their destruction will one day come. God's rule and judgment is universal. Verse three states, A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction. God said that cries of mourning would soon come from the cities of Moab. Verse four adds, Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. Moab was to be destroyed, and her young ones would cause their cry to be heard. The people of Moab had worshipped false gods, and now even their children would cry out in despair. We need to teach our children about God, and if we do not and they follow the false gods of the world, then one day they will cry out in despair when God's judgment comes, and it will certainly come. Verse five continues, For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. God said that the weeping would be throughout the land because of the destruction in Moab. Verse six declares, Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. The people of Moab were warned to flee, but there is no place that anyone can flee to escape God's coming judgment. The only way to avoid everlasting punishment is to flee to Jesus Christ and not away from Him. Verse seven adds, For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together. God said that they were going to be defeated because they put their faith in their works and wealth. No matter how much money or power a person has in the world today, putting one's faith in it will never bring security outside the will of God. Verse eight says, And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken. The destruction of Moab was to be a total destruction, just as all the works against God will one day be totally destroyed and those who put their faith in them will go away to everlasting destruction. Verse nine adds, Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. God said the people of Moab would have to fly away in order to avoid the coming destruction.
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Matthew 21:23
Matthew 21:23 says, And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? While Jesus was teaching in the temple, the chief priests and elders came to Him and questioned His right to do so. Of course, had they really been listening to God, they would have come to learn from Jesus instead. We never should become so structured that we feel that we need to question someone who is proclaiming the gospel, especially when that person is doing great things for God. Verse twenty-four declares, And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. Jesus answered them by saying that if they would answer one question for Him, then He would answer their question. When people do question our authority to preach and teach God's word, they should be willing to answer a question as to how they understand God's word better than the one who is we do. Verse twenty-five adds, The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? Jesus asked these religious leaders if the baptism of John came from heaven or from men. They reasoned among themselves, but they did not seek an answer from God. They were looking for the answer that would be best for them, not the answer that God would give. The chief priests and elders said if they answered from God, then the would be asked why they didn't believe John the Baptist. Verse twenty-six continues, But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. They then said that if they said of men, they feared the people, because the people believed John the Baptist to be a prophet. We will always find ourselves in a dilemma when we attempt to discredit those who are proclaiming God's word, especially for our own benefit. We will certainly find ourselves in a dilemma when we who claim to be followers of Christ attempt to discredit Christ Himself. Verse twenty-seven states, And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. The chief priests and elders said they could not answer Him, and Jesus said then He would not answer them. If they had acknowledged Jesus for Who He is, then they would have been able to answer the question, just as we will be able to do so today. Verse twenty-eight says, But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. Jesus asked them another question about a certain man who had two sons and came to the first and told him to go work in his vineyard. Verse twenty-nine adds, He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. The son told the father that he would not go, but afterward changed his mind and went. Verse thirty states, And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. The man came to his second son with the same request, and the son said that he would go, but he didn't. Then verse thirty-one adds, Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. Jesus asked the chief priests and elders which son did the will of the father, and they said the first. Jesus then told them that the publicans and harlots would go into the kingdom of God before they did. They were like the second son who had said he would do God's work in the world but then did what was best for himself. Verse thirty-two declares, For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe in him. Jesus said that John the Baptist came to them in the way of righteousness and they did not believe him and repent, but the publicans and harlots believed him and repented. Today, we have to ask the question not concerning John the Baptist, but Jesus Himself. Do we believe that Jesus is Who He says He is and repent and accept Him as our Savior and Lord or do we not?