Slow Learners

Isaiah Chapter 15

“An oracle concerning Moab.  Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.” (Isaiah 15:1 ESV)

As a student of the Scriptures, I find myself often wondering what is that all about, and often I use the Bible as my commentator to see who else addresses this subject.  It is of interest to me that the time lines between the prophet Isaiah who prophesized between 740-698 B.C. and Jeremiah’s time line of 626-584, show they both had much of the same prophecy.  Now what you see is not God forgetting what He has said to Isaiah, but the grace of God, for we are told the following:  “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Who are the Moabites?  It is an interesting story found in Genesis 19:36-37, “Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.” (Genesis 19:36-37 ESV)  These people had their beginning in an incestuous union between Lot and his daughters, and had a history of conflict between them and Israel.  Many of the cities are referred to as Ar, Kir, Nebo and Medeba and all of these including Dibon were close to the Dead Sea.  The god they worshipped was called Chemosh.  “Chemosh was the national deity of the Moabites whose name most likely meant "destroyer," "subduer," or "fish god."  (By Judd H. Burton)

When you examine what Isaiah saw in chapter 15, and what Jeremiah saw in chapter 48, 

it becomes clear that God’s warning of pride and false gods were not something the 

Moabites took seriously.   When we look into what God showed Jeremiah, we see that 

Moab was a nation that had never gone into exile, and the reason may be that she was off 

the main trail, and had experienced few, if any invasions.  It seems that the United States 

has some similarities with Moab; many false gods, off the main trail, has never gone into 

exile and has experienced few invasions.  And the citizens of the USA must be as arrogant 

and prideful as those of Moab.  And guess what, the Moabites, like so many in the USA, are 

putting their hope in little gods, like wealth, the military, church membership and status, and 

they will learn that the LORD is God of all.  He “is patient toward you, not wishing that any 

should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”  

It is also clear that the Moabites were slow learners, in that the first Assyrian king, 

Shalmaneser attacked them and brought devastation, and many years later still worshipping 

false gods, still full of pride, God sent king Nebuchadnezzar against them.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice