Moab and the Death of a Nation (Amos #5)

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Text: Amos 2:1-3

Are you familiar with any of these national characteristics?

eliminating Jesus Christ and the things of God from more and more of life.
self righteous attitude that we’re the greatest and we’re here because we’re on the right side of things
a lack of spiritual leadership; led by the flesh instead of the Spirit. Family has no godly leadership and no understanding why godliness would even be important.
forfeit the future for some temporary appeasement

The most famous Moabite in God’s book is Ruth.

The most infamous man from the area is Judas Iscariot (Kerioth).

What was it that made Nineveh repent and God bring forth an old testament style revival? Hint, it wasn’t preaching on revival. It was understanding God’s hand of judgment was imminent. And taking the text we have before us, I’d like to show the characteristics of a nation with God’s hand of judgment over it. My hope is that we would get serious about honoring God with our lives.

Notice Amos 2:2 …and Moab shall die… You’ve never met a Moabite. You’ve never heard of Moab on the news. Because God said Moab shall die and within a few generations of Amos preaching this message Nebuchadnezzar destroyed what was left of Moab and Moab ceased to be a nation. Moab existed for 200 years after Amos preached this, without the help of God, simply waiting on God to slay their nation with another nation. Moab was waiting to literally become history. Listen to these verses.

Jeremiah 48:2, 18, 42 …come, and let us cut it off from being a nation… 18 …for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strongholds… 42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.

Zephaniah 2:9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation… Do you know what the land of Moab looks like today? Dessert.

Let’s now consider the deathbed of a nation and characteristics of its final breaths.

Dishonor all history relating to the God of the Bible

Moab does not slay any king or cut off any king, in other words they don’t kill the king of Edom. They burn the bones of the king of Edom into lime. They dig up these bones and dishonor this history.
Moab desecrates the grave of a king as a way of throwing their fist up at the God of Israel. It’s actually more than throwing a fist up, it’s worse than that. It’s more like putting one finger up at the God of Israel if you know what I mean.
Desecrate any reminder of the God of Israel who is the God of the Bible who is Almighty God.
They try to forget God.

National self righteousness in the face of God

Jeremiah 48:29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.
We are proud of ourselves. Moab proud. Made in Moab. Moab strong. Moab is the greatest country in the world.
Moab’s history with Israel is bad. The man named Moab was the product of incest between Lot and his daughter after Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Balak, king of Moab, hired Balaam to curse Israel while Israel wandered through the wilderness. When Israel gets to the promised land, Moab rules over them for 18 years under king Eglon. Moab had such a hold on that when king Eglon was assassinated by an Israelite named Ehud, Israel had rest for 80 years. Moab was a wealthy nation to the end.
Trusted the blessing and forgot the God of the blessing. God gave the Moabites their land and told Israel not to take it from them in Deuteronomy 2:9 And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

Loss of leadership

Notice in Amos 2:3 the highest office in the land is the judge, not the king. And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof. Earlier in Amos 1 God talks about cutting off the sceptre and the king in other nations, but doesn’t say those nations will die. Damascus, Syria is still around today. Gaza is still around today. But when he gets to Moab, there is no king, just a ruling judicial system that God says He’s going to destroy.
Loss of national leadership.
Loss of home leadership.
Loss of spiritual leadership.

Forfeit the future

2 Kings 3:26-27 – massacre of the next generation
What makes a person think sacrificing their child is the solution to their problem? This is obviously a wicked thought put into someone’s mind by the devil.
His culture lived this way. Success in the Moabite mind required sacrificing the future.
The New Testament it’s called without natural affection
Sacrifice innocence to an error.
Sacrifice innocence to his own livelihood.

Now, if this is what the death of a nation looks like, how about the chastening hand of the Lord for any of these spiritual characteristics?

Maybe you’re eliminating Jesus Christ and the things of God from more and more of your life.
Maybe it’s a self righteous attitude that you’re alright. You’re here because God’s happy to have you on His team.
Maybe it’s a lack of spiritual leadership; led by the flesh instead of the Spirit. Family has no godly leadership and no understanding why godliness would even be important.
Maybe it’s forfeit the future for some temporary appeasement.