Those Filthy Moabites (Or are they?)
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Who are the Moabites?
Who are the Moabites?
This morning we are going to look at the story of scripture. God is a good storyteller. The drama of scripture is full of good and evil, suspense, action, sorrow, sacrifice, and ultimately good triumphing over evil.
Sometimes however, when the stage is being set for God to do something really awesome, it looks ugly for a bit. Real ugly.
30 And Lot went out from Zoar and settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn daughter said to the younger one, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come in to us according to the manner of all the land. 32 Come, let us give our father wine to drink and let us lie with him that we may secure descendants through our father.” 33 And they gave their father wine to drink that night, and the firstborn went and lay with her father, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. 34 And it happened that, the next day the firstborn said to the younger one, “Look, I laid with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink also tonight, then go and lie with him that we may secure descendants through our father.” 35 And they gave their father wine to drink again that night, and the younger got up and lay with him, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. 36 And the two daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn gave birth to a son, and she called his name Moab. He is the father of Moab until this day. 38 And the younger, she also gave birth to a son, and she called his name Ben-Ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites until this day.
Genesis 19:30-
This is last we hear of Lot in scripture.
Why was God merciful
We see two nations born by citizens of Sodom, through incestuous relations.
Two false deities that forever plagued Canaan with false worship and sin were founded by these nations.
Chemosh: Fish god of the Moabites and sometimes Ammonites
Molech: Ammonite god of the Ammonites worshiped with human sacrifice
Where do we see Moabites next?
1 The Israelites set out, and they encamped on the desert-plateau of Moab, across from Jericho beyond the Jordan. 2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel did to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was very terrified in the presence of the people because they were numerous; and Moab dreaded the presence of the Israelites. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now the crowd will lick up all around us, like a bull devours the grass of the field.” And Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the river, in the land of the children of his people, to summon him, saying, “Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land; they are about to dwell opposite me. 6 Now, please go, curse this people for me because they are stronger than me; perhaps I will be able to strike them and drive them out from the land because I know whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you cursed is cursed.”
1 The Israelites set out, and they encamped on the desert-plateau of Moab, across from Jericho beyond the Jordan. 2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel did to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was very terrified in the presence of the people because they were numerous; and Moab dreaded the presence of the Israelites. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now the crowd will lick up all around us, like a bull devours the grass of the field.” And Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the river, in the land of the children of his people, to summon him, saying, “Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land; they are about to dwell opposite me. 6 Now, please go, curse this people for me because they are stronger than me; perhaps I will be able to strike them and drive them out from the land because I know whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you cursed is cursed.” 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with a fee for divination in their hand; they came to Balaam and spoke the words of Balak to him. 8 He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will return, and I will return word to you, just as Yahweh speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent word to me, 11 ‘Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land. Now, go, curse them for me. Perhaps I will be able to attack them and drive them out.” 12 God said to Balaam, “You will not go with them; you will not curse the people, because they are blessed.” 13 Balaam got up in the morning, and he said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, because Yahweh refused to allow me to go with you.” 14 The princes of Moab got up and went to Balak, and they said, “Balaam refused to come with us.” 15 Balak again sent many princes, who were more honored than the former. 16 They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor, ‘Please, let nothing keep you from coming to me 17 because I will surely honor you greatly, and all that you say to me I will do. Please, come; curse this people for me.’ ” 18 Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond the command of Yahweh my God to do a little or a lot. 19 And now please, you also stay here the night, and let me find out again what Yahweh will say with me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night, and he said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but only the word that I will speak to you, you will do.” 21 So Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey, and he went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God became angry because he was going, and the angel of Yahweh stood in the road as an adversary to him; he was riding on his donkey, and two servants were with him. 23 The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. 24 The angel of Yahweh stood in the narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she pressed herself into the wall, and she pressed the foot of Balaam into the wall, so he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of Yahweh went further ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was not a way to turn aside to the right or left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she lay down under Balaam, so Balaam became angry, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What did I do to you that you struck me these three times?” 29 Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you made a mockery of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!” 30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life until this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” He said, “No.” 31 Then Yahweh exposed the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down and worshiped to his face. 32 The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck this donkey three times? Look, I have come out as an adversary because your conduct is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from my face, then I would have killed you and kept her alive.” 34 Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “I have sinned because I did not know that you were standing to meet me in the road. Now, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” 35 The angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I will speak to you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him by the city of Moab, which was on the boundary of Aaron at the end of the territory. 37 And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to meet with you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to honor you?” 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I came to you now. Am I really able to speak anything at all? I speak the word that God puts in my mouth.” 39 Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-Huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he sent them to Balaam and to the princes who were with him. 41 And it happened, in the morning Balak took Balaam and took him up to Bamoth-Baal, and he saw from there the end of the nation. 1 Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me this: seven altars. And prepare for me this: seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 And Balak did just as Balaam spoke, and Balak offered Balaam a bull and a ram on the altar. 3 And Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself at your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell to you.” So he went to a barren height. 4 And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, “I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.” 5 Yahweh put a word in the mouth of Balaam and said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” 6 So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7 And he lifted up his oracle and said, “From Aram Balak lead me, from the mountains of the east the king of Moab, ‘Go for me, curse Jacob, and go, denounce Israel.’ 8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed, and how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced? 9 Because from the top of the rocks I see him, from hilltops I watch him. Behold, a people who dwell alone, they do not consider themselves among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, or as a number the fourth part of Israel? Let my life die the death of an upright person, and let my end be like his!” 11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have surely blessed them!” 12 He answered and said, “Should I not speak what Yahweh puts in my mouth?” 13 Then Balak said, “Please walk with me to another place where you will see them, but you will only see part of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself here at the burnt offering while I myself meet with Yahweh there.” 16 Then Yahweh met with Balaam, and he put a word in his mouth, and he said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” 17 He came to him, and behold, he was standing at his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” 18 Then he uttered his oracle, and said, “Stand up, Balak, and hear; listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of humankind, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? And has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; when he has blessed, I cannot cause it to return. 21 He has no regard for evil in Jacob, and he does not see trouble in Israel; Yahweh his God is with him, and a shout of a king is among them. 22 God, who brings them out from Egypt, is like the strength of a wild ox for them. 23 Because there is no sorcery against Jacob, and there is no divination against Israel. Now it will be said to Jacob and Israel, what God has done! 24 Look! the people will rise like the lion; he raises himself and will not lie down until he eats the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.” 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all!” 26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks I will do’?” 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please, come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be acceptable to God, and you will curse for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks down on the face of the Jeshimon. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me these seven altars, and prepare for me these seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam said, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 1 And Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, and he did not go as other times to seek out sorcery; instead, he set his face toward the desert. 2 Balaam lift up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of God was upon it. 3 He uttered his oracle and said, “The declaration of Balaam son Beor, the declaration of the man whose eyes are closed, 4 the declaration of the hearer of God’s words, who sees the revelation of Shaddai, falling down but whose eyes are uncovered. 5 How good are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel! 6 They are spread out like valleys, like gardens on a river, like aloes planted by Yahweh, like cedars at the waters. 7 He will pour water from his buckets, and his offspring will be like many waters; his king will be higher than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted. 8 God, who brings him out from Egypt, is like the strength of a wild ox for him. He will devour the nations who are his enemies; he will break their bones; he will pierce them with his arrows. 9 He crouches, he lies down like a lion, and like a lioness, who will rouse him? They who bless you will be blessed, and they who curse you will be cursed.” 10 Then Balak became angry with Balaam, and he clapped his hands and said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but look, you have surely blessed them these three times. 11 Flee to your place now. I said I would richly honor you, but look, Yahweh has withheld honor from you.” 12 Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 ‘If Balak gave to me the fullness of his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond the command of Yahweh to do good or evil, from my heart; what Yahweh speaks, I will speak’? 14 And now, look, I am about to go to my people; I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the following days.” 15 And he uttered his oracle and said, “The declaration of Balaam son of Beor, and the declaration of the man whose eye is closed, 16 the declaration of the hearer of God’s words, and the knower of the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of Shaddai, who is falling, and his eyes are revealed. 17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star will go out from Jacob, and a scepter will rise from Israel; it will crush the foreheads of Moab and destroy all the children of Seth. 18 Edom will be a captive; Seir, its enemies, will be a captive, and Israel will be acting courageously. 19 Someone from Jacob will rule and will destroy a remnant from the city.” 20 And he looked at Amalek, uttered his oracle, and said, “Amalek is first of the nations, but his future will be forever ruin.” 21 And he looked at the Kenites, uttered his oracle, and said, “Steady is your dwelling place; in the rock is your nest. 22 Nevertheless, the Kenite will be burned; how long will Asshur keep you captive?” 23 Again he uttered his oracle and said, “Woe, who will live when God establishes this? 24 The ships will come from the hand of the Kittim, and they will afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber; also he will be forever ruin.” 25 Then Balaam got up and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way. 1 When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods. 3 So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and Yahweh became angry with Israel. 4 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and kill them before the sun, so the fierce anger of Yahweh will turn from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who are joined together with Baal Peor.” 6 And behold, a man from the Israelites came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all of the community of the Israelites, and they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of assembly. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest saw, he got up from the midst of the community and took a spear in his hand. 8 He went after the man of Israel into the woman’s section of the tent, and he drove the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, into her belly. And the plague among the Israelites stopped. 9 The ones who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand. 10 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, turned away my anger from among the Israelites when he was jealous with my jealousy in their midst, and I did not destroy the Israelites with my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I am giving to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it will be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of an eternal priesthood because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.’ ” 14 The name of the man of Israel who was struck with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of the family of the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was struck was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a leader of a tribe of the family in Midian. 16 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Attack the Midianites and strike them 18 because they were attacking you with their deception, with which they have deceived you on the matter of Peor and on the matter of Cozbi the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was struck on the day of the plague because of the matter of Peor.”
Number 22:1-
1 When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods. 3 So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and Yahweh became angry with Israel.
1-3
6 And behold, a man from the Israelites came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all of the community of the Israelites, and they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of assembly. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest saw, he got up from the midst of the community and took a spear in his hand. 8 He went after the man of Israel into the woman’s section of the tent, and he drove the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, into her belly. And the plague among the Israelites stopped. 9 The ones who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
Numbers
Solomon:
1 King Solomon loved many foreign women: the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, Hittite;
1 Kings
7 At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain which faces Jerusalem and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites.
7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported Adonijah.
1 Kings
In Nehemiah:
10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and the Ammonite servant Tobiah heard this, they were greatly displeased that a person had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites.
Nehemiah 2
Horonaim is a city in Moab.
Here in Nehemiah we see bad relations between Moabites, and Ammonites, the two sons of Lot.
And then we see Moabites in the book of Ruth...
Ruth:
1 And it happened in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem of Judah went to reside in the countryside of Moab—he and his wife and his two sons. 2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephraimites from Bethlehem in Judah. And they went to the countryside of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech the husband of Naomi died and she was left behind with her two sons. 4 And they took for themselves Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other was Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 5 But both Mahlon and Kilion died, and the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband.
Ruth is referred to as “Ruth the Moabite” throughout this short book.
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and Yahweh enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son. 14 And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be Yahweh who today did not leave you without a redeemer! And may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be for you a restorer of life and a sustainer in your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better for you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16 And Naomi took the child and she put him on her bosom and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18 Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 and Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 and Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed, 22 and Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
Ruth 4:
Whoa! A Moabite in the line of David?
Turn to and Read vs 1-6
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth.
Three women who probably would have certainly been denied salvation by the Pharisees.
Q: What was God doing by purposefully folding in “not his chosen people” into his plan?
A: He was doing what he had always said he was doing.
15 And the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven. 16 And he said, “I swear by myself, declares Yahweh, that because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only child, 17 that I will certainly bless you and greatly multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the shore of the sea. And your offspring will take possession of the gate of his enemies. 18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, because you have listened to my voice.”
Q: Did Israel bless the nations?
A: Yes, but not on purpose.
Israel more often was influenced by the cultures around them than the other way around.
However God was consistently at work to incorporate and bless the nations in His redemptive plan.
When Israel refused to bless the nations, but rather embrace the covenant curses prepared for them, God places his people exactly where he wants them in order for them to bless the nations.
is a popular verse of encouragement. But whats the context? Exile
4 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take for your sons wives, and give your daughters to men that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and you must not be few. 7 And seek the prosperity of the city where I have deported you, and pray on behalf of it to Yahweh, for in its prosperity you will have prosperity.’
Jer 29:4
Jer 4:7-
Can you think of any other Old Testament examples of God blessing the nations through Israel or God incorporating the nations in His plan?
Peter’s Vision
By the time Jesus came in the flesh, the Pharisees had invented a whole system of rules for themselves that they also imposed on others.
When the early church was forming like we’ve been reading about in Acts, they were confused about what the relationship between Jews and Gentiles should be. The common conception was that they should not even eat together.
28 And he said to them, “You know that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or to approach a foreigner. And to me God has shown that I should call no man common or unclean.
Acts 10:28
Q: How does this line up with God’s promises for Abraham and his instructions to the Israelites in exile?
Q: How does Jesus fulfill the promise made to Abraham?