Words of Wisdom #291: Knowing Right is not Being Right
An oracle against Moab: Ar in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night. Kir in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night. Dibon went up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails on Nebo and at Medeba. Every head is shaved; every beard is cut off. In its streets they wear sackcloth; on its rooftops and in its public squares everyone wails, falling down and weeping. Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. Therefore the soldiers of Moab cry out, and they tremble. My heart cries out over Moab, whose fugitives [flee] as far as Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah; they go up the slope of Luhith weeping; they raise a cry of destruction on the road to Horonaim. The waters of Nimrim are desolate; the grass is withered, the foliage is gone, and the vegetation has vanished. So they carry their wealth and belongings over the Wadi of the Willows. For their cry echoes throughout the territory of Moab. Their wailing reaches Eglaim; their wailing reaches Beer–elim. The waters of Dibon are full of blood, but I will bring on Dibon even more [than this] — a lion for those who escape from Moab, and for the survivors in the land. Isaiah 15:1-9 (HCSB)
This is one of the oracles against the nations that surrounded Judah that were cousins of its residents, but they took advantage of Judah when they stumbled. They were jealous of Judah’s position of the Lord’s protection while they were not, and their jealousy led to conspiracies to pull Judah down. They knew why Judah was under the Lord’s blessings. They knew of the Lord and His covenant teachings, but they failed to enter the covenant.
The story of Ruth in the Old Testament is about her Moabite background, but was exposed to the Lord’s blessings in the face of tragedy and yet she sought to enter the Lord’s covenant, and she was blessed with a righteous husband: Boaz. Their child was Obed, the grandfather of David, the king of Israel. This story of redemption serves as encouragement for all who desire to enter the blessings of the Lord, but His blessings do not occur just because you know of the Lord. We must enter into a genuine relationship with the Lord and seek His redeeming love upon our lives. Just as Ruth experienced we too can change our desires in our life to that of a right life lived under the light of God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom according to God’s Word. It is a life that recognizes that we are not perfect, but are made perfect by God’s loving kindness. It is a life that says you cannot claim the benefits or blessings without being right with the Lord also.
The warning here in the passage is this: don’t stand on the outside looking in wondering about how to become like those who are experiencing God’s blessings in their life. Knowing what it takes, desiring it, and likewise, dreaming about it does not make it so. If that is all you are doing you will frustrated and even find yourself jealous that you are not able to enjoy those blessings, and thus often bad-mouthing Christians and looking for their mistakes to justify your status outside of God’s fellowship. The Moabites did exactly that and eventually faced the judgment from God for their actions and attitudes.
What about you? Are you still just an interested, even jealous spectator or are you an active all-in participant? Which one does the Lord pour His blessings upon?
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires. Romans 13:11-14 (HCSB)