The Spirit of Moab

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 16:6 We have heard of the pride of Moab-He is very proud-Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath; But his lies shall not be so..

Moabites were a proud people and it’s easy to understand why? The beauty and bounty of their land was compared to the Garden of Eden in  Ge 13:10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.

The Moabites were also known for their wrath, and such is the way of pride isn’t it. A person will often lash out in anger because his or her pride has been dented. The statement, “his lies shall not be so,” is just another way of saying that Moab thought more highly of themselves than they ought.

 

In their high opinion of self they neglected God, turned away from Him and certainly would not listen to Him or his prophets. They reproached, (spoke hatefully) of God’s people and insulted them every chance they got.

 

Zep 2:8-10 tells us: "I have heard the reproach of Moab, And the insults of the people of Ammon, With which they have reproached My people, And made arrogant threats against their borders.

 9 Therefore, as I live," Says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah-Overrun with weeds and saltpits, And a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, And the remnant of My people shall possess them." 10 This they shall have for their pride, Because they have reproached and made arrogant threats Against the people of the LORD of hosts.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Are you seeing the spirit of Moab present in our nation today?  Oh the reproach and insults coming at God’s people who hold that life is sacred from conception to the grave. Oh the vitriol hurled at those who hold to God’s plan for human sexuality!

 

It’s happening right before our eyes and we should not be surprised, but according to Zephaniah, in the end, the proud will fall, and what a terrible fall it will be. So stay the course beloved, but brace yourself for the pride and resultant wrath of the modern day Moabites that will come, indeed is coming your way.

 

This reminder from Isaiah has caused me to rethink my attitude toward “June Pride month.” I confess, I don’t like it shoved down my throat and quite frankly I disdain the thought of the meaning of God’s rainbow being stolen away and twisted to promote sin. The rainbow is to be a reminder of forgiveness of sins, not glorification of sins!

 

But now I see, that it is really pride behind it all. A pride that rejects God and His Word, and the Bible tells us Pr 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

 

And what a fall it will be, and instead of getting my dander up in anger, I will pray for those afflicted with the spirit of Moab, pray that they will see that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humility is the key, I pray for it in my heart and in the hearts of others.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.