He gathers his troops to prepare for battle (i.e. 3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation. The Moabites were of Semitic stock and of kin to the Hebrews, as is indicated by their descent from Lot, the nephew of Abraham (Genesis 19:30-37), and by their language which is practically the same as the Hebrew. These battles appear on the Biblical Timeline Poster around 1030 BC. I was recently reminded of this on our vacation when we drove through Death Valley. Jewish Literacy. Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Unfortunately for the Midianites, this shift of blame from the Moabites sticks. Numbers 21:26. The Talmud2 tells us that in Biblical times, it was expected of the men to go out to greet travelers and guests, whereas it was not expected of women to do the same. was a 1966 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a former pastor of 28 years. In verse 2 we read “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.” Jehoram was not a godly man nor was he a man who took God seriously. Hampton wrote many articles for the Biblical Studies Foundation and on... More. 23-29). 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Telushkin, Joseph. The Moabites were the descendants of Moab the son of Lot (Genesis 19:37) and the nephew of Abraham (Genesis 11:31). Before all We observe that the preceding Scriptures do not universally ban all is lifted. The Moabites were the descendants of Moab, the son of Lot by his elder daughter. Jehoshaphat agrees to help, though again an unwise decision. Two kings of the Amorites named Sihon and Og were defeated by … The condition of the Moabites may be gathered from Isaiah 15., 16., and Jeremiah 48. Is He calling attention to sin? I submit that is not at all what happened. They can be so used that they call undue attention to the messenger and people become enamored with the messenger rather than the message. The “land of the Amorites” included Syria and Israel. So in verse 9 the three kings journey down into the wilderness, but they run into the unexpected. It was Balak, king of Moab, who hired Balaam to curse the people of God. 53:6; Ps. 2Kings 3:22 They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites … The Moabites were a heathen, idolatrous people whom God had subjugated under David’s reign because they were always a threat to the national sovereignty of Israel and their control over the land--the land that God had promised to Abraham and had given to the nation. In fact, as we were driving I wondered, “Why in the world did we take this route?” Jeremiah had this concept in mind when he wrote. The Midianites, however, were descendants of Midian, one of the sons of Abraham through Keturah: WHY WERE THE BOSTON RED SOX SAID TO BE “CURSED” BETWEEN 1918 AND 2004?. After the Midianite army’s defeat, Moses reminds Israel that the Midianite women are to blame for the Peor incident and demands the execution of the remaining survivors. I am reminded of the picture on the Arm and Hammer soda box with the implicit promise that this product will do the job, but the arm of the flesh will not (Jer. In Old Testament accounts (e.g., Genesis 19:30–38), the Moabites belonged to … Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”. 2Kings 3:21 Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. 23 Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, InterVarsity, Downers Grove, 1979, p. 207. 71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. Dear honorable Rabbi Davidson. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. By human strategies we are talking about the kind of things people do to handle the problems of life apart from God’s direction and enablement. The kingdom of Moab emerged in the ninth … “Clung” is the Hebrew, dabaq, “to cleave, cling, stick to, follow closely.” “It carries the sense of clinging to someone or something in affection and loyalty. Although cousins of the Israelites, the Moabites were ever their enemies. Enter your email address to get our weekly email with fresh, exciting and thoughtful content that will enrich your inbox and your life. Below is the proof: Ruth 1:2 reads, “In the days when the Judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. Interestingly, it is often used with “Lord” or “Lord God.” Here it is an expression showing no hope, only guilt and despondency. Taken out perhaps, and that may be the reason why the Lord did not want the Israelites to be married into the Moabites, as they would suffer the same consequences as the Moabites. David had been victorious over the Moabites and made it a vassal state, apparently allowing them to keep their own king, but under heavy tribute as a tax and to acknowledge their submission to Israel (2 Sam. Genesis Nine records that Ham saw Noah’s nakedness, and as a result, Noah cursed his grandson Canaan. 613 will suffice. What does the Bible say to the church, and to the individual Christian, about the role of politics in the church? I know the canaanites looked like Black Afrikan people as they were a Hamitic people (Canaan was the youngest son of Ham). The king of Moab would be expecting them from the north around the top end of the Dead Sea, but instead they would take their troops down through the wilderness around the southern end of the Dead Sea through Edom and up into Moab from the south. And when that did not work, Balaam instructed the Moabite women to seduce the men of Israel, lead them to worship their idols and so bring God’s judgment on the people of Israel (Revelation 2:14). Mesha, the king of Moab, paid homage to the king of Israel with sheep and wool. Their pride is fed and their congregations are permitted to remain herds of sheep in which each has cheerfully turned to his own way.23. Why did the god of the Bible show favor upon the Moabites, protecting them (Deut. What would you do? This was the occasion when the visit of Balaam to Balak took place (Numbers 22:2–6). And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. Why Wear Tzitzit If We Are Not Obligated? The Moabites and Ammonites were referred to Biblically as: sons of Lot, born of incest with his daughters [Gen 19:37-38]. In early inscriptions, the Amorites were also known as Amurra or Amurri. By his continued apathy to God he had hardened his heart. 23:3), that they will return to good graces and return to the congregation after some generations (Jer. 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. Moab lay immediately across the Dead Sea from Judah, south of the transjordan tribes. The Jerusalem Talmud4 explains that it is more characteristic of men to hire a hit-man to do a job on their enemies than it is for women to do so. The annoying Amalekites were also descendants of one of Esau’s sons, Amalek. If we had nothing … If you would like further explanation, feel free to ask. The Moabites then united into a single kingdom like Israel. The Moabites were subjected once again to King Jehoshaphat and King Joram and the Ammonites were defeated. I am reminded of the words of Psalmist in Psalm 119. . Deuteronomy 23:5 They were thoroughly persuaded that their actions in pursuit of Christ's death were correct. 1, Moody Press, Chicago, 1980, p. 399). Additionally, the Ammonites and the Moabites hired Balaam to curse Israel as it journeyed toward the Promised Land and were thus forbidden to enter the Lord’s assembly (Deut. “The word of the Lord is with him.” Elisha’s reputation had gone before him. Similarly, the Moabites exhibited an inhumane disposition by hiring Balaam to destroy the Jewish people by the power of his curse.3. 1998. 17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. Many play at their religious life. The Moabites’ culture is dated by scholars from about the late 14th century bc to 582 bc, when, according to the Jewish historian Josephus (1st century ad), they were conquered by the Babylonians. So the people who lived in Moab were THE ISRAELITES. 2:12). The lowest of slaves he will be to his brothers.” Reply. But let’s remember something, Murphy’s so-called Law is really the outworking of the laws of God and often as the direct intervention of God into our affairs. 50:10-11). .” Elisha had been faithful in the small details of ministering to Elijah as a servant and now God was going to use him with kings. Rather than being a curse, their statement emphasizes the extent of their deception. 23:3), that they will return to good graces and return to the congregation after some generations (Jer. This is one of the reasons as to why King Jehoshaphat was able to defeat the powerful Moabite army. The Moabites who lived just east of the Dead Sea and the Ammonites who occupied the countryside north of Moab were both tribes related by blood to Abraham as they descend from his nephew (Gen. 19:37–38). This and the fact he had been Elijah’s servant/student, clearly qualified him for this situation. It was another gracious attempt of God to get the attention of the kings of the north. WHY WERE THE BOSTON RED SOX SAID TO BE “CURSED” BETWEEN 1918 AND 2004?. Here is a typical “no water” problem of life, a test, a trial, a problem suddenly interjected into life’s experience. Such a mental attitude sees the purposeful hand of God. Verse 30 reads, “So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides” (emphasis mine), but not until Jehoshaphat turned to the Lord and sought His help by claiming the principles and promises of the Word (see vs. 6). 5:3). However, G‑d does not stereotype. Why are the men punished for all eternity, and the women go scot free? Moab was a land, a people, and a kingdom located east of the Dead Sea in what is now the kingdom of Jordan. Moab (/ ˈ m oʊ æ b /) is the name of an ancient kingdom whose territory is today located in the modern state of Jordan.The land is mountainous and lies … Though the Israelites honored Jehovah’s command and made no aggressive moves against them, the Ammonites and their Moabite brothers felt threatened. There he declared his determination, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch” (Ps. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.”16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin. The results are significant. why were the moabites cursed. Our steps are not without implications and many of them, serious ones. We reap what we sow. Men do need to plan and to think seriously about their lives, who they are, where they are going, and about the consequences and implications of their decisions and actions. For the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.’”. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, though not like his father and his mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal which his father had made. Exclusion from the Congregation … 2 No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation. To take God seriously means abiding, living, thinking, speaking, deciding or choosing everything and all things by what He is and says, by the application of His divine essence, His being, and the truths of Scripture or the teachings of the Word. 4:1-4). Noticeably, what does he not do? Chapter three provides a series of striking contrasts between the prophet Elisha and the three kings in this story; between conditions before and after; between the plans of men and the providence of God; and between the arm of the flesh and the arm of the Lord. Answer: The Moabites were a tribe descended from Moab, the son of Lot, born of an incestuous relationship with his oldest daughter (Genesis 19:37). The lessons here should be obvious. However, the prohibition was not followed during the Exile, and Ezra and Nehemiah sought to compel a return to the law because men had been marrying women who had not been converted at all (Ezra 9:1–2, 12; Nehemiah 13:23–25). occurred after the giving of the law. – The Edomites were descendants of Esau. The basic idea is “to bring into being and so to establish or fix.” It means (a) to prepare as in setting a table, or as in preparing and equipping an army for battle, and then (b) to establish, fix, make firm his steps. We need people who want God’s answers and direction and who will both study their Bibles and listen to faithful heralds of the Word for God’s direction; we need people who realize that the answer to our problems (big or small) lies in the Word of the Lord. - … Why does G‑d permit the Ammonite and Moabite women to convert and marry Jewish men, while He does not permit male converts from these nations to marry Jewish women? The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia. It was Balak, king of Moab, who hired Balaam to curse the people of God. Or are we going to turn to our own strategies? It depends on the attitude and the perspective with which we view and face the problem. 2 Samuel 8 and 1 Chronicles 19 are the two major passages of scripture that that give an account of these battles. 48:47; 49:6), if they were conceived out of an unlawful union? On the other stuff, my rabbi said the same as you have said. Proverbs 20:24 Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way? When faced with the trials and irritations of life, how do we respond? For the LORD has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” 12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. Jehoshaphat had an able army, but he had unwisely been in alliances with Ahab, Jehoram’s grandfather! Are we going to think carefully about what God is doing or seeking to do in our lives? Although the Moabites refused passage to the Israelites, Moab did not fight against Israel while they were neighbors for more than 300 years.. Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson is a writer who lives with his family in Brooklyn, N.Y. All names of persons and locations or other identifying features referenced in these questions have been omitted or changed to preserve the anonymity of the questioners. 2 Kings 3:21-24. Originally, the Moabites were divided into small tribes, and tribes were usually a group of a family male line, like son sons of Jacob were, with each son the leader of his descendants who banded together into one tribe. 2Kings 3:22 They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. And all who were able to put on armor and older were summoned and stood on the border. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's. The Moabites were the descendants of Moab the son of Lot (Genesis 19:37) and the nephew of Abraham (Genesis 11:31). So we read: “And one of the kings of Israel’s servants answered and said, ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.’”. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. In fact, Deut. How else could he respond? In 2 Kings 3 we see varying degrees of this in the personalities seen in this story. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness . Then there was Jehoshaphat, a good king, a man who generally took God seriously and sought the way of the Lord, yet at times, he too failed. In other words how was the serpent “getting along” if it wasnʼt already moving via its belly? Surely this sordid story of the kings of the north teaches us an important principle. We read in the Bible that the reason the Ammonites were punished to be forever forbidden from marrying into the Israelite nation (a.k.a. Their original ancestor was Moab who was actually the child of Lot and his daughter who committed incest with him because she thought it was the end of the world after having been in the area when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven. 5 So the Lord established the kingdom in his control, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. The following is a brief list of pictures in the Bible that depict this constant tendency in all of us. (2) The picture of leaning on the staff of a sharp reed that pierces the hand is a interesting illustration of the detrimental consequences of turning and trusting in our own solutions (Isa. Some of the southern mountains of Judea were also called the hill country of the Amorites (Deuteronomy 1:7, 19-20). . Moab as a land is first mentioned in the reign of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II (circa 1270 B.C.E.). © Copyright, all rights reserved. So this brings out the servant character of the prophet. In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider--God has made the one as well as the other So that man may not discover anything that will be after him. 4 And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Subsequently, Israel was enticed into their idolatry and even intermarried with them. God is sovereign, but man is responsible. 23:3–4). This word was used of filling something like a pitcher or a bottle with some needed substance (cf. For, as sincere as they were, they were totally wrong in seeking Christ's death, utterly blind to the reality that He was their hoped-for Messiah. Finally there was Jehoram, king of Israel, an evil king. NY: Behrman House, Inc. 1976. Why then aren't Midian's descendants cursed by God and forbidden to enter the Holy Congregation, only Ammon and Moab are cursed? Mythologists and other scholars suggest that such activity may be due to the fact the Chemosh and other Canaanite gods such as the Baals, Moloch, Thammuz, and Baalzebub were all personification of the … 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Here’s this whole story: Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. The water holes they had counted on were not there and instead of bringing the Moabites back under submission, they were faced with the possibility of their own defeat and death--wiped out in the desert. 112:7). But in king Jehoshaphat’s desire to hear from a prophet of the Lord (vs. 11), we see a wonderful attitude for any person, but especially for a king or a leader. Apparently there were still Moabites in other regions because they continue to pop up in the Old Testament history. Many today have a knowledge of God; they believe that He exists; they may even believe in His Son, but they just do not take Him at His word. What do we know about the Moabites? Moabite, but a member of one of the trans-Jordan tribes of of Peor. The moa bones were collected from five fossil sites on New Zealand’s South Island, and ranged in age from 12,966 to 602 years old. This on our response, pressure will make us better or worse ( bitter ) Murphy ’ s,. Are never lived, not given to the forth-generation to a large degree, are!, Abraham 's Y chromosome that area depending on our response, pressure will make us or... Had two sons, Amalek ABSTRACT why did the God of the Amorites ( Deuteronomy 1:7, 19-20 ) stood. That allow people to see through to the Levites, while Israel stood (... 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