Mims Chapel Church 

LESSON 5 • Fifth Week

Prophecies Against
Palestine and Moab

Background Reading

Devotional Reading
Isaiah 14:28-32; 15:1-16;
Ezekiel 25:15-17
Ezekiel 25:8-11; Amos 1:6-15;
Zephaniah 2:4-5

Central Verse

"Mine eye runneth down with rivers                                "Tears stream from my eyes because of water for the destruction of the  daughters of my of the destruction of my people."                                                people." Lamentations 3:48, NLT
Lamentations 3:48 KJV.

Key Terms
Laments—To mourn aloud—a crying out in grief.
Consequences—Something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions.
Pagan—A person who does not know about or worship the God of the Bible; a person who is not religious.

Introduction

Our central verse comes from the book of Lamentations which is a collection of five separate despairing poems written by the Prophet Jeremiah about the destruction of the once proud Jerusalem in 586 BC. Although Jeremiah laments for desolation, he understands that this is a consequence of the sins of people. The believers are reminded that God is not willing that any of His children be lost, for all nations are ultimately under the authority of God. So amidst such sorrow and hopelessness during that time, Jeremiah reminds the believers that "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and His mercies never come to an end."

As destruction unfolds around the believers, which causes them to question God's plans, God will remind the believers through His Words, His Preachers, or His Prophets that He alone orders the unfolding of history. And those who are righteous will have faith in His plans, despite the darkness of the season, they realize that "the just shall live by faith."

God could not allow His people to live among people of unclean lips and not deal with them in correction and destruction. He would not allow His chosen people to escape judgment, and neither would He allow the neighboring nations to escape.

Discussion

God sending prophesies against the nations that surround Israel was not just to send purifying fires to bring destruction, but to create a world where the humble servants are exalted. And they had to learn to embrace humility as the key to inheriting God's kingdom. The believers must always remember, their journey is never about them exclusively, but it's about being an integral part of the kingdom of God.
God is a just God and He is righteous in all that He does. Sometimes believers use their own understanding concerning the things of God. When they see God's justice that destroys and consumes, it leaves them perplexed about biblical justice. They look at the Great Flood during Noah's day the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and think of the many lives that were lost leave question. God reminds the believers that their thoughts are not His thoughts and His ways are not the believers' ways.

While these examples do illustrate part of God's justice, they do not encompass the entirety of what God's biblical justice entails. God would be unjust if He didn't rain on the unjust as well as the just, for He is no respecter of persons. God is the God of all flesh and even when nations do not recognize the true and living God, they are yet accountable to Him. Therefore the judgment of God comes to the children who disobey Him.

Offenses are one of satan's weapons to create arguments, divisions, and destructions that cause nations to have hatred, bitterness, and resentment against each other which blocks them from living peaceable among each other. God has enough blessings in the earth for each nation if they would learn to respect Him and their fellowman.

Palestine is a country in West Asia that encompasses the Israel-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, collectively known as
the Palestine territories. The territories share the vast majority of their borders with Israel, with the West Bank bordering Jordan to the east and the Gaza strip bordering Egypt to the southwest.

Palestine was among the earliest regions to have human habitation. Because of its location it has been conquered many times by many different rulers. Palestine is part of the land called the "Promise Land" that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. It has been the place of much heartache and much sorrow. Many souls have been killed in that area, including women and children. Many wars have been fought about Palestine

and even as I write this lesson much conflict is going on there. God loves Israel. He chose Israel and set them apart to be His own. He calls Israel His firstborn Son and also calls Israel His Bride. However He would not allow them to escape punishment for their rebelliousness and their disobedience. He told Isaiah that Judea would survive but the warriors of Philistia would perish (Isaiah 40:30-31).
Isaiah prophesied against the nation of Moab who was a pagan nation. This prophesy shows the believers that God has sovereignty over not just Israel but overall the nations and people. God's laws were not just to Israel but to all people. Israel was supposed to be a light and an example to the nations that surrounded them, giving others the opportunity to see and hear about the true and living God.

The Moabites were primarily known as the descendants of Lot who was Abraham's nephew through an incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughter after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were relatives of the Israelites but were not children of the Promise. They occupied the region which is now known as modern-day Jordan. The Moabites were known as fighters and were constantly at war with Israel.

Moab was the place that Naomi, her husband and two sons went to escape the famine in Judea. It was the place that she lost her husband and sons to death. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth was a Moabite young lady who gave up her homeland to follow and take care of her Mother-in-law Naomi. Because of her faithfulness, God gave her a wonderful husband and Son, and she became a part of the lineage of Jesus.

Conclusion

Both nations were considered pagan nations, but they were not exempt from the judgment of God. Sometimes it seems like other wicked nations
are getting away with their wickedness, but there is a day of reckoning for each of them. God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalms 7:11). He examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence (Psalms 1 1:5).

Questions

Why was it necessary for God to send prophets to these two nations?
What seemed to shape the personalities of these two nations?
How was Moab connected to Israel?
What was so special about Israel?

Essential Thought- "God gives grace to empower the believers, love to move the believers, and His word to shape the believers to see him clearly."

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