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Isaiah 15:5 Thoughts on Moab

Good morning fellow exiles and pilgrims,

As we seek the Celestial City and flee from City of Destruction, let us exhort one another every day so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13).  We walk this path together.  If you find yourself thinking you are all by yourself, call a brother or sister for some exhortation and encouragement.

Blessings,

Jeff

This is one of those interesting "didn't I just read about this" passages that occur in the M'Cheyne reading plan. The recent reading in Numbers has involved Balaam and Balak the king of Moab.  And today's reading was how the Moabite's lured Israel into blatant sexual sin.  If we go back to Moab's founding, after Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's 2 daughters sleep with him and give birth to Ammon and Moab. Several chapters back in Numbers, Moabites refuses to let Israel pass through their land.  Israel isn't interested in taking Moab's land.  Then if we think forward to Ruth, she is a Moabitess.  

By Isaiah's time, Moab is still around.  They have observed all that happens to Israel from Abraham to Egypt, exodus, conquest to kingdom to coming exile. But they never turn to Israel's God.  They remain in idolatry.  

What are we to learn from this?  

God doesn't loose track of any nation.  Just because the plan of salvation is a single path from Abraham to Jesus,, the surrounding nations are accountable for what they do  know.  Despite imperfections in Israel, all pagan nations will be judged for not learning from them.

If this is true, the Church functions in the same way.  The visible church is flawed in many ways, but the gospel message is still heard in preaching and seen in the sacraments (baptism and communion).  The unbelieving world is accountable for rejecting the gospel that has been preached under heaven.

Petition - let us be faithful witness to the gospel of Christ

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