◄ Jeremiah 48:36 ►
Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.
Study Bible
Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab;
This phrase indicates deep sorrow and mourning. The flute, often used in funerals and lamentations in ancient cultures, symbolizes the profound grief God feels for Moab. Moab was a nation east of Israel, often in conflict with Israel, yet God expresses compassion for them. This reflects God's character as one who grieves over judgment, even for those who oppose His people. The lamentation is a response to Moab's impending destruction, as prophesied earlier in the chapter.

it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres,
Kir-heres, also known as Kir-hareseth, was a significant city in Moab. The repetition of the flute imagery emphasizes the intensity of the lament. Kir-heres was a fortified city, indicating that even the strongholds of Moab would not escape judgment. This highlights the totality of the coming devastation. The lament for Kir-heres underscores the personal and communal loss that the Moabites would experience.

because the wealth they acquired has perished.
The wealth of Moab, likely accumulated through trade and agriculture, is now gone. This loss signifies not just economic ruin but also the collapse of their societal structure and security. In biblical terms, wealth often symbolizes self-reliance and pride, which can lead to a nation's downfall when it turns away from God. The perishing of wealth serves as a reminder of the transient nature of material possessions and the ultimate sovereignty of God over nations. This connects to the broader biblical theme that true security and prosperity come from reliance on God, not on earthly riches.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
The prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah and surrounding nations, including Moab. He is known for his lamentations and warnings of impending judgment.

2. Moab
A nation east of Israel, often in conflict with Israel. Moab is the subject of God's judgment in this passage due to their pride and idolatry.

3. Kir-heres
A significant city in Moab, known for its strong fortifications. It is specifically mentioned as a place of lamentation due to the loss of wealth and prosperity.

4. Flute
A musical instrument used here metaphorically to express deep sorrow and lamentation. The sound of the flute is associated with mourning.

5. Wealth
Represents the material prosperity of Moab, which is now lost due to God's judgment. It serves as a symbol of the transient nature of earthly riches.
Teaching Points
The Transience of Earthly Wealth
Earthly riches are temporary and can be lost in an instant. Our focus should be on storing up treasures in heaven, where they are eternal.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment
God is just and sovereign in His judgments. Nations and individuals are accountable to Him, and His judgments are righteous.

The Heart of God in Lament
God’s lamentation over Moab shows His compassion even in judgment. He does not delight in the downfall of nations but desires repentance and restoration.

The Call to Humility
Moab's downfall was due to pride. We are called to live humbly before God, recognizing our dependence on Him for all things.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets like Jeremiah serve as God's messengers, calling people to repentance and warning of consequences. We should heed the warnings and teachings found in Scripture.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the flute in Jeremiah 48:36 enhance our understanding of God's lament for Moab?

2. In what ways can the downfall of Moab serve as a warning for us today regarding the pursuit of wealth and material success?

3. How does the judgment of Moab reflect God's character and His expectations for nations and individuals?

4. What lessons can we learn from the role of prophets like Jeremiah in communicating God's messages to His people?

5. How can we apply the principle of storing up treasures in heaven, as taught by Jesus, in our daily lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 15-16
These chapters also contain prophecies against Moab, highlighting similar themes of lamentation and judgment.

Ezekiel 25:8-11
This passage speaks of God's judgment against Moab, reinforcing the message of divine retribution for their actions.

Matthew 6:19-21
Jesus teaches about the impermanence of earthly treasures, which aligns with the loss of wealth in Moab as described in Jeremiah 48:36.
Sermons
Riches are Ever Liable to PerishJeremiah 48:36
People
Chemosh, Gamul, Jeremiah, Sihon, Zoar
Places
Arnon, Aroer, Beth-diblathaim, Bethel, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon, Bozrah, Dibon, Elealeh, Heshbon, Holon, Horonaim, Jahaz, Jahzah, Jazer, Kerioth, Kir-hareseth, Kiriathaim, Luhith, Madmen, Mephaath, Moab, Nebo, Nimrim, Sea of Jazer, Sibmah, Zoar
Topics
Abundance, Acquired, Flute, Flutes, Gained, Got, Gotten, Hareseth, Heart, Heres, Kir, Kirheres, Kir-heres, Kir-he'res, Laments, Lost, Moab, Moaneth, Moans, Perish, Perished, Pipes, Produced, Riches, Soundeth, Sounding, Sounds, Wails, Wealth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 48:36

     5314   flute
     5420   music
     5899   lament
     8809   riches

Jeremiah 48:31-36

     1135   God, suffering of

Jeremiah 48:36-37

     5180   shaving

Library
August 8. "Be Like the Dove" (Jer. Xlviii. 28).
"Be like the dove" (Jer. xlviii. 28). Harmless as a dove, is Christ's interpretation of the beautiful emblem. And so the Spirit of God is purity itself. He cannot dwell in an unclean heart. He cannot abide in the natural mind. It was said of the anointing of old, "On man's flesh it shall not be poured." The purity which the Holy Spirit brings is like the white and spotless little plant which grows up out of the heap of manure, or the black soil, without one grain of impurity adhering to its crystalline …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching Out of Too Great Humility, and those who Seize on it with Precipitate Haste.
(Admonition 26.) Differently to be admonished are those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid by reason of excessive humility, and those whom imperfection or age forbids to preach, and yet precipitancy impells. For those who, though able to preach with profit, still shrink back through excessive humility are to be admonished to gather from consideration of a lesser matter how faulty they are in a greater one. For, if they were to hide from their indigent neighbours money which they possessed …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Balaam's Prophecy. (Numb. xxiv. 17-19. )
Carried by the Spirit into the far distant future, Balaam sees here how a star goeth out of Jacob and a sceptre riseth out of Israel, and how this sceptre smiteth Moab, by whose enmity the Seer had been brought from a distant region for the destruction of Israel. And not Moab only shall be smitten, but its southern neighbour, Edom, too shall be subdued, whose hatred against Israel had already been prefigured in its ancestor, and had now begun to display Itself; and In general, all the enemies of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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