◄ Jeremiah 48:39 ►
"How shattered it is! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him."
Study Bible
How shattered it is!
This phrase reflects the complete destruction and devastation of Moab, a nation often in conflict with Israel. The shattering indicates not just physical destruction but also the collapse of Moab's power and influence. Historically, Moab was a significant kingdom east of the Dead Sea, often at odds with Israel (2 Kings 3). The shattering can be seen as a fulfillment of divine judgment against Moab for its pride and idolatry (Isaiah 16:6).

How they wail!
The wailing signifies deep mourning and lamentation, a common cultural expression of grief in the ancient Near East. This mourning is not just for the loss of life but also for the loss of national identity and pride. The wailing of Moab is reminiscent of the lamentations found in other prophetic books, such as Lamentations, where the people mourn the destruction of Jerusalem.

How Moab has turned his back in shame!
Turning one's back in shame indicates a complete reversal of fortune and a loss of honor. Moab, once a proud and powerful nation, is now humiliated. This shame is a result of their arrogance and opposition to God's people. The imagery of turning one's back is also used in other scriptures to denote defeat and disgrace (Psalm 44:10).

Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.
This phrase highlights the complete downfall of Moab, making it a cautionary tale for surrounding nations. The ridicule and horror suggest that Moab's fate serves as a warning of the consequences of pride and rebellion against God. This mirrors the fate of other nations judged by God, such as Babylon (Isaiah 13) and Edom (Obadiah). The prophetic literature often uses such imagery to demonstrate God's sovereignty over all nations and His ability to humble the proud.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moab
An ancient kingdom located east of the Dead Sea, often in conflict with Israel. Moab is the subject of God's judgment in this passage.

2. Jeremiah
A prophet of God who delivered messages of judgment and hope to the nations, including Moab.

3. Judgment of Moab
The event described in this passage, where Moab faces destruction and shame as a result of their actions and God's judgment.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Pride
Moab's downfall serves as a warning against pride and arrogance. Pride can lead to shame and destruction, as seen in Moab's example.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment
The passage reminds us of God's control over nations and His ability to bring about justice. We should trust in His righteous judgment.

Repentance and Humility
The shame and derision faced by Moab highlight the importance of repentance and humility before God. We should seek to humble ourselves and turn from sin.

The Impact of Sin on Reputation
Moab's transformation into a "derision and a horror" illustrates how sin can tarnish a reputation. We should strive to live lives that honor God and maintain a good witness.

The Certainty of God's Word
The fulfillment of prophecy concerning Moab assures us of the reliability of God's Word. We can trust in His promises and warnings.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the judgment of Moab in Jeremiah 48:39 reflect the consequences of pride and arrogance in our own lives?

2. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty and justice in the events described in Jeremiah 48:39, and how does this influence our trust in Him?

3. How can the themes of repentance and humility in this passage be applied to our personal walk with God?

4. What lessons can we learn from Moab's downfall about the importance of maintaining a good reputation and witness for Christ?

5. How does the fulfillment of prophecy in Jeremiah 48:39 encourage us to trust in the reliability and truth of God's Word in other areas of our lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 15-16
These chapters also prophesy the downfall of Moab, highlighting the consistency of God's message through different prophets.

Psalm 60:8
This verse mentions Moab as a "washbasin," symbolizing subjugation and humiliation, similar to the derision mentioned in Jeremiah 48:39.

Zephaniah 2:8-11
This passage speaks of Moab's pride and arrogance, which leads to their downfall, aligning with the themes of shame and derision in Jeremiah 48:39.
Sermons
The Broken VesselD. Young
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
Ashamed, Back-he, Broken, Cause, Derision, Dismay, Dismaying, Fear, Horror, Howl, Howled, Laughingstock, Moab, Moab's, Neck, Object, Ridicule, Round, Saying, Shame, Shattered, Sport, Terror, Turns, Wail, Wailed
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 48:38-39

     5801   brokenness

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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