Topical Bible: Anger: Moab

◄ Anger: Moab ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Introduction

The biblical narrative often highlights the theme of anger, both divine and human, as a significant element in the unfolding of God's redemptive history. The nation of Moab, a frequent adversary of Israel, is a prominent subject in the context of divine anger. Moab's interactions with Israel and their subsequent judgment by God provide a rich tapestry for understanding the dynamics of anger in the biblical text.

Moab's Origins and Hostility

Moab was a nation descended from Lot, Abraham's nephew, through an incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter (Genesis 19:36-37). Despite this familial connection, Moab frequently opposed Israel. The Moabites' hostility is evident in their refusal to allow Israel passage through their land during the Exodus (Judges 11:17-18) and their subsequent attempts to curse Israel through the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22-24).

Divine Anger Against Moab

The Bible records several instances where God's anger is directed towards Moab due to their actions against Israel and their idolatrous practices. In Isaiah 15-16 and Jeremiah 48, the prophets pronounce judgment against Moab, highlighting God's wrath against their pride and arrogance. Isaiah 16:6 states, "We have heard of Moab’s pride, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty."

The Moabites' worship of the god Chemosh and their participation in child sacrifice further incited divine anger. In 2 Kings 3:27 , the king of Moab sacrifices his firstborn son on the city wall, an act that underscores the depth of their idolatry and desperation.

Moab's Role in Israel's Sin

Moab also played a role in leading Israel into sin, which provoked God's anger against His own people. In Numbers 25, the Moabite women seduced the Israelites into sexual immorality and idolatry, worshiping the Baal of Peor. This incident resulted in a severe plague as a manifestation of God's anger, which was only halted by the zealous action of Phinehas (Numbers 25:7-9).

Prophetic Pronouncements and Judgment

The prophetic literature contains numerous pronouncements of judgment against Moab, reflecting God's anger towards their persistent sinfulness. Jeremiah 48:42 declares, "Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD." These judgments often emphasize the totality of Moab's destruction, serving as a warning to other nations and a demonstration of God's justice.

Moab in Eschatological Context

In the eschatological visions of the prophets, Moab's fate is intertwined with the broader narrative of God's judgment and restoration. Isaiah 25:10 envisions a time when "the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, but Moab will be trampled in their place as straw is trodden down in the dung." This imagery underscores the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom over all rebellious nations, including Moab.

Conclusion

The biblical portrayal of Moab serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of inciting divine anger through pride, idolatry, and opposition to God's people. The narrative of Moab is woven into the larger biblical theme of God's righteous judgment and the call for nations to acknowledge His sovereignty.

Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 16:6
We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Moab is My Washpot
... against Israel, and the plague would have devoured them, had not the holy zeal of
Phinehas turned away the divine anger. Thus it is clear that Moab of old was ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/moab is my washpot.htm

The Witness of Balaam to Israel
... And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes
of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/ii the witness of balaam.htm

The Doom of the Antichrist
... For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and Mine anger in
their ... "But these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/the doom of the antichrist.htm

Upon the Character of Balaam. Preached the Second Sunday after ...
... from reigning over them, He gave them a king in His anger; in the ... Arriving in the
territories of Moab, and being received with particular distinction by the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/butler/human nature/sermon vii upon the character.htm

Psalm LXXXIII.
... thus enumerated in the Psalms: "The tabernacles of the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moab
and the ... Thou persecute them with Thy tempest, and in Thy anger shalt disturb ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxxiii.htm

Nor Should I Think it Needful to Discuss Whether God Pursues a ...
... turned aside at Sethim, the people go to the daughters of Moab to gratify ...
twenty-three thousand by the swords of their countrymen to appease the divine anger. ...
/.../scorpiace antidote for the scorpions sting/chapter iii nor should i.htm

Balak's Inquiries Relative to the Service of God, and Balaam's ...
... Not to procure a victory for Moab, but to bring the judgments of God upon ... vengeance
on some of the principal offenders, and thus turned away the anger of the ...
/.../sermon xviii balaks inquiries relative.htm

Second Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to Brotherly Love.
... O my people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab, devised; and what Balaam, the
son of ... Why will you bring down your fist and stamp your foot in anger at such ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/second sunday after trinity exhortation.htm

CHAPTER III.
... at all with their sins; nor as a pure effect of divine anger, aiming at ... so much depends,
performs also the office of a guide: "For this reason Moab howls, for ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/chapter iii.htm

The Fall of the House of Ahab
... way of Jeroboam." "He served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to anger the
Lord ... A disastrous war with Moab, and then an accident by which his own life was ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 16 the fall of.htm