Daily Devotions

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 
Day 
Day 500

"Come down from your glory"

Text: Jeremiah 48:18

CITIES OF MOAB

A few cities of Moab are mentioned in this text. All of them were reeling from the news that Moab had been conquered by the Babylonians!

“O daughter inhabiting Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
O inhabitant of Aroer,
Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
Wail and cry!
Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered.”
Jeremiah 48:18-20

1. “O daughter inhabiting Dibon, come down from your glory, and sit in thirst;
for the plunderer of Moab has come against you, he has destroyed your strongholds”

a) “Dibon”

i) This was the capital of Moab.

ii) Being the privileged city, it was called “Daughter”.

b) “Glory”

i) All capital cities sought and built its own idea of glory.

ii) Dibon had wealth, prestige and more.

c) “Sit in thirst”

i) It was no longer enjoying its luxuries.

ii) A basic need, like water, was scarce in war time.

d) Moab and all its strongholds.
They were being destroyed, one after another.

2. “O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way and watch;
ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'”

a) Aroer was a city close by the River Arnon.

b) The city used to be a busy one, bustling with trade.

c) Rivers were a major means of transportation and trade.

d) But Aroer was now seeing people fleeing from the battle scenes
and no tradesmen seeking to do business.

e) All were asking, “What has happened?”

i) News of the capital being captured was slowly filtering down to Aroer.

ii) This was alarming news to all in Aroer.

3. “Moab is shamed, for he is broken down. Wail and cry!
Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered”

a) Arnon was once a disputed territory.

b) The following countries claim to own it.

i) The Amorites

ii) The Moabites

iii) The Israelites

c) At this time, it was a territory of Moab.

i) Arnon will no longer be a Moabite city.

ii) Moab was covered with shame for it was conquered by Babylon.

iii) There would be no more dispute;
Arnon a city of Moab would now belong to Babylon.