My Heart Shall Cry Out for Moab
By Pastor Matt Black
24
June 2007
Lord's Day Evening
Isaiah 15:1-5
Introduction: Open your Bibles to the book of Isaiah 15. The title of tonight’s message is “My Heart Shall Cry Out for Moab”. Let us rise as we read just a phrase from verse 5 that will capture my theme tonight. There is a whole lot of judgment going on in chapters 15 and 16, but I want you to see in verse 5 the heart of a prophet of God.
Moab as you know is the oldest son of Lot. Lot was Abraham’s nephew. So Moab was Abraham’s great nephew. So there is a family relation here.
Isaiah 15
Chapter 15 of Isaiah gives a picture of total destruction and chapter 16 gives the causes of God’s judgment. Let’s remember Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Warning from the prophet
Verse 1 “The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence”…
The word “laid waste” is the same Hebrew word that Isaiah used in his conversion when he said, “Woe is unto me for I am undone” (Isaiah 6:5). It means brought to nothing, or completely unraveled.
Ar and Kir are two of big metropolises of Moab. Ar is the northern city, and Kir is the southern city. This happens in the night, unexpectedly. The Assyrian army is so massive and unstoppable, that they devastate the two chief cities in only one night! Isaiah clearly and compassionately preaches the truth to the Moabites, who are close relatives of Abraham. He says in verse 5, “My heart shall cry out for Moab!”
Notice Isaiah speaks in the present tense of what had not yet taken place. These events would happen in 711 BC by the Assyrians.
What do we see of God in this verse?
Weeping from the people, but they still do not change
Now look at Verse 2, “He [that is, Moab] is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.”
Bajith and Dibon, and Nebo and Medeba are a cluster of northern cities in Moab. They were specific places where there was idolatry going on. The “high places” were hills where there were groves of trees where the people worshipped false gods. Weeping, shaving their heads (“baldness”), and cutting off the beard were signs of sorrow. Most of the Moabites loved their sin and were sorry that they were going to lose their pleasures, not that God was judging them.
Application: Not much has changed today. “Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” These people truly thought their false gods could deliver them. Somehow they’d make it out. Proverbs 16:25, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Even thought Isaiah lived 2700 years ago, the world has not changed much since. Oh, today the idols have changed, but man’s heart is still self centered, self reliant, and self pleasing.
Reaping from the people
Verse 3, “In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.” The pain comes home. They weep in the streets of their hometowns. And on the flat roofs of their houses and in the public squares. Isaiah says, “every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.” Sin is always felt in the home. The word “abundantly” has the idea of a water fall.
Even the Military of Assyria Weeps
Look at verse 4, “And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.” More cities are destroyed: Hebon and Elealeh and Jahaz. The devastation is so bad that “the armed soldiers of Moab” start weeping. Isaiah says of each of the soldiers, “his life shall be grievous unto him”. The idea of the life being grievous is the fainting of the heart or trembling of the soul.
Isaiah Cries out from His Heart for Moab
Look again at verse 5, “My heart shall cry out for Moab:” Isaiah has an evangelist’s heart. Paul says virtually the same thing in Romans 9:1-3, “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:” The truth of the matter is that when the judgment of God falls it is a sad thing. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11).
In our humanity, we must never get too far away from the day we were saved. Jesus says we must constantly be returning to our “first love” (Revelation 2:4). Always remember to testify that God “brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Psalm 40:2). Prophets of judgment don’t boast—just look at Jeremiah—prophets of judgment weep! We see this here with Isaiah also.
Isaiah Points the Way of Salvation
“his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar,” Remember Moab is Lot’s son (by an incestuous relationship). Zoar is the city that Lot fled to when he was rescued from Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:22). And there will be some that come to salvation through this time of judgment. In chapter 16 we will see that the once proud Moabites will become humble and help God’s people (16:4). They are to protect the outcasts of Israel and God says if they do that they will have mercy in and through the throne of Messiah (verse 5). Thought they will lose their identity as Moabites, they will have a Redeemer in Christ! So in this phrase that the Moabite fugitives should ”flee unto Zoar”—the place where Lot found protection from Sodom and Gomorrah, we hear the same message, as Jesus said, “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
Judgment is soon!
“an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.”
This heifer of three years old—is speaking of a heifer that is strong, and ready to be sacrificed. This is a fatted calf!! Their judgment is very near. Everyone should be aware of this from Luhith all the way from Horonaim. This is like saying: You had better repent from sea to shining sea—from New York City to Los Angeles.
Listen, It is appointed, just as the fatted calf would go to the slaughter, it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment.”
Let me draw out several principles at this point:
It hurts to give a message like this. That is why Isaiah says in verse 5, “My heart shall cry out for Moab:” But we are all responsible to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Conclusion: The most sobering reality in the world today is that people are dying and going to hell today. There is a Redeemer—even for the likes of Moab. And there is a Redeemer, even for the hardest and proudest sinner. We are going to see more of that next week. But as we close, let me ask you to think of a name of someone in the world that you know and love. A friend that you can talk to. I want you to pray for that person every day and plan to purposefully give the Gospel to that person. Let your heart break daily for that person. Think of him or her falling in the bottomless pit. Think of them in eternal torment. If they will simply come to Jesus, he will save them. He has not ever turned ANYONE away! Look again at verse 5, “My heart shall cry out for Moab:” Does your heart cry out for your lost loved ones and friends? Compassionate evangelism is in order!! God CAN and will save them if we will pray and preach the Gospel to every creature.
Closing Hymn: 336 My Hope is in the Lord