Moab as Sodom and Ammon as Gomorrah Zephaniah 2:9

According to Zephaniah the prophet, judgment was to come upon Judah and Jerusalem for their apostasy from the LORD. Gentile cities which surrounded Judah such as Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron were also to be affected by the LORD's judgment, and the countries Moab and Ammon who proudly and uncaringly reproached and reviled Judah for their plight were in His site as well. In chapter two and verse nine of his prophesy, Zephaniah shared how the LORD would punish “Moab”“as Sodom” and “Ammon as Gomorrah” where we read:

Therefore as I live, says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.

The verse begins, “Therefore as I live, says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah,...” Zephaniah began with, “Therefore as I live” which is one Hebrew word “chay” and means “living, alive, lively, active and reviving” “says the LORD” or “utters and declares Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name of the only true God” “of hosts” which refers to “that which goes forth, an army, war and warfare” “the God” which is “'elohiym” in Hebrew and means “ruler, judge and divine one” “of Israel” which means “God prevails” and was “the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”, “Surely Moab” which means “of his father” and was “a son of Lot by his eldest daughter” “shall be as Sodom” which means “burning” and was “a Canaanite city, usually paired with Gomorrah, located in the area of the Dead Sea and the Jordan river; both cities were destroyed by God in judgment” “and the children” which refers to the “sons, grandsons and youth” “of Ammon” which means “tribal, relative or kindred” and was “a people dwelling in Transjordan who descended from Lot through Ben-ammi” “as Gomorrah” which means “submersion” and was “the twin-city in evil with Sodom who were both destroyed in judgment by God with fire from heaven.” The “living” LORD God was to bring judgment upon “Moab” and “Ammon” in the same manner as he did “Sodom and Gomorrah”.

The verse goes on to say, “... even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation:” Zephaniah went on to add more concerning the LORD's judgment as he wrote, “even the breeding” or “possession or place possessed” “of nettles” which means “weeds such as prickly pointed bramble or thorny weeds” “and saltpits” which were “briny, pulverized, powder-like and barren salty areas near the Dead Sea which were left after water overflows in the spring where salt is left by evaporation” “and a perpetual” or “as far as, up to and for a long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old and ancient time” “desolation” which means “devastation and waste”. The LORD's judgment was to be thorough upon “Moab” and “Ammon” and would perpetually last even unto their “prickly weeds” and “salty pits”.

Finally the verse says, “the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.” The LORD went on to say through Zephaniah, “the residue” or “rest, remainder, remnant and what is left” “of my people” which refers to “the LORD's nation and descendants of Abraham” “shall spoil them” or “plunder, prey upon, seize and despoil them”, “and the remnant” which means “remainder, excess, rest and other part” “of my people” which once again is “the LORD's nation and descendants of Abraham” “shall possess them” or “acquire, inherit and take possession of them”. In other words, not only was the LORD going to conquer and defeat “Moab” and “Ammon”, He was also going to give the “residue and remnant” of His “people” their land and possessions.

When we meditate upon these words of Zephaniah, we begin to understand how serious it is to come against “the people of the LORD”. Both “Moab” and “Ammon” realized the LORD's judgment as they were completely destroyed by Him because of their brazen revelings and reproach against Judah in their plight. When we consider what happened to “Sodom and Gomorrah” (See Genesis chapter nineteen) we realize it is not a good thing to be an “enemy” against “the people of the LORD”, and those who come against “Judah” and “Israel” put themselves directly in the path of the LORD's judgment when they do. Let us determine to keep ourselves aligned with “the people” of Jehovah, and allow the LORD Jesus to remind us of the everlasting destruction of “Moab and Ammon” should we ever be inclined to think evil and reproachfully speak against them.

Next time Zephaniah shares how “Moab” and “Ammon” shall pay for “their pride”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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