| Show THE MOABITES Snatches of Bible IIMory and Prophecies A IAVIUitr j M 8J A traveler who crosses the Jordan at the ford due cast of Jericho nod follows the route along the Wady I Ilrshton will ill about two hours I and a half commence the ascent of Kl Bclka themouutalniiof IOb Her Is the road down which the children of Israel passed nCr their conquest of Giles and lhasiiaii and round bet the tribes of Iteuben Gad and part of Mauasseh received their inheritances Tho first inhabitants of the fertile fer-tile highlands from tlie eastern shores of the D Sea to the mountains of Oilead were peopled by a nation I in sacred writ called Eulm These were expelled by the Moabltcs and the Annuorlte the latter of which took possession of the northern parts of tlie district leavIng the southern pr known a the Held of Moab t the Moabites Tlie whole land of Moab mu tb understood says llaync t con sist of a parallelogram in rough measurement some fifty miles from north t south by thirty from cast t wet bounded on the west by the Dead Sea and the Jordan on the east by the Pilgrim nod from Damascus t Mecca and extending from tho oasis of Safieu on flue south to the gorge which ruin dow 11 from Elealeh and Hcshbon t the Jordan valley on the north and I including that portion of he plain of Shittlni t which lies between the natercourscandthe Dead Sea now I known a the Scisaban I I I remarkable fact that while in the course of the past ages king dom have risen and fallen and their remains been scattered like the fragments ments of JCcbuchadnczzata image to the four wInd the Moabites have kept their small strip of country t themselves mid still live there much as In nges past TheIr origin their history n they have often conic in contact with the people of God n Inter < UI items t a Bible student jartlcular 11 a they to have jet a future before them and it ill b called upon to take lart in tlC wiiiJIng up scents of our ag oniulrf 0 TUB o1t1E On the fearful day of judgment upou the cities of the plains a judgment that reduced a beautiful but eltistaimxl tract of land to a bay of the Dead He and hurled thousands of guilty souls into the depths of unties early before sun rise Lt his wife and two daughters daugh-ters tied from Sodom into the little I village Zoar As soon a tills place of jcluge hind been reached the first bloodcolored rays of the sun spread tlrelr threatening glare ocr the landscape ilverythiiigwas aa i et quiet in the doomed cities The nightly rlele1 Iome still struggling strug-gling tith their haunting dreams while abused nature cmlenvorvtl r to snatch from the rliornlng hours a little lit-tle rust and to heal up wouuds In numerable nu-merable inflicted by shameless sin Theninhadjustrisen Hutsudden Jy the hole atmosphere I darkened Clouds charged from the electric batteries of Almighty God nisJj hurriedly together from all quarters of the heavens executors qf divine justice A terrible cannonade riiuudcrs roll lightnings cross each othef in all directions incessantly inces-santly They strike the earth Hen There Everywhere The soil saturated sat-urated with combustibles takes lire In a moment the uhole plain is one burning lake Sinful men and women wake up One hour of terri ble I agonies and tli y are no nor From this elevated refuge rAt > had witnessed the commencement of Oils fearful drama Hut although the angel of the JAr had cteured him that Zoar should 0 spared yet he concluded to tire from Zojraud find a refuge in his Judgment more secure Trembling from fear lie therefore lelt Zwrnml rfMjeTidKl the mountain He knew of a cave the intcrlorof I Iiiclilic thought safer than the I places appointed by Gods prom On false step was taken The consequences followed On tlia way the unfortunate man lot his wife and in the place of refuge selected by his own Momwhere he scents to have lived for some time with his daughters ho became lme father of two son Moab and BcnAmml the fathers of tho two nations liter known Moabites and Ammonites e Genesis xK 1 S3 J This then IS the origin of the Moabitta Iobit The relationship between thee I and the Moabites will to underetooJ when It Is remembered that Lot I remembm rAt was wn the son of Abraham brother The name Moab given t flue son fn by his mother the eldest daughter duihtr of Lot mean From Fathers r so that the J r f e very name irand will ever be 1monumuit of the pit into which a righteous man was precipitated on account ot his mistrust in Gods promise 3IOAJJ AGAINST ISItAKL Centuries role on Jrom lnll viduab sprang up nations covering ccrug the lace of the earth like branches of olive tree Israel bnchc throUKU their long tliraldom In Egypt and had been liberated mle through Gods own intefferbice in tlictt Iwurilr Intlrcrtue ltt wandered their weary way through the wilderness nnd we now find them camping lathe field of Moab after their complete victory over the ntits AmnrlL Thc nt neighbors to the Moat lies there were the 2lob people descended from Milton 1lle dende awn ldin of Abraham and Ivvtliucih It 101 was among this pcanlo tint Moses I Lad va sojourned while In exile and found hrs wife Zif ° ntt file ddughter of the MlJUnitlc priest JeliiTO ZIVrh UP till this time the tmjjiaUocs the Moibitesand the Midianifes so closely related t Israel had mAde no ciTorts to tar JIB ray Of the chosen people But noa on seeing the now IOI Israehtish camp In their own country and learning 1 of the won derful victories obtained fear came 01 Over Moat and the king determined t oppose the children 11trloe oil UIO mr urJuM aaGod had cx n Go lal pressly rorbidden Israel to make e war upon the descendants of lt and Ltau Deut II lDj and Israel t haJ consequently asked Soc the priv I ieeoC marching thru h thiscojn tr try peaceably laying for all Uiey lhllt tU deUTcn even hoe Waler t Ut the Sip1 oC peace were not accepted The king of ties lIt time was Bahk the sn of thl In tho country was also at this time a prophet the notorious Balaam notrou Bnlnm This prophet seemixl to lave possessed the confidejicu of his countrymen in l high degrew It was generally held that whatever Iicfald would surly come to pass Having cstablbhcd this reputation he like his brethren in i jnodern < times n able t make large gums SD of ° money DUof hU Praphwiw I I hardly necessary to remark u t rrrk that this MoabHIo tht thi Moblc soothsayer or magician was no true Iglc wn te prophet of God even U his often came true s ills predictions whole course very bows that he WM not i Is not I I pro baSic that he liio lres lT f other j had a food genius who fo 10w lowed Il him and whose volro he erroneously held to b the Tlc of Jehovah But ho was undoubtedly wa undo ely also in rapport with lad spirits whose assistance he obtained olf1n or Imagined himself to obtain through the practice of various dark arts Sow in his fear ar blab hi cr Bak sent a dlPtUol consisting of Moabitic and Midlanitic princes to Balaam B requesting Israel The him to coruoand curse lareulr a 1 el r memr Balaam was too wllllnr t w10 to please BaLk as there was In it But Jehovah himself inter prout fered In behalf of this Iople and impressed tlie IPle moneymaking I prophet oven through a mIracle r the fact that there was no tire trying to curse when God com manOtd la bless If God this was floe object lessoncould 1 dirt I flue month tlieanlmal into articulato sounds how easy would i be for thesacio Go to prevent a man from uttering curses where God wanted him to utter blessings Accordingly Ac-cordingly liaIson blessed Ireland Irel-and his pri pheclea on this occasion maybe relied upon A inspired l by God hlnuHf GbJI question mIght toasked why that God should wan It so Important GJ Wa t BaboonS from cursing Israel prevent A stream of w rSc would able to do apparently not have been f If the people any harm even UIU words were Btruug together wone Whence the gether into rt curse WhelcD necessity 1 iefA > nnlng that great lc mlraelo trlilth l aa always ttt tt stumblingblock of timid theologians and a sulject of ridicule t Infidels 1 Well the necessity artSe la the jiJfposc of God U frAta Jt U I d the Moabites from extinction Had Itnlaam been allowed to curse Israel this would have so worked upon the superstition and perhaps fanaticism of the Moablles that i tlitvvrnuU bi thrown themselve Into a battle i thepevplc of God out of which only n few of them would hive come alive This God would prevent The Moahitts were nol like omeof Iho eurrouudlng nations and the Canaanltes ripe for extinction They had therefore there-fore by the unfathomable merry of God to U pared even at the cost ol Jehovahs personal interference and a singular miracle But although God prevented Balaam from cllrring up the Moat itcs to a war Intivltablv rcaultinc In their extinction He did not prevent him from giving that wicked counsel which IfGodhid not again interfered would huvo led to the utter ruin of Israel Balaam mi lug the nngcrof Balak nnddeprived of his wages gave tlie two allied nations tho counsel that thry should send Moablte and Mldjanite women luto the camp of Israel in order t Induce the people to coulml t adultery l and to apostatize from Jehovah 1 f tliii could 0 done lie added Jehovah Jeho-vah would soon leave them In the hands of the enemies I is safe to cay that if God had inspIred the blessings pronounced upon Israel Solar ln plred this counsel for amore a-more Satanic plot could never have been laid even In the lowest depths of hell Tho counsel was followed and icon the camp of Israel became there ort pf foreign women n den Slinking with apostacy and nIt n-It had U > be cleans Gad undertook under-took to do this before it became to late But this cleansing cost Israel file lives of 2rWO souls and a war with time MidlanUes which almost extirpated ibis nation n war in I which Ilaliam 10 the originator of all tiiij evil fell Sou Numbers xxv Revelations I 11 JIOAIli VlCTOn AND DEE I When Israel took posscIoii of and i I divided Canaan a great pohlttcoi I error and what i more a sin was committcJ inasmuch I as fIle were lnnie to live there whom God had doD llo destruction As each rile ruesiced tjcir portion of tIle in the land cultivation they became thereof so engrossed and the nccumiilatliii of wealth that they became unn tiling t help he rest In carrying out tho nil of God And all found i more convenient to make slivc of the gubjugalcd nations than to expel them The results soon became visible Another generation arose Living in the neighborhood of idolaterliatiug idolaters in their own cities ana houses the Israelites houss Imelc copied heir examples intcrnnrrled with them and in the course of time turned away from Jehovah and worshipped Baal and Aftharoth Judges II13Nbwthe Canaanitcf so hong left undisturbed fathered father-ed itreagth and combined together against Israeli Wars and suirerliigs followed And In the Kinu den Israel yielded to Hcen tiouMiess case and idolatry tiny lost the faith and the energy of their fathcn Then they became an easy prey t their encmii8 The Moibltca at one time also succeeded In eonijuering the children child-ren of Iiirm1 Aol belt them in servitude for a Kerioil cl eighteen years Judges III 12 32 Tlie IncMcul In tuns rrlateu Iiio l turned away fri m Jehovah Therefore There-fore God strengthened Kglon the Moabitic king cud ho formed nn alliance with the Amnionlteimid the Anialeklte6 and invaded Palestine Pales-tine taking possession 1 uf Jericho the City of Palais horn which I I i place he ruled Israel IS e hut ins i-ns the people again repented of their sin the Lord delivered them from I the Moabitic yoke Airiong the clilUrui of Benjamin wra a resolute man called 1 Kliud He Had I lan CI Ild I once1 scut with the cutomary tribute to I king JC lou As soon ns he had de livered his tribute he sent away thu messengers who bail accompanied him and stayed behind pretending to have secret message t the king I lie stmseeied 10 trunmeimery but ttolmitteti I JimmI I to apnivakoudhemice In n secluded liars ni A ktZtt his Ih doors Were shut Klnid unsheathed I hlsswordand thrust I with tuch I forcciutotlic bodvof the klnirthit both won and hilt dKnpprared beneath be-neath tlie surface of the skin The king died instantly and llhud hatqncd home nnd mu tered his mustere 11s J > eope logelher Tlic > tame mind drove away the > ronbite who Were compelled to leave 10OUO men on the battle field For eighty ear tills fart of flue country was free from hostile Invasions DAVID llzttTgIu 5 l omJ One of the prettiist little narra nar tives of the whole xaercd collection Kr clkton Ii I Hint contained In the Book of Ruth amid it I ebows hotr Hits create creat-e king I of Israel David and cur ble ed bMvinr hluielf tlinniirh J J r bm iM dj wni portly I ot MoablliC des ccnLDuring During the reign oC the Judges a famine came upon the f cuthcrn parts of Canaan uln curtain rm Bethlehem Elimelek then left his llill toll mind emigrated together with hli wife Naomi and their two sons Mablon nod Klljon t the land of Moot Elimelek soon died and the BOM ularrled two Moablt sc Arpa and JJuth After ten years both the semis were dead without with-out children I t Xnoml was now old and wanted anl wnll to go back to her native country Aria and Itiith ncchmpanled their motlierinHw On the road Naomi tried to Inude i libm to remain with their own people I as the her Eclf was poor nnd could oflVr them no InJucemtni Arpa took a mot nllectlonato leave amid returned home But Ruth was determined to Ietnnlnc accompany hoer dear mother Hhe sIlenced nil arguments ni guments by Ihe noble declaration I Whine thou goest there will 1 wi alsn g where thou rtmaincst 1 will remain Thy people I my people thy God i my God Where thou iltet I will die and there I dt wi nld tber will be 1 b Inched Before the Lord nothing Iothlog but UA can separate mo front fire After l strong expres sion of dlintercsted love Naomi agreed to take Butt along and the two proceeded on their Journey to Bethlehem t Ithlehem In this city niith became cl nutl Lme ac IC quainted with Boar who took her t wife In this mnarrlageshiebccnomn the mother of Obed who was tho grandfather of King David A JiOAnmc SACIFCE Later 00 duclogthe reign eC King Ahauwenud flit 1 bit Milit ary t lud But when Ahab died the Moabitic king Mesa celled to his tribute Joraru cl t pay tbntc Jorm became king of Samaria after Ahad then called upon Jehosaphat the king of Judahaud together with the king of I > iom they Invaded the land of Moabfrcm tho rut Seven days they marched In flue wilderness with Uiehr army and foil nd no water The king of Israel feared that they would all perish Outlitproposition of Jehosaphat prplUon messengers were sent t the meogel Elijah t tsk him what God would do Tbo prophet then called for a cletl fr musician and while this man was playing on his harp the Spirit o Gout came over the prophet and he predicted the speedy relief and the prIce te the Moabltcs nm Ictry oc The next day one Qf the rivers which emIly themselves into the Dead Sea commenced to flow clnmenc t although there had been no rain nor storm Time army was supplied with water A the mu went up tmd shone upon the water the Moab ites thought Ik was bled and 10I eluded that the allied forces had killed each other The Moabitic kie king therefore gathered his troop and hastened to the luhln ramp I order to take the ° 11 But he found t wellprepared army A fearfUl bntlle ensued King Mesa wad defentted l tY J f scattered directions find the tered in all 1 allied kings broke down the cities threw rock In the cultivated fields thrw rk hewed down the t filled the bewel and el the country a complete com-plete ruin King Meat then wtheml seven hundred men Of his I routed and tried to march Milt against the Kins of Kdom But he acobuiplbh pollilng In this could p ktresslOt ihrmg f3 Unnatural Un-natural father look nis awn flret barn tau HijertHvn pilnce and slew him on the ilhi l of thedty In order to obtain I favor from Cou tO TC tory over hb enemies The religious and moral status of the Moablles nt sttus this time may b fairly Judged of from tbH horrible burnt ottering JIOA11 OXCE 3I01IE Once more II lh history of Israel mlt we find tho Moablles pausing tko I lieoiilo I of i to commit sin I TIe T-Ie after the return of the captives I from Babylon When Lrra had i successfully led hi company through the wilderness and established estab-lished thins hn their native land he found out that many of the priests and the Leviltshad formed intimate I acquaintances with the Gentiles lu tbo country and with the Moabites among then it The hndasthoex pressloii l3Kzro IX 2 JIItn their daughters for themselves and for their eons and mingled their holy alt seal with the nations of the countries coun-tries And lie chiefs of the people tre p isbn had been flue first In the iniquity iniqui-ty As flue good old man lrm heard huts he tore his clothes stud humbled himself before God acknowledging ac-knowledging the great guilt without with-out even asking for mercy liras prayer on this occasion Is well worth reading and contemplating I shows hoiv deeply he felt tho sin of mingling together what should 0 kept separate Flue people however on ier celvlng Kzras grief repented AH foreign clement were Jut Sirnj nnd a solemn covenant was made with God Happy day when tIme peophi of God understand to keep themselves them-selves free from the influence of a corrupt world 1TOP1IFCIKJ CO2 > CCRMNG JtOAf Several of the prophets have delivered de-livered very clear predictions con cerulns Moat most of which reUte to the downfall of kingdom and I the destruction of its cities Amos SOO It C says Thus salth Jehova An account of three lraugrcnlon of Moab and ot Zour I will not prevent It becuufe he hues burt t ashes tho bones of the hi UK of Ijljm And I will send a fire In Moat and this shall consume the palaces 1 of Kerlotli Meal shall die lu lu battle with I cries and the sound Q trumpets And I will cut oil the I immdge from the midst pf the land aud the princes l shall I bill together 11 with 3 him says Jehovah ADo Isaiah some fifty years later predict pre-dict with njual clearness and I gniphlcally the destruction of the cities of lob but ho also states that n remnant of tho people should bo left in their country Sec Ir I xvlGt t Xeplianlah C < 0 B C FaIl that Got should make Mcab llku unto t I Sodom on account of the pride of T the tonlc and because they had I heared injuries upon the people of I God Terrible Khali God beagiiiut Moab for He shall cause all the gods of the earth to perish Zeph I 18 6Kzcklcl Ezekiel 01 D C dcscribf how i God would sit In Judment upon j Moab when hue Children of tho j I liut were t come against Ammon 1 j I and blot that nation out from the Ito tlhe i surface of the land 3rxivSll ttinfcl P > YJ B r C In describing j the conquests of th = Saracens and lie Turks chapt xl 41 clearly states that thu Moabitca should es I I capo their vast furors Son tht e predictions have all I ratim true to UIO erI letter flue 1 I laud has been deeolalcu Jltsbau the ancient Ileslilon formerly n Moabitic city of Iniportanccpresent8 today very little of Interest t a traveler A large piece of walling at the west end of tills bold Isolated hill on which the oil fortress stood with a square block house anti ni pointed archrray adjoining a temple on the enit of a hill with tho pavement pave-ment unbroken and the lofty of four columns still In situ on the cast in the plain Just nt tho base of the hill great eisleru Ihesa are all that remain Tristram Cuplll with lleshtion in the pr phetic denunciations is Klealeh lion E1A1 I will water the with my tears 0 licsbon mind KlcoJen for the houtug for thy summer fruits anti fur thy harvest is fallen Isnlahxvl This placo I now a I lurpof tiltiisurrouuded byportions Ifs Mono wail I And s with all tho rest if the r I once proud cities of Menu And yetI yet-I I the people still remain They lead lfllneTe their I pastoral life as inauclcntday f 1 dwelling in I tent anti tending their llockp And they are t this day I vlrtmlly unsubdued as foretold t3y I Daniel although Besostrin and Cyrus and the Itoirlanj ii the Turks have all attempted to govern I sion hem and to bring them to 5ubnm I J10AI1 T UK RESTORED U Will to Iiilrestln to notice I that among thu pfedlcllnnq tutu I 1 venting i Moat is one given by the 1 prupbet Jeremiah which clearly J promtas that Moabrhall again b j i restored At the end of the day I sits UI thretiuh Jerenniali dUI I tcr xlvlll 7J will I tur the cap I I icily of Mob says Jehovah I How this is to 0 done or by i whom is not specified only that i i shall 1 certainly I to done And ns It Is n work belonging I to the end of I lbs dajVJt may fairly to presumed to have some connection l with the I restoration of tho children of Israel I nod of Judah Uod always works J through agencies ntd there is no doubt thai HP when the time comes for this fulfilment of I this promise to Moat will find the means whereby t I I raise these wnhd ring Bedouins I now half barbarian t a ttato of culture and spiritual prominence For I cannot b doubted that Gods I promise of rceoration Implies that in tho Kingdom of God n placets I I > rcciml also forUiUaudeut nation But who Is able and who l w iiliog to carry the message of a promised restoration into their tents and give them 1 testimony of tlienlad tidings nl great joy predicted 2500 years ago by a pruphct of the Living Got |
