…Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud;
His soul trembles within him. (15:4).
The prophecy of Isaiah pronouncing judgment against Moab, a perpetual enemy of Israel, unequivocally relays what is coming. And when Isaiah concludes “The oracle concerning Moab” (15:1), he even advises them as to the time it will happen. This is not generations away. Their destruction looms within just three years.
This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord speaks, saying, “Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be degraded along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent,” (Isaiah 16:13-14).
Did that timeline cause any to shake in their boots? If they had any sense it would. When I read this prophecy against Moab, and of souls that will Tremble in their desolation, the prostitute, Rahab of Jericho, came to my mind.
… “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, 13 and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”
All of Jericho Trembled in fear, melting like a cube of ice beneath the hot summer’s son. But only Rahab Trembled in faith. And as a result, she and her family were spared.
And I had to wonder if perhaps there were any Moabites who Trembled like Rahab. Though “very small and impotent,” there would be a remnant left in Moab. Could this remnant be those who had Trembled like Rahab? Just a thought. But I also thought about His Long-suffering and His Grace, ever making Himself known, that souls would Tremble and turn to Him in faith. After all, Jesus descended from the line of David, the man after God’s own heart; and David’s great grandmother was a Moabite.
So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem… (Ruth 1:22).
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son… 22 to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, 22 and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David, (Ruth 4:13, 21-22).
It’s not a stretch to believe that God’s prophecy through His prophet, although without question would be fulfilled, would also extend His invitation to Tremble, like Rahab; that some would perhaps reach for Him in faith, that they might be saved.
and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us, (Acts 17:26-27).
Consider Him… and Tremble
He has revealed His warning: reject Him to pursue the things of the world and we will Tremble in doubt, dread and desolation.
…Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud;
His soul trembles within him. (15:4).
“Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. 66 So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life,” (Deuteronomy 28:65-66).
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” (Matthew 23:37-38).
He has revealed His heart’s desire: Tremble in repentance, turn to Him, be saved and live.
“…And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other,” (Isaiah 45:21-22).
Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23).
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance, (2 Peter 3:9).
What is our response to be as we consider Him… and Tremble?
Let us never get over His Holiness, Might and Grace. He is perfect in His justice and He will judge sin. But in His Grace, He extends His invitation to escape the judgment we deserve and receive His free gift of salvation.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 6:23).
If we have any sense at all, we will seek the gift He so desires to bestow and Tremble in faith and trust His salvation so graciously provided in Christ.
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time, (1 Timothy 2:4-6).
But the choice is ours. He invites us to Tremble like Rahab in faith, that we would know and abide in His love; or we can reject His invitation and Tremble like the men of Moab, and live in the fear of His punishment.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love, (1 John 4:15-18).
Although we have not been given an exact timeline, He has told us the day is coming when He will reign and all of His creation will Tremble before Him in holy worship, the day when every knee will confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity,” (Psalm 96:9-10).
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, (Philippians 2:10-11).
Oh, until He comes again, let us Tremble in awe of Him, with hearts that fear Him, for He alone is worthy. Let us accept His invitation to live in obedience, ever confident that it will be well for us as we daily consider Him… and Tremble in faith.
“Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death, (Proverbs 14:26-27).
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, (Hebrews 11:1-6).