Tears of True Ministry

A dire warning comes from Jeremiah to the nation of Moab in the 48th chapter.

Jeremiah 48:10 (ESV) “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

Do you ever consider apathy a sin? It is. Moreover, Jeremiah says it is cursed to do God's work without firm conviction. Then Jeremiah describes a subtle problem Moab emulated to the ancient nations around them. 

Jeremiah 48:11 (ESV) “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.

The thought in this passage is simple. Moab never faced judgment. She was never as disciplined as she needed to be, and thus, she became complacent and lazy. 

God's punishment may be unpleasant, but if left to our own devices, we become far less of what we were made for. Even worse, we become proud and full of a false sense of overconfidence. 

Listen to how Jeremiah puts it:

Jeremiah 48:14 (ESV) “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war’?

Jeremiah 48:18 (ESV) “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.

Jeremiah 48:26 (ESV) “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision.

Jeremiah 48:29 (ESV) We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.

Jeremiah 48:42 (ESV) Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.

The theme is repeated again and again —Moab was full of herself. Yet, hear what God says about that pride in Moab: It was all fake!

Jeremiah 48:30 (ESV) I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.

What a picture of pride that still resounds in our world today. Some, desperate for meaning and knowing their true selves are not worthy of it, seek bombastic self-adulation and glorification. They put on a fake front, thinking to deceive even themselves into being better people than they really are. 

Yet hear the heart of Jeremiah, reflecting the heart of the Lord. 

Jeremiah 48:31–32 (ESV) Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn. 32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.

The prophet pronounced the wrath of God upon Moab and did so in TEARS! What a picture of ministry. We hear this in the Apostle Paul's words to Timothy:

Philippians 3:17–18 (ESV) Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Christian, the spiritual apathy we see in those far from God who do not pursue Him or heed His call to salvation can reside in us when we glory in their downfall. God's wrath is not to be taken lightly, even by those who observe it occur on others. Our hearts should break for those lost in sin; their recompense is terrible.