Verses 1-8, “Against Moab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo! For it is plundered, Kirjathaim is shamed and taken; The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed— No more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’ You also shall be cut down, O Madmen! The sword shall pursue you; A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: ‘Plundering and great destruction!’ “Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard; For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping; For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. “Flee, save your lives! And be like the juniper in the wilderness. For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together. And the plunderer shall come against every city; No one shall escape. The valley also shall perish, And the plain shall be destroyed, As the Lord has spoken.”
God turns His attention to the judgment of Moab, a nation descending from the act of incest between Lot and one of his daughters after they were pulled out of Sodom and Gomorrah. We know that Lot himself was not the best spiritual leader. After choosing the best land materially speaking with Abraham, worldliness influenced his family (even his wife did not make it out alive after looking back at the loss of her beloved lifestyle). The Moabites were wealthy because their land was among the trade routes, lying along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. This wealth became a snare for the people, and in their pride they remained a longtime enemy of Israel. In fact, when the children of Israel made their exit from Egypt, the king of Moab was so afraid of them, that he sent messengers to Balaam to get God to curse His own people. Even Balaam, a prophet of God, struggled with saying "no" to the king, because of the wealth he was offered.
Numbers 22:1-6, “Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
No matter where you descend from (from godly examples or not), money and possessions can become a trap for you, especially living in a society that has become entirely materialistic. As Christians, we are not immune to the temptations either, and must be on guard against covetousness and loving treasures more than God. I Timothy 6:9-10, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” It is important how you finish the race. Just because you have a strong start, doesn't ensure your victory. Mark 4:18-19, “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
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