More About the Moabites

Speaking of eternal consequences, I was exploring a bit more about the Moabites and their history.  After such a questionable start, I wondered what happened to them as a people.  Also, I know that God can take the worst of circumstances and somehow manage to bring about some good from the situation.  Well, in this case, the more I explored what the Bible and history had to say about the people, the more complex (and even amazing) it became.  More on this to come.  Right now, however, check out this background.

I found this interesting article by Warren Doud about the Moabites.  Some highlights:

• A description of the physical territory of Moab is given.
• Moab did not fight against Israel while they were neighbors for 300 years.
• However, Moab is accused in Deuteronomy 2:29 of lacking hospitality and hiring Balaam to curse Israel.
• There is no direct prohibition against marrying a Moabite.  The prohibition was against marrying Canaanites.
• At times, the Lord used Moab to chasten the Israelites.
• Twice, the Moabites used their daughters to entice the Israelites.[This is kind of ironic, considering how Moab came to exist.]
• Josephus speaks of Moab as a great nation even up until Roman times.
• The Moabite language was a dialect of Hebrew, displaying similarities in thought as well as grammar and syntax.

There is also some fascinating information regarding the Moabite Stone in this article.  Take the time to read the whole article.  You will not be disappointed.