Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-01-25
THE MOABITES.
snafches OF Bible History and
- Prophecies.
IA PAPER ny J. n. 81

~ AItNGlCA W AAC NAO'-NN
h at the ford due east of Jericho au'
If follows the route along the Wad.
+ Heshton will in about two hour
e and a half commence the ascent 0
e Ell Belka, the mountains OF Moab
y Here is the road down which tn
s children Of Israel passed after thei
n conquest of Giles,. snd Bashan, ant
e round here the tribes Of Reuben
! Cad and part OF AIanasseh receives
! their inheritances.
: The first inhabitants Of the fer
) tile highlands from the eastern shore.
: of the Dead Sea 10 the mountain;
+ of Gilead were peopled by nation
in sacred writ called Euim. These
, were expelled by the Hioabltes and
the Ammorites, the latter OF which
took possession Of the northern parts
Of the district, leaving the southern
} part, known as "'the field Of Moab, -
to the Moabites.
The whole land OF Moab "must be
understood" says Hayne, "to con-
sist Of a parallelogram, in rough
measurement some fifty miles from
north to south, by thirty from east
to west bounded on the west by the
Dead Sea and the Jordan, on the
east by the Pilgrim Road from
Damascus 10 Mecca, and extending
from the oasis Of Safieh on the
south 10 the gorge which runs
down from Elealeh and HeshbOn 10
the Jordan valley or the north, and
including that portion Of The plain
Of Shittim which lies between the
watercOurse and the Dead Sea, now
known as the Seisaban."
IL is a remarkable fact that while
in the course Of the past ages king
doms have risen and fallen and their
remains been scattered, like the frag-
ments Of Nebuchadnezzar's image,
to the four winds, the Moabites
have kept their small strip Of
country 10 themselves, and still
live there much as in ages past.
Their origin, their history, rs they
have often come in contact with
the people Of God, are interesting
items to Bible student, particular
ly as they, too, have yet n future
before them and will be called upon
to take part in the win ling up
scenes Of our age.
ORIGIN OF THE MoARirEs.
On the fearful day Of Judgment,
upon the cities of the plains, a
judgment that reduced n beautiful
but sin-stained tract of land to
bay OF the Dead Sea, and hurled
thousands OF guilty souls into the
depths Of Hades, early, before sun
rise, Lot, his wife and two daugh-
tiers fled from Scdom into the little
village ZOar- As soon rs this place
Of refuge had been reached, the
first blood-colorcd rays Of the sun
spread tireir threatening glare over
the landscape. Everything was rs
yet quiet in the doomed cities. The |
nightly jewellers were still strug-
Cling with their haunting dreams,
while abused nature endeRvored to |
snatch from the morning hours a lit /
tie rest, and 10 heal up wounds innu- !
mera5le inflicted by shameless sin.
The sun had just risen. But sudden
ly the whole atmosphere Is darkened. |
Clouds, charged from the electric
batteries of Almighty God. rush |
hurriedly together from all quarters
Of the heavens, executors Of divine
fUEFfRfa 4 NY-rff.nss z
rhunders roll; lightnings cross
each other in all directions, iuces- !
sanity. They strike the earth. Here |
Therel Everywhere. The soil. sat
urated with combustibles, takes fire.
In n moment the whole plain i ]
one burning lake. Sinful men aud /
women wake up. One hour OF terri :
bic agouies and they are no more.
From this elevated refuge Lot had |
witnessed the commencement of this
fearful drama. But although the
angel Of the Lord had assured him /
that Zoar should be spared, vet he |
concluded TO flee from Zolran find |
refuge, in his judgment, more
secure. Trembling from fear, he
therefore left Zoar and assembled the |
mountain. He knew Of q cave the
interiOrof which he thought safer
than the places appointed by Gods
promise.
On false step was taken. The
consequences followed. Or the way
the unfortunate man lost his wife.
and in the place of refuge. selected
by his own wisdom, where he seems
10 have lived for some time with
his daughters, he became the father
OF two sons, Moab and Benjamin..
the fathers Of the two nations later
known rs Moabites and Ammonites
lsee Genesis xiv. ISL. This. then.
Is the origin Of the Moabites.
The relationship between the Jews
and the MOabites will be understood
when il is remembered that Lot was
the son Of Abraham,s brother.
The name Moab given 70 the son
oy ms mother, the eldest daughter
OF Lot, means 'sFrom Father;;; so
that the very maine Island wifi ever
be monument Of the pit into which
n righteous man. was precipitated
on account of his mistrust in Gods
promise.
MOAB AGAINST ISRAEL.
Centuries rolled on. From inii.
viduals sprang up nations, covering
The face of the earth like branches
d olive trees Israel had passed ,
through their long thraidom In
Egypt. and had been liberated
through Gods own interference :
IN theft BEHALF Thes hsd !
wandered their weary way through
he wilderness, and we now find {
hem camping in the field Of Noah.
liter their complete victory over the
mighty Amorites.
The next neighbors to the Moab. /
les there were the Mitlianites = .
'eople descended from INDIAN. a son '
u Abraham and Eethurah. Itwas 5
'mong this people that Moses had y
9lourned while in exile, and found a
us wife ZpOrah, the daughter Of e
he Midianitic priest, Jefhre, V
Up III this time the two nations. o
ne Moabites and the AIidianites. 50
losely related TO Israel. had made {,
% efforts TO lar the way of the 4
hosen people. But now. ON seeing n
ne lsraeiitlsh camp in their own Il
and learning OF the won W
eriul victories obtained, fear came 81
yer Moab, aud the king determined n
?, oppose the children. This was N
IL the more u1 just, rs God had ex- re
ressly forbidden Israel to make d,
ar upon the descendants of LOT d,
NJ f.sau lDeut., III. l-gl. and Israel q
az consequently asked for the priv &c
eye OF marching through this coun- al
y peaceahiy, paying for all they re
eeded, even the water. Rut The III
iers Of peace were not accepted. dl
ne King OF the Aioabites at this bl
me was Balak, the son of Zippor. bJ
In the country was also af This III
me- n nrpr,bat a., =