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Complacency – a feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder.
Cambridge Dictionary
Dictionary.com adds to this. It is the attitude of being unaware of potential danger.
Spiritual complacency is incredibly dangerous. As our fervency becomes lax in our relationship with Jesus we open ourselves up to all kinds of thinking, which begins with many times feeling satisfied. As Jesus continues to call us all deeper, to places of trust and faith, there is no way the 2 can coincide. The problem is we may not deliberately go into sin but our hearts are content where we are. We don’t grow in Him and consequently have no roots.
So, when challenges come, points of decision are given, like a piece of wood floating on water the gentle waves take us this way and that. A complacent heart is dangerous.
God’s word against Moab and all that was to come dealt with this issue they had given to. In fact, in verse 10 He says, “A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!” It’s fairly clear of God’s feeling toward any who become complacent in their walk.
The art of winemaking has been pursued and improved over the centuries. The basics are the first thing that must be done is the grapes are crushed. It then rests in its juices for 40 days. This mixture is then poured off and what remains are known (at least within scripture) as the dregs at the bottom of jar. If draining the juice is not done the wine becomes known as inferior product.
This is the comparison God gives to Moab which stands really through time. Moab had become complacent in its relationship with Him. By refusing to do God’s work as they had become satisfied with where they were they were in danger. The same is true for us.
We cannot stay in one place. We are either growing in our relationship with Jesus or we are drifting backward. The action is subtle but makes all the difference in our placement with Him. Yes, like the grapes we can be crushed. And yes, like the art of winemaking we find ourselves stuck in a place of that hardship for a period of time. We simply cannot become too comfortable or stuck for the good wine to be found we must be siphoned off the dregs.
Moab can trace its ancestry all the way back to Lot. Historically, Israel and Moab experienced times of peace and hostility but there was little love lost between these two nations. Moab seemed to play both sides of the fence. Often, they were a thorn in the side of God’s people. This is why so many prophets spoke out against them (i.e. Isaiah, Amos, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). This judgment in Jeremiah 48 closely mirrors the words of Isaiah 16.
Another related story involves King Mesha of Moab. After the death of King Ahab of Israel, King Mesha rebelled against King Joram (2 Kings 3) and secured victory over parts of Moab where Israel had ruled. In 1968, archeologists discovered the Moabite Stone which is a tablet with an inscribed story of how the Moabite god Chemosh aided King Mesha in restoring the land of Moab. According to some, it is the earliest certain extra-biblical reference to Yahweh in history. Unfortunately, for Chemosh and the Moabites, Yahweh would have the last word.
“Moab, you trusted in your strength and your wealth, but now even you will be conquered; your god Chemosh will go into exile, along with his princes and priests. [8] Not a town will escape the destruction; both valley and plain will be ruined. I, the LORD, have spoken.
Jeremiah 48:7-8 GNB
Obviously, the judgment of the Moabites is their pride. It is the root of all sin. Ironically, God would come down on His own people for the very same thing, using Israel’s enemies to humble them. In the last 3 chapters, we have read about God humbling Israel’s enemies for the very same reason!
It’s easy to see, we are prideful people. It didn’t matter if you were God’s chosen or an enemy of God. Sin still exists, and it infects the core of who we are. Seeing how much God despises sin, (specifically pride) and how patient He is with us should bring us to our knees and compel us to fall down in total submission.
Pride tricks us into desiring what we want when we want it. Humility helps us understand that no matter where we are, we’re safe with God. The same scenario in our lives looks drastically different depending on the lenses we look through. Are you looking too far forward to where you want to be (even if God has called you there)? Or, are you content with where you are because God is there, in the thick of the mess, working slowly to bring about his plan?
These are tough thoughts, but there is hope God brings at the end of these chapters. However, I also think it is not the main focus of His words so that we are not looking too far forward and worshiping the destination instead of being content here and now with our Creator.
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