816 tained in Isa. 15 and. 16, and also in Jer. 48, where the names of cities men tioned in the Moabite Stone constantly recur. “ Send ye the lambs for the ruler of the land” (Isa. 16:1) may have reference to the king of Moab’s tribute of lambs. It may be that in some pass ages in these prophecies there are ref erences to this very stone which so boastfully proclaims the victory of Moab over Israel. “ We have heard of the pride of Moab; that he is very proud; even of his arrogancy and his pride, and his wrath; his boastings are nought” (Isa. 16:6). “ For was not Israel a derision unto thee? . . • for since thou speakest of him, thou skippest for joy. O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth. And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord” (Jer. 48:27, 28, 42). This prophecy was fulfilled much later and was so rapid and complete that Moab was overwhelmed. The cities have truly remained even unto our time, but the people were missing, for they had fled. The cities are described by many travelers. Captains Irby and Mangles, the cele brated authors of “ Travels in the East” , say: “ The whole of the plains (of Moab) are covered with the sites of towns on every eminence or spot convenient for the construction of one, and as the land is capable of rich cultivation, there can be no doubt that the country, now so deserted, once presented a continued picture of plenty and fertility.” (P. 370.) Burckhardt, the traveler, refers to the towns of Eleale, Heshbon, Meon, Medeba, Dibon and Aroer, as illustrat ing history. ( “ Travels” , p. 38.) Pro fessor Porter, A. M., writes thus: “ The
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS best, the fullest and the most instruc tive commentary on the 48th chapter of Jeremiah I ever saw, was that inscribed by the finger of God on the panorama spread out around me, as I stood on the battlements of the castle of Salcah. . . . The harmony between the predictions of the Bible 'and the state of the country is complete. No traveler can possibly fail to see it, and no con scientious man can fail to acknowledge it. For more than one hour I sat gazing on that vast panorama; wher ever I turned iny eyes, towns and vil lages were seen. Bozrah there on the plain; the towers of Bethgamul and sev eral deserted towns (not named); upon the hill Abd-el-maaz, a large deserted town; six miles off, on the top of a hill, the deserted town of Maleh; on the plain between south and east I counted fourteen towns, all, so far as I could see with my telescope, habitable, like Sal cah, but deserted. From this one spot I saw upwards o f thirty deserted towns. The people had told us that though the country is thickly studded with towns and villages, yet “ not a single individual dwells in them.” We rode through an old cemetery, passed the ruins of an ancient gate at Salcah, and entered the stceets of the deserted city. The open doors, the empty houses, rank grass and weeds, long straggling brambles in doorways and windows, formed a strange picture which can never leave my memory; the tread of our horses awakening mournful echoes and start ling the foxes from their dens in the pal aces of Salcah.” (“ Giant Cities of Bashan” , p. 74, etc.) LORD, HELP! There is no need to pray a long prayer in temptation: we have not time' for it. I would suggest, say “ Lord, help!” and throw yourself at His feet.— Preb. Webb-Peploe.
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