Jeremiah 48: Bemoaning Moab

For 47 verses, Jeremiah describes the destruction of Israel's neighbor, Moab.  Though Moab deserves the punishment meted out to her, the Lord still has sympathy for the plight of her people.  "Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the people of Kir-heres I mourn" (vs. 31).  God is often revealed in scripture as One who is willing to punish and avenge, but He does so sorrowfully.  Instead of bringing destruction on evildoers, He would rather bless the righteous.  But human beings have an unfortunate tendency to resist God to the point that only punishment is an appropriate response.  Even when He brings disaster on a people out of a sense of justice, He weeps for them.