The High Cost of Arrogance Text: Jeremiah 48:40-42
Introduction: The Sin of the Upward Glance
We live in an age that has forgotten the most basic truth of reality: God is God, and we are not. This is not a small oversight. It is the foundational lie upon which all other rebellions are built. Modern man, in his technological hubris, imagines himself to be the master of his fate, the captain of his soul, the center of his own story. Nations do this corporately. They puff out their chests, rattle their sabers, and boast in their GDP, their military might, or their cultural enlightenment. They look at their own hands and say, "My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth."
But the God of the Bible is not impressed. He is never flustered. The pride of nations is, to Him, a ridiculous spectacle. It is like a toddler in a diaper standing on a coffee table declaring himself king of the living room. It is a laughable claim, but because the one making it is defying the true King, it is also an act of high treason. And high treason always comes with a steep penalty.
In this passage, the prophet Jeremiah delivers the word of Yahweh against Moab. Moab was a cousin to Israel, descended from Lot. They had a long and intertwined history. But they also had a persistent, deep-seated pride. They trusted in their fortresses, their wealth, and their gods. They looked down on Israel and, in so doing, they looked down on Israel's God. Jeremiah's prophecy here is not just an ancient oracle against a forgotten people. It is a timeless declaration of a fixed principle in God's moral universe: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. What He says to Moab, He says to every nation, every institution, and every man who dares to magnify himself against the Lord. This is a warning against the sin of the upward glance, the sin of looking at the Almighty and thinking you are His competitor.
So as we look at this text, do not think of it as ancient history. Think of it as today's newspaper, written in advance. God is laying out the playbook for how He deals with corporate arrogance. He shows us that judgment is swift, it is thorough, and it is utterly terrifying for those on the receiving end. But for those who fear the Lord, the ferocity of His judgments is a cause for worship, because it demonstrates that our God reigns.
The Text
For thus says Yahweh:
“Behold, one will swoop like an eagle
And spread out his wings against Moab.
Kerioth has been captured,
And the strongholds have been seized,
So the hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day
Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Moab will be destroyed from being a people
Because he has magnified himself against Yahweh.
(Jeremiah 48:40-42 LSB)
The Swiftness of Divine Judgment (v. 40)
The oracle begins with the terrifying swiftness of God's instrument of judgment.
"For thus says Yahweh: 'Behold, one will swoop like an eagle And spread out his wings against Moab.'" (Jeremiah 48:40)
Notice first who is speaking. "Thus says Yahweh." This is not Jeremiah's political analysis. This is not his educated guess based on geopolitical trends. This is the declaration of the sovereign King of history. History is not a random series of events; it is the unfolding of God's decree. He is the one who raises up nations and the one who casts them down. Here, He is announcing His intention to bring Babylon, the eagle, down upon Moab.
The imagery of the eagle is potent. An eagle is a predator. It spots its prey from a great height, and its attack is sudden, shocking, and inescapable. There is no negotiation with a swooping eagle. There is no time to prepare. One moment the rabbit is nibbling grass in the field, the next moment it is in the talons. This is what divine judgment is like for a nation that has grown complacent in its pride. Moab felt secure in its high fortresses, but God sends a threat from higher still. Your walls cannot protect you from an enemy that comes from the sky.
The spreading of wings is a picture of total envelopment. This is not a border skirmish. This is a complete and total takeover. The shadow of Babylon's wings will fall over the entire nation of Moab, blotting out their sun. This is what happens when a nation's pride reaches a certain point. God hands them over to a swift and comprehensive judgment. He doesn't just clip their wings; He sends a greater bird of prey to consume them entirely.
The Collapse of Human Strength (v. 41)
Verse 41 describes the immediate and total collapse of Moab's defenses and morale.
"Kerioth has been captured, And the strongholds have been seized, So the hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day Will be like the heart of a woman in labor." (Jeremiah 48:41)
Kerioth was a major city, a center of Moabite strength. The "strongholds" represent the very things they trusted in. Their pride was located in their military security. They believed their high places were unassailable. But when God ordains judgment, the strongest fortresses become paper bags. The seizure is sudden and complete. The thing you trusted in most is the first thing to fall. God has a way of going right to the heart of a nation's idolatry and smashing it to pieces.
And the result is a complete psychological collapse. The "mighty men," the seasoned warriors, the ones who were the source of national pride, are utterly unmanned. Their hearts will be "like the heart of a woman in labor." This is a common biblical metaphor for terror and anguish that is both excruciating and inescapable. Labor pains are not optional. You cannot reason with them. You cannot fight them off. They come in waves, each one more intense than the last, until the final, inevitable conclusion. This is not just fear; it is paralyzing, strength-sapping agony.
This is a profound spiritual lesson. Courage is not ultimately a matter of testosterone or training. True courage is a fruit of faith in God. When a man or a nation rebels against God, their courage is a sham. It is a bubble of pride waiting for God's pinprick. The moment God withdraws His common grace and brings judgment, the mightiest warrior becomes a terrified, screaming mess. Their strength evaporates because it was never rooted in reality. It was rooted in the idolatry of self, and that idol has just been shattered.
The Root of the Matter (v. 42)
Finally, God gives the explicit reason for this total devastation. This is the charge on the indictment.
"Moab will be destroyed from being a people Because he has magnified himself against Yahweh." (Jeremiah 48:42)
The judgment is annihilation at a national level. "Destroyed from being a people." This is not just a military defeat. This is cultural and national erasure. Their name will be blotted out from under heaven as a distinct, self-governing people. This is the end of Moab. And why? What sin is so grievous that it warrants this ultimate penalty?
The reason is simple and stark: "Because he has magnified himself against Yahweh." There it is. That is the root of all sin. It is pride. It is arrogance. It is the creature posturing as the Creator. The Hebrew verb here means to make oneself great, to act proudly, to behave insolently. Moab's sin was not fundamentally its foreign policy or its economic system. Its sin was theological. It set itself up in opposition to the living God. Every boast in their own strength, every sneer at God's people, every sacrifice to their false god Chemosh was an act of magnifying themselves against the one true King.
This is the sin that God will not tolerate indefinitely. He is patient, He is longsuffering, but He will not be mocked forever. A nation that builds its identity on its own greatness, that defines itself in opposition to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, has signed its own death warrant. The judgment is not a matter of if, but when. God will vindicate His own honor. He will not allow any rival to stand. He will bring down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
Conclusion: The Fear of the Lord
The message for us is clear and sharp. We look around at the nations of our day, including our own, and we see the same Moabite spirit everywhere. We see a strutting, godless pride that magnifies itself against Yahweh. We see a trust in military might, in economic prosperity, in technological prowess. We see a culture that celebrates rebellion and mocks the law of God.
And so we must ask ourselves, what should our response be? It should not be panic. It should not be despair. The Christian does not fear the swooping eagle of God's judgment. We are to fear the God who sends the eagle. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We must see that the collapse of proud nations is not a tragedy; it is the righteous judgment of a holy God. It is God cleansing His world.
The only safe place to be when God begins to shake the nations is in the cleft of the Rock. The only stronghold that will not be seized is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The pride of man led to the fall. But the humility of Christ leads to our salvation. He did not magnify Himself, but humbled Himself, even to the point of death on a cross. And because He humbled Himself, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name.
Therefore, our task is to call all men and all nations to repent of their Moabite pride. We are to announce that judgment is coming, but that there is a way of escape. The eagle is in the air. The contractions have begun. The only hope is to bow the knee to the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way. We must turn from magnifying ourselves and begin to magnify the only one who is worthy of all praise, the Lord Jesus Christ. For His kingdom is the only one that cannot be shaken.