49 Concerning the sons of Ammon. Thus says the Lord:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no heirs?
Why then has [a]Malcam taken possession of Gad
And his people settled in its cities?
2 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“That I will cause a [b]trumpet blast of war to be heard
Against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon;
And it will become a desolate heap,
And her towns will be set on fire.
Then Israel will take possession of his possessors,”
Says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah,
Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament,
And rush back and forth inside the walls;
For [c]Malcam will go into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.
4 “How boastful you are about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
O backsliding daughter
Who trusts in her treasures, saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5 “Behold, I am going to bring terror upon you,”
Declares the Lord [d]God of hosts,
“From all directions around you;
And each of you will be driven out [e]headlong,
With no one to gather the fugitives together.
6 “But afterward I will restore
The [f]fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares the Lord.
After an entire chapter about the judgment of Moab, their cousins the Ammonites get six verses. We don’t see a lot said about their sins, beyond them invading Israel (Gad in v. 1). We do also have their idol worship to “Malcam” (Milcom or Molech elsewhere), and that was about as bad as it could get. However, in v. 4 we see the classic pride rearing its ugly head.
They boasted in “the valleys” but also put their trust in the treasurers that no doubt resulted from the produce of said valleys. The Ammonites asked “Who will come against me?” and felt pretty secure. Yet, like so many others, they had their trust in the wrong place entirely, not to mention a fictional deity that was the product of their own imagining.
It should be a warning to us also, to not put our trust in our treasures. Certainly we are to steward the resources God gives us, and there are lots of instructions in the Bible about that. But they should not be our source of trust or hope. Only God Himself, the source of all we have, is sure and true. He gives us a hope that is solid, a firm foundation, and upon that rock we “build our house”.
We dare not get it backwards and put the trust in the house or anything else that can wither, burn, or fade. I know I need plenty of reminders to keep my eyes on the Author of hope, and this is one more. Fix your eyes on God, and don’t be distracted, there is only One who is worthy of our trust.