16:6
In the final part of the prophecy is more judgement against Moab. It might seem to us that verses 3-5 were a brief respite from the gloom, but nothing more. This is not the case, chapters 15 and 16 have a chiasmic structure, a common form is Hebrew. In this case the focus is in the middle, rather than at the end. So Moab is currently engulfed in judgement and disaster, but there is hope for the future. And this hope is found in Israel! The nation she so often attacked. She was a proud nation, boasting of her prowess, but these boast would prove to be completely empty.
16:7-12
Her vineyards would be trampled down. Vineyard must have been a vital part of her economy. In order to seek to avert the disaster she would go to pray to her “gods”, but to no avail. Yet even in all this the Lord laments for Moab (v11).
16:13,14
“But now ..” At some point in the future Moab would turn to Judah, and to God, but for the time being she would remain stubborn and so would suffer the judgements spoken of here. Within three years her splendour would come to nothing. Her survivors would be few, and they would be despised. It is a sad fact that most people, and certainly groups of people on mass, tend to only turn to God in the midst of disaster, when all other options have been exhausted.
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