This chapter is a warning of destruction to the nation of Moab.
“…Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone. He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep… On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn; in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.” (v1-3 abr)
Moab was a pagan nation near Israel who was almost constantly at war with them. They had their own foreign gods so most of them did not serve the God of Israel, and Israelites who intermarried with them often fell away from following God. Most of this chapter describes mourning rituals, even in places of worship (eg. “in the high places”). Moab was mourning because of their spiritual destruction, the end result of their sin.
James suggests we should mourn our sin: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (Jas 4:8-10) James is suggesting that if we mourn our sin and repent, we will not face spiritual destruction (which would bring a different kind of mourning).
The choice is ours: mourn because of our eventual spiritual destruction (like Moab did), or mourn and repent because of our sin (as James suggests) to avoid spiritual destruction. I suggest we do the latter.
Father God, we praise Your holy and magnificent name. Thank you for Your wise words of warning. Please help us to heed Your words and humbly request Your forgiveness. May we mourn our sin now, so we may celebrate our salvation later. May we encourage others to do the same, for Your glory and honor, and the building of Your kingdom, from this moment on, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training