There are several ways to read the Bible. For example, you can try to understand what the words meant at the time they were spoken. That is always a primary way to read it. However, we are told in the New Testament that all the things that happened in the OT were for our example. So if I lived in Israel Edom, Ammon, and Moab would all have very clear meanings. Likewise if I were in the OT they would be very clear who it was referring to.
But what about for a Christian in the US, what am I to learn from their example? Who do they represent for me?
Edom was Jacob's twin brother who sold his birthright for a bowl of beans. Israel (Jacob) and Esau (Edom) both had the same mother and father and to be fair Edom was born first. But Edom sold his birthright. To me this is like Demas who loved the world and forsook Paul. There are those who were born into Christian homes, raised Christian and know the Bible but love the world rather than the Lord. We call them nominal Christians or country club Christians. Israel is called "people of the book" and with Edom I'd say they were "people of the movies". They tell stories, it is very visual with red being the dominant color (sex and violence) and they will sell their birthright for a bowl of beans.
Ammon and Moab were Lot's children from incest. Lot was the nephew of Abraham. The Bible says he was one of three righteous people who were saved from Sodom and Gomorrah when fire rained down. Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom, that meant he was a high government official, perhaps even the Mayor or Governor. He might have been a judge. There are people who "go along" with Christians the same way that Lot went along with Abraham. They agree with the teachings of the Bible, and they behave in a righteous way. They are few and far between, so if Washington DC is a swamp, there may be 3 righteous people in that swamp that will be saved, but the faith is so weak that the more you try and wash away the mud the less and less you are left with anything.
Obviously you can have a genuinely saved person be a politician, judge, or involved in making movies, directing movies or acting in movies. But the vast majority have sold themselves to do evil.
Concerning Ammon, in Jeremiah 49:2 it says
"Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out". This is what we have seen in the political arena of the leaders in our government. In politics, with judges, with teachers, you can't be a Christian. You can't speak your faith. They have driven them out. For example, I was a teacher, if I talked about my faith to my class I would have been fired. However, in the very same school I was in they taught about the Koran. If I had taught about the Bible I would have been fired, but it was perfectly OK to teach about the Koran. Another teacher taught meditation and Yoga, two practices that are also related to religious worship. So the idea that we were not to speak of our faith was completely hypocritical, what they meant was you couldn't speak of the Christian faith. You could talk all you want about the Buddhist faith or the Islamic faith.
Concerning Edom Jeremiah
49:7 says "Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?" It used to be the movies did have wisdom, they did have counsel. But it has "decayed" into nothing but sex and violence and "super heroes". Then in verses
15 “Now I will make you small among the nations,
despised by mankind.
16 The terror you inspire
and the pride of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
Movie stars live in the heights of the hill. They build their nests on high. We have terms like prima donna because we know that movie stars are stereotypically proud.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror;
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.
18 As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
Jeremiah compares Edom to Sodom and Gomorrah, how appropriate. If we were to describe anyplace in the US to Sodom and Gomorrah it would be "Hollyweird".
Now look. at this, after talking about the destruction of Damascus, a city of renown, Jeremiah goes on to say this:
49:31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease,
which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;
its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels will become plunder,
and their large herds will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places[e]
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
A nation at ease? What nation on earth is "at ease"? Which lives in confidence? Germany isn't at ease and they don't live in confidence being so close to Russia and dependent on them for natural gas and oil. Europe doesn't live at ease and confidence knowing they import food from Ukraine, Russia is threatening war, and they have huge violent protests from Islamists. China doesn't, their people live like slaves. A nation that has neither gates nor bars? That doesn't refer to Taiwan or Mexico. I visited both and every home has gates and bars. Its people live far from danger? Obviously not Europe, or Africa, or the Middle East, or Central or South America.
There are only four possibilities: New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Canada. Of these the US has by far the biggest cattle herds, Australia is a distant second with about a third or less, and Canada has about a third of what Australia has and New Zealand has about a third of what Canada has. I would think this is most likely a reference to the USA.
