| The Poison of Death—Pride
"Pride comes before the fall," we are told by Solomon in the book of Proverbs. When pride takes root in our hearts, it always has its intoxicating impact: self-inflicted deception about ourselves, those around us, and God Himself. We become in our own way like an eagle that foolishly thinks he's so great he can ascend to the stars to make his nest (v. 4). We think we will go beyond the prideful who have gone before us. They may have stumbled and fallen, but we will not, we say to ourselves. In this book, the Edomites basically put a bright bull's-eye on their foreheads the day they let their inflated view of themselves defy God Himself as they displayed their arrogance against Israel. When Edom saw the fall of the Jewish people, they gloated over it. When they saw the Jews taken as slaves to the land of the Babylonians, they rejoiced (v. 12). But Edom would one day learn the ageless truth that we all reap, in due season, what we have sown (v. 15). Those who mock the weak, who take pleasure in the failure of their enemies, and who condemn the sinful one day will know what that feels like. History has proven this to be true, not only in what befell Edom, but to this very hour in the countless souls who live in heartless arrogance. It's really not that complicated. God could not be clearer when He promises to resist the proud yet give grace to the humble. When He says He will lift up the humble, yet bring down the proud, He means it. There's a reason Jesus described Himself as One who was "meek and lowly." The poison of pride is what turned the most beautiful of angels into the Devil. It was the mesmerizing force of pride that drew Adam and Eve away from the abundance of the Garden of Eden into a land of sweat and thorns. Pride promised them they would become gods; instead, they became slaves to sin. Let wisdom call you each day to Jesus Christ. Receive the antidote for the poison of pride—a fresh supply of the life of our meek Savior, Jesus Christ. If not, pride will do its deceptive work and those of us who think we fly as an eagle among the stars, above even God Himself, will one day see just how far the mighty can fall. | |||
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Obadiah 1:1-21 The Coming Judgment on Edom 1 The vision of Obadiah. 2 "Behold, I will make you small among the nations; 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, 4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle, 5 "If thieves had come to you, 6 "Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! 7 All the men in your confederacy 8 "Will I not in that day," says the LORD, 9 Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, 10 "For violence against your brother Jacob, 11 In the day that you stood on the other side— 12 "But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother In the day of his captivity; 13 You should not have entered the gate of My people 14 You should not have stood at the crossroads 15 "For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near; 16 For as you drank on My holy mountain, 17 "But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, 18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, 19 The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, 20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel 21 Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion | |||
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| Obadiah 1:1-21 Obadiah – means "servant of God" v. 1 Vision – The prophets often use this term to indicate a revelation from God to the prophet in one form or another. Edom – The name used to refer to the descendants of Esau, who was the son of Isaac and twin brother of Jacob. As with Esau and Jacob there was great animosity between Edom and Israel. In the book of Amos, God singles Edom out in His judgments against the nation specifically for their violent tendencies toward Israel, their brother (Amos 1:11-12). v. 2 small – God promises to make Edom the least of all the nations because of their vile treatment of Israel and Judah (the Northern and Southern kingdoms). God made a covenant with Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you" (Gen 12:3). Here we are witnessing God's faithfulness to His promises to His people. greatly despised – baza (Heb.) This word goes beyond an emotional disregard for someone, but there is a scorning, an assignment of shame and a great jeering/lack of respect for Edom from the surrounding nation (Jer. 49:17). This is the curse placed upon Edom for their deeds against Israel. v. 3 deceived by the pride of your heart – Edom was exceedingly confident in themselves and glorified their skills of war in the hills. In their minds they were unable to be defeated in the mountains, for it was their home and the terrain was to their advantage. They are so blinded by their own arrogance that they didn't believe it was possible for them to be defeated. v. 4 "I will bring you down," says the Lord – Although the war may be carried out by men from the surrounding nations, Edom's fight will not be against flesh and blood. According to Obadiah's statement in verse four, their fight is against Almighty God, who promises to defeat them. v. 5 Thieves and gleaners – When raiders would attack villages and loot homes, they would take their fill and only leave what they could not carry away. Likewise harvesters in ancient Israel would leave sections of the crops unharvested for the poor, who were called gleaners. These gleaners would then come and have their fill of what they could find left over from the harvest. cut off! – This phrase is referring to Edom's utter annihilation. There would be nothing left over after their enemies come to destroy them. Notice the comparison between thieves and harvesters in Edom and their imminent destroyers. Thieves and harvesters leave some of what is valuable that others might glean from what was left over. Edom's enemies will leave nothing. v. 7 Confederacy – "Those who eat your bread…" It was international etiquette for nations at peace to share meals together. Edom had several allies with whom these sorts of treaties were shared. It appears that it is this relationship with the surrounding nations that causes Obadiah to infer an Edomite "confederacy." v. 8 Wise men – Edom had a reputation for having wise men dwell in its mountains. Jeremiah in his pronouncement of God's judgment on Edom addresses their foolish actions by inquiring of Edom's wisdom. "Is wisdom no more in Teman?" (Jer. 49:7) v. 9 Teman – Teman was one of Esau's grandsons and was the actual name of a city in Edom's southern region. Teman's father was Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau (Gen. 36:9-11). Here it is used synonymously with Edom. v. 10 Your brother Jacob – This expression doesn't merely speak of a people who share a common territory. It is a literal reference to the blood ties of the children of Esau and Jacob. Isaac, son of Abraham, and Rebekah had a set of twins who we know to be Esau and Jacob. As brothers their descendants would be blood tied as Edom and Judah. v. 11 on the other side – This verse is referring to Judah's days of distress as their neighbors would attack and pillage them. It gives us insight to the unthinkable act of Edom joining forces with Judah's hostile neighbors to plunder their brothers (Ps. 83:5-8). cast lots – Used as a way of dividing up Jerusalem's plunder. v. 12 gazed on the day – ra'ah (Heb.), meaning "enjoyable observation." Edom not only laughed aloud at Judah's destruction but joyfully took an active role in their brother's demise. spoken proudly – literally, "You should not have made big your mouth." v. 13 The day of their calamity – This refers to God's judgment upon Judah for their rebellions against Him. Babylon, by the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, carried out this destruction. laid hands on their substance – It was common that a raid on a city would involve looting. This is proof that Edom had full part in Babylon's oppression against Jerusalem. v. 14 stood at the crossroads – This suggests Edom's deliberate attempt to stand in the way of their brother's escape from destruction. delivered them up – Edom didn't just stand in the way of their brother's escape. They pursued them, collected the escapees, and handed them over to their oppressors. v. 15 day of the LORD – This is synonymous with "day of calamity" in v. 13. It refers to the day of God's judgment. In v. 13, this judgment is poured out on Judah by the Babylonian raiders. Here in v. 15, this prophecy refers to the impending judgment upon all the nations that mishandled God's people in Judah and Israel. Your reprisal shall return – God promises that Edom's vengeful acts shall come back upon them. Here the prophet give us a practical example of what Jesus taught, "and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matt 7:2). v. 16 as you drank – This phrase was a common word picture to describe the pouring out of God's wrath (Jer. 25:15-16). Jesus uses this phrase in the garden just before He goes to the cross (Matt. 14:36). v. 17 Mount Zion (My Holy Mountain) – These are both phrases for the city Jerusalem. This is the prophetical location that God will reestablish his presence on the earth (Zech. 1:16-17). v. 18 The house of Jacob and the house of Joseph – These two houses are mentioned together by Obadiah in a time where the kingdom of Israel was split into two. The largest tribe of Israel was Judah, which resided in the southern portion of the kingdom. Then there was the tribe of Ephraim (the son of Joseph), which resided in the northern portion of the kingdom (Israel). Obadiah is referring to the totality of Israel in this verse. Esau shall be stubble – God has spoken His judgment upon Edom. It appears that Judah and Israel will have their chance to devour Edom once and for all. v. 19 The South…Lowland…Benjamin – What is pictured here is the reclamation of Israel's traditional territories. The "South" here is the Southern Kingdom of Judah. They shall possess the land of Edom. The Lowland is the lower hills in Judah. In gaining Philistia, the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, they would win back what the Assyrians had taken form them. Lastly the tribe of Benjamin would take back the territory between Bethel and Jerusalem called Gilead. v. 20 captives of this host – Refers to the exiled people of Israel who were carried away captive by the Babylonians. "Captives of Jerusalem" signifies the same. They shall return to inhabit their land again. v. 21 saviors – suggests deliverers, heroes, or those who will bring salvation from their enemies (Neh. 9:27) | |||
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| "The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?'" –Obadiah 1:3 We pray to remember that You, Jesus, the One who created all of creation, the One who gives us salvation and the One whom we serve and seek to be like, did not live pridefully while here on Earth. You came to serve the poor, sick, injured, and hurting. You did not display pride, and You condemned it in those who pretended to serve You. Give us hearts like Yours, Jesus. Erase the pride in our hearts, Lord. | |||
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OBADIAH 
Outreach Ministry
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