Have you ever felt like you were better than someone else and were mean or disrespectful because of your status?
Many proverbs in the Bible warn that the sin of pride is a dangerous offense. Proverbs 16:18 declares, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Verse 18 links to verse 19: “Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.” Nothing good comes from being full of pride, something the Edomites in the Bible learned the hard way.
Obadiah, the shortest book in the Bible, is a powerful reminder of the consequences of pride and the power and length of God’s justice. Obadiah was a prophet in a nation named Edom, a close relative of Israel. Edom was an ancient kingdom located in the area of Jordan and Israel, south and east of the Dead Sea. The Edomites were the people who lived in Edom, and the Bible says they were descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob.
When Israel fell captive to other nations because they stopped obeying God, the Edomites were proud (Obadiah 1:3), violent (verse 10), and apathetic to the destruction of Israel (verse 11), and God promised a reckoning. The pride of the Edomites led them to believe they were better than the Israelites and they celebrated their misfortunes.
Obadiah warned them that if they continued to laugh at and be cruel to the Israelites, the same thing would happen to them. In Obadiah 1:15, he said, “As you have done, it shall be done to you. Your deed shall return on your own head.”
The Edomites didn’t listen and were driven from their land by the Nabateans, they migrated to the southern part of Israel and became known as Idumeans. Much later in biblical history, Herod the Great, an Idumean, appears on the scene. It was Herod who tried to kill the infant Jesus in Bethlehem—through Herod, the rebellion of Edom continued.
In AD 70, the Idumeans joined the Israelites in their revolt against Rome, and they were wiped out when Jerusalem was destroyed. At that point, the descendants of Esau disappeared from human history, just as God had said. Although once a mighty kingdom among the red cliffs of its land, Edom was destroyed for its sin. It is the restored Israel who will one day possess the land of Edom and the “mountains of Esau” in the millennial kingdom of Christ (Obadiah 1:19–21).
Pride always catches up to you. Instead of being prideful, work hard, be humble, and trust and follow God.
SOMETHING(s) TO THINK ABOUT
1 - What is your biggest takeaway from the story of Obadiah?
2 - Have you ever been in a situation where pride backfired on you, or have you seen pride backfire against someone else?
3 - How do you stay humble when things are going well?
4 - Have you ever celebrated or rejoiced in the failures of someone else?
My Prayer
Our Father. Thank you for helping me see how pride can hurt me. Please help me to stay humble through my successes, and to find ways to help the people around me. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
For a printable PDF version of this post, click here: Obadiah: Stay Humble
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