The Problem of Pride
Opening Prayer
As you pray, remember and thank God that he cares for you and looks forward to spending time with you now.
Read Obadiah 1:1-14
[1] The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom- We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, let us go against her for battle”- [2] “See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. [3] The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ [4] Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. [5] “If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night- oh, what a disaster awaits you!- would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? [6] But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! [7] All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it. [8] “In that day,” declares the LORD, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, those of understanding in the mountains of Esau? [9] Your warriors, Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau’s mountains will be cut down in the slaughter. [10] Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. [11] On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. [12] You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. [13] You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. [14] You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
Why will God punish the nation of Edom?There was deep-rooted hostility between the Israelites (the descendants of Jacob) and their neighbors the Edomites (the descendants of Jacob’s brother, Esau). The Edomites lived in a mountainous and easily defended kingdom bordering Israel to the south, so they felt secure enough not to get involved when Israel was attacked. They stood back and watched while Israel was destroyed. That was probably a reasonable tactical decision, but it revealed an attitude completely at odds with God’s laws. The Edomites had two basic problems: they were proud (they trusted in their high position to save them), and they failed to love their neighbors (11-14). The Lord was so angry with their attitude and their actions that he vowed to utterly destroy them (10). Like Habakkuk’s Babylonians, Obadiah’s Edomites seem uncannily contemporary in some ways. They were arrogant, self-satisfied and uncaring. They just didn’t want to get involved. In fact, they were secretly delighted when bad things happened to their neighbors. Like many people today, they’d forgotten something crucial: no one can hide from God.
Apply
Are there any ways in which you are tempted to feel or act self-satisfied and uncaring while others suffer?
Closing prayer
Lord, help us to live in the light of Your presence. Help us to be generous and peace-loving, honest and holy.
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