Dare To Be Different

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Opening Prayer

Holy God, by Your Spirit, nourish my mind with new truth from Your Word as I read it now.

Read Obadiah 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. ^[15] “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. ^[16] Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been. ^[17] But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance. ^[18] Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.” The LORD has spoken. ^[19] People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. ^[20] This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev. ^[21] Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD’s.

Meditate

Obadiah comes as a warning not to place our security in those things that can disappear.

Think Further

As well as accusing the Edomites of betraying their brother Judah during the Babylonian invasion into Jerusalem, Obadiah condemns their pride and false security. Dwelling in the rugged mountain terrain, a natural fortress, Edom often brags of its superior defense and security (3): “Who can bring me down to the ground?” Edom seeks to be like an eagle, building its nest “among the stars” (4). Economically, the people are secure because of their “hidden treasures” (6). Internationally, they strengthen themselves by making allies with neighboring countries (7). Teman (representing Edom) is famous for its wise men (8; Jer. 49:7) and warriors (9). Edom seems to be insurmountable in human eyes, but God will strip off its natural defenses (2–4), wealth (5,6), allies (7) and human resources (8,9).

“There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). Thousands of years after Obadiah’s time, human nature remains the same. Like the Edomites, we are living in a society which strives to achieve, to break records, to aim high, to stand out, to be recognized, to make money, to gain power…! All in all, a person with great fame, wealth and power is often considered “successful” in our society.

However, Jesus’ teaching is revolutionary. He advises people to choose the lowest place instead of the place of honor (Luke 14:7–11). The humble one is the greatest in God’s kingdom (Matt. 18:4). Jesus teaches people to do good deeds in secret instead of drawing public attention (Matt. 6:1–4). He encourages people to store up treasures in heaven, but not on earth (Matt. 6:19–24). Success should not be in terms of seeking power, but in serving others like Jesus himself did (Matt. 20:28; 23:11; John 13:1–17).

Apply

The name Obadiah means “the Servant of the Lord.” To whom can you be a servant this coming week?

Closing prayer

Praise to You, God! You disturb me in my complacency, show me the wrong that I must put right and show me the way to live!

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