Edom’s Pride and Punishment
January 19, 2020
Commentary
This period of Old Testament history comes from a time when war was simply a fact of life. Here we find the nations waging war against Edom (vv. 1-4). The theme of the book is clearly established in the first four verses when the Lord says, “I will bring you down.” The implication is that the destruction of Edom will be worse than the devastation caused by thieves (v.5).
From the announcement of doom upon Edom the emphasis turns to a spelling out of the wrongs which have made such a doom inevitable (vv. 6-7). Judgment was given on the basis and conviction that Edom had done specific wrong acts against the will of the Lord. Edom prided herself in her great wealth (obtained by trading and by iron and copper mining) and in her position geographically. She trusted in the natural protection provided by the clefts of the rock. Her prideproved to be her undoing, for it deceived her into thinking that no one could conquer her (vv. 8-9). Though from man’s point of view Edom was almost impregnable she was not inaccessible to God.
The Lord condemns Edom’s cruelty (vv. 10-14). Those make themselves poor, who think to make themselves rich by the ruin of the people of God; and those deceive themselves, who call all that their own on which they can lay their hands in a day of calamity. Though judgment begins at the house of God, it shall not end there.
Application
I need to talk with my family about the sin of pride and give some examples of it will cause us to do and some of the things it will cause us not to do.
Obadiah 1:1– 14 (NET)
1 The vision that Obadiah saw. The Sovereign Lord says this concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord. An envoy was sent among the nations, saying, “Arise! Let us make war against Edom!”
2 The Lord says, “Look! I will make you a weak nation; you will be greatly despised!
3 Your presumptuous heart has deceived you— you who reside in the safety of the rocky cliffs, whose home is high in the mountains. You think to yourself, ‘No one can bring me down to the ground!’
4 Even if you were to soar high like an eagle, even if you were to make your nest among the stars, I can bring you down even from there!” says the Lord.
5 “If thieves came to rob you during the night, they would steal only as much as they wanted. If grape pickers came to harvest your vineyards, they would leave some behind for the poor. But you will be totally destroyed!
6 How the people of Esau will be thoroughly plundered! Their hidden valuables will be ransacked!
7 All your allies will force you from your homeland! Your treaty partners will deceive you and overpower you. Your trusted friends will set an ambush for you that will take you by surprise!
8 At that time,” the Lord says, “I will destroy the wise sages of Edom, the advisers from Esau’s mountain.
9 Your warriors will be shattered, O Teman, so that everyone will be destroyed from Esau’s mountain!
10 “Because you violently slaughtered your relatives, the people of Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed forever.
11 You stood aloof while strangers took his army captive, and foreigners advanced to his gates. When they cast lots over Jerusalem, you behaved as though you were in league with them.
12 You should not have gloated when your relatives suffered calamity. You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah when they were destroyed. You should not have boasted when they suffered adversity.
13 You should not have entered the city of my people when they experienced distress. You should not have joined in gloating over their misfortune when they suffered distress. You should not have looted their wealth when they endured distress.
14 You should not have stood at the fork in the road to slaughter those trying to escape. You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered adversity.
Illustration: Preacher’s Wife Puts an Egg in The Box For Bad Sermons
A preacher found a shoe box in a closet. He opened it and found strange contents. Inside was an egg carton with 5 eggs. Next to the eggs was a stack of bills that totaled over 10,000 dollars. As soon as his wife walked thru the door, he stopped her to ask if she knew anything about this odd combination. ‘Yes, dear, after we got married, I decided that after every sermon you preached if it was a bad one, I would put an egg in this shoe-box’. The preacher thought with pride about all the years they had been married and that only 5 eggs were in the box. ‘But honey, what about the 10,000 dollars? ‘Oh, well every time I got a dozen eggs, I sold them.’ (Source Unknown).