The
book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. The main content of
the book deals with the judgment on Edom. The Edomites were the descendants of
Esau, a wild and warlike people who inhabited the mountainous region to the
south of the Dead Sea. Their ancestor Esau was the elder twin brother of Jacob,
making the Edomites and Israelites brothers.
The
sins of Edom were two: Pride and Unbrotherly.
PRIDE
God
said to Edom: “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that
dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his
heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?” (vs 3). Edom was proud and
arrogant. She compared herself to an eagle, which chooses the loftiest peaks
for its dwelling place. But God declared He would bring her down (vs 4).
Christ
says: “Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall
humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). The way to arrive at the
highest degree of dignity in the sight of God is by being willing to become the
servant of all (Matthew 20:27). Nothing is more hateful in God’s sight than
pride. The first thing on the list of sins that He hates is pride (Proverbs
6:17).
The
Edomites asked: “Who shall bring me down to the ground?" Well, God
just did! The powerful and the rich are tempted to place confidence both in
their own wisdom and ability and in their own good fortune. But "let
him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians
10:12).
UNBROTHERLY
God
condemned Edom for the way they treated their brother. What did the Edomites
do?
1.
Siding with foreigners against Jerusalem in the day when the city was assaulted
and taken (vs 11).
2.
Rejoicing over Judah’s misfortunes, and mocking at her calamities (vs 12).
3.
Sharing in the spoils of the city when the capture took place (vs 13).
4.
Cutting off the escape route of their brethren when they were retreating (vs
14).
Hatred
against a brother can lead a person to terrible acts. In the case of the
Edomites, they were all out to kill his brother Judah. There was not a speck of
mercy shown towards their brethren. It is no wonder that the Scriptures say
that “whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15). We have
many examples in the Bible of a brother killing his brother because of hatred.
Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4:8). Absalom killed Amnon (2 Samuel 13:23-33).
Solomon killed Adonijah (1 Kings 2:24-25).
God
hates unbrotherliness between brethren. His words say a Christian who professes
to love God but hates his brother is a liar (1 John 4:20). He says such a one
has no eternal life waiting for him (1 John 3:15). He wants us to put on love
and not hate (Colossians 3:14).
Pride
and brotherliness are two things which God hates. He gives us a commandment to
love one another (John 13:34, 35). One characteristics of love is humility: “Love
does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant” (1 Corinthians 13:4, ESV). His
words teach us to put off all bitterness and hatred for one another and put on
tender love and a forgiving heart (Ephesians 4:31, 32).
Repent
and ask God for forgiveness if you are harbouring hate towards a brother at
this moment. Hate will make you miserable. Do not be a prisoner of hate. Put on
love; it will make you a better person. Love like Christ;
He could even forgive those who nailed Him to a cross: “Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Jimmy Lau
Psa
119:97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
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