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10-8-13. Obadiah 1-16. DECEPTIVE PRIDE – my devotional

10-8-13. Obadiah 1-16.   DECEPTIVE PRIDE – my devotional

 humility

Obadiah 1-16                                                                                          Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 3                                                                                          10-8-13

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”

     Dear Lord Jesus Christ. You are my rock and my salvation. In you alone do I trust. In you alone can I stand to be all that you want me to be.  I pray for you strength to serve your purpose in my life. I pray for your strength to be a husband, father, brother, son, friend, nurse, church member, and missionary supporter. Help me to be more like Jesus in my walk of life. Help me to advertise Jesus to the whole world, starting where I am and even to Northern Canada. We entrust our lives and our future to you. Please illuminate my heart through this passage. I pray in Christ’s holy name. Amen!

Part 1: Edom’s Pride (1-9)

     Verses 1-9 read, “Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed! — would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? How Esau has been pillaged,his treasures sought out! All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you—you have no understanding. Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.”  (ESV)

The Edomites were confident that their capital city was safe from any invasion. It was a well-protected city, built in the cleft of a rock (3)–like an eagle’s nest perched on a high pinnacle (4). Their army could go out on raiding parties, strike, plunder, and escape to the secure refuge of their impregnable fortress. The prophet spoke for God and told them that their pride had deceived them; they would be brought low and destroyed.

God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. When we live our lives as if God does not exist and take refuge in what we think is a safe place and continue to rail at God in opposition…there will consequences. There will be consequences in this life and also at the Day of Judgment. In this life, God’s opponents will suffer. If they do not suffer financially or physically there will be inner anguish, the inner anguish of meaninglessness, emptiness, the knowledge that one has been set adrift in this world, depression, anxiety and all the bitter fruit that comes when we have severed ourselves off from God. People do suffer in the long run when they don’t have faith in their creator. You can see it in their eyes. You can feel it in their words. But there will also be a final judgment. Those who have not been made right with God through God’s grace can not stand in the judgment.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Because of his shed holy blood the holy and righteous God can completely forgive us. We are justified and we enter into God’s family. We have eternal life. We pass through the judgment standing on God’s grace alone, which is more than enough to bring us into God’s kingdom. How foolish it is to stand in opposition to God all of our lives. We suffer in life and forfeit eternal life with our Savior and Lord.

But how blessed it is to choose the humble path and surrender our lives to Jesus, allowing him to be the shepherd of our hearts. We are deceived by our own pride. We think that we are something we are not. We forget that we have sinned against God so much. We forget about our weaknesses and think that nothing can stop us from choosing our own course in life. But the older I get the more I realize that all of my own righteousness is nothing but filthy rags. I am so prone to sin. I truly need Jesus to be my savior. I am so prone to taking the fruitless, empty, meaningless path that I need Jesus to be my savior. Lord, thank you for showing me that the humble, ancient path is the best path. Help me to always walk in it.

Part 2: They Rejoiced At Judah’s Misfortune (10-16)

Verses 10-16, “ Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress.15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. 16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.” (ESV)

When the Babylonians despoiled and sacked Jerusalem in 586-87 BC, the Edomites gloated over Jerusalem’s suffering and even helped themselves to some of the spoils. They caught fugitives fleeing the city and handed them over to the enemy. This is totally unreasonable because they were branches of the same family tree. They were distant relatives. Not only that they shared a similar spiritual history together, being they, both Edom and Israel came from Isaac. They also should have respected Israel both on a “human” level and also on spiritual level and not tried to take advantage of them and cause them suffering and exploit them.

How can I apply this principle today? Well, we need to always respect the people of God. People in the world must respect born again believers. In some countries Christians are horribly persecuted. They may feel that they are getting no justice but one day they will be vindicated. Possibly some of their vindication is happening already with so many persecuting countries in grinding poverty and constant turmoil and even war.

I need to always stand up for the body of  believers and support them and be on their side, if their cause is of God.

There is also a human relationship between Israel and Edom. I need to uphold my human relations too. I think about my parents. The Bible says to honor your mother and father, (Ex 20:12) This does not mean if they are believers or not. It does not mean if they do good or not. I must honor them simply because they are my parents. I need to take care of my family. The Bible says that a Christian who does not take care of their family is worse than an unbeliever. I need to respect those in authority, for they are put there by God to serve God’s purpose. I would think twice about this country invading Canada or a European country because we share such close cultural and historical ties. I pray for God to help me to uphold all the relations of those he has placed in my life, even the human relationships.

One should not despise his brother in the day of his misfortune. “As you have done, it will be done to you.” Everyone must give an account of his deeds before the Lord someday. This is so true. We can not gloat over someone’s misfortune. We can not take advantage of people when they are down. We need to be like the Good Samaritan and care even for those who have done us wrong. I pray for a sensitive eye to see the need and to step in when the need is there and lend a helping hand.

Prayer: Lord, give me a humble heart that I may know my need and forever hold onto you for your are my Rock and Salvation.

One Word: Pride goes before destruction- choose the path of humility




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