On Today in the Word
Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down. - Obadiah 1:4
Theodore Roosevelt and his friend William Beebe performed a ritual each night before going to bed. They would scan the night sky until they found the constellation Pegasus. Once they located it, they looked for a small speck of light nearby and began to chant: “That is the Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our sun.” Roosevelt would then turn to Beebe and say, “Now I think we are small enough. Let’s go to bed.” Perspective is often the first step to gaining humility.
The nation of Edom--the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau--badly needed perspective in Obadiah’s day. Edom had been the enemies of Israel from its inception. When Moses asked to pass through Edomite territory in peace before beginning Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan, he was refused, and Edomites even brought out their large army to prevent Israel from entering their land (Num. 20:14–21).
Mount Seir, a range of mountains that was fifteen to twenty miles long, epitomized Edom’s rugged terrain. Its inaccessibility was a source of pride (v. 3). God, however, had a plan that would give Edom the humbling they so badly needed. He planned to raise a coalition of nations against them. As a result, this long-time enemy of Israel, that had so proudly considered itself invincible, would become “small among the nations” and “utterly despised” (vv. 1–2).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s passage underscores God’s fierce protection of His people. Although He does not always shield us from the malice of our enemies, He does hold them accountable for their actions
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