YOU Should not look down on your Brother

Obadiah 1:10-14

You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune. - Obadiah 1:12a

TODAY IN THE WORD

Nobody likes a sore loser, but a gloating winner is just as bad. Edom had watched with glee as Jerusalem was sacked by its enemies, and the Edomites had done nothing to help their relatives in Israel. In God’s eyes their refusal to interfere was itself an act of aggression. Although the relationship between the two nations had never been good, the Edomites did share a blood tie with the people of Judah. When they stood by while “strangers” carried off Jerusalem, they were no better than one of the aggressors (v. 11).

Edom’s sin was threefold. First, they regarded the plight of the people of Jerusalem with an attitude of contempt. Second, they expressed outright glee over the city’s destruction, celebrating while the residents of Jerusalem suffered. Third, they took the opportunity to boast--perhaps bragging that their own location made them impregnable (v. 12).

But there was more to Edom’s response than “passive aggression.” They entered the city themselves to loot what was left. They also lay in wait for those who had fled from Jerusalem and killed them or even handed them over to the enemy (vv. 13–14).

The judgment of Edom was a living example of the warning found in Proverbs 24:17–18: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” The destruction of Jerusalem was a matter of divine discipline. They deserved the punishment that they received. But Edom’s gleeful response made them liable as well. Obadiah warned that God had seen this sinful attitude and would turn His wrath from Jerusalem to Edom.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY

Can you think of someone who recently “got what was coming to them?” At times it is hard not to rejoice over their misfortune. This is especially true if we know that they hurt others by their actions. (Today in the Word. Moody Bible Institute. Used by Permission. All rights reserved)