Gloating At The Enemy

Obadiah 1:1-14 

English Standard Version (ESV) at end of this devotional...

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Yet hidden away in its brief record is a vital question that affects us all: How should we respond when we see an enemy experience  misfortune?

The prophet Obadiah ministered during the time that the city of Jerusalem was under fierce attack by the armies of Babylon. The neighbors of Jerusalem, the Edomites, were actually cheering on the enemy armies to destroy and kill (Ps. 137:7-9). Ironically, these hurtful jeers were spoken by blood relatives of the Jews. They were descendants of Jacob, and the Edomites were descendants of Esau.

Obadiah condemned the Edomites for gloating: “You should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity; nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction” (Obadiah 1:12).

If someone has repeatedly been hurtful to us, it is easy to give in to vindictive pleasure when they experience misfortune. But Scripture admonishes us, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles” (Pr. 24:17). Instead, we are to maintain an attitude of compassion and forgiveness, and trust God to bring justice in His time.— by Dennis Fisher

For Further Thought How to handle people-problems (Romans 12): 

Be patient (Rom 12:12), 

bless persecutors (Rom 12:14), 

be humble (Rom 12:16), 

don’t take revenge (Rom 12:19), 

defeat evil with good (Rom 12:21).

Love for God can be measured by the love we show for our worst enemy.

Obadiah 1:1-14 ESV

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom— We have heard a report from the Lord, And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, “Arise and let us go against her for battle”—

2 “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised. 

3 “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to earth?’ 

4 “Though you build high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

5 “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— O how you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings? 

6 “O how Esau will be ransacked, And his hidden treasures searched out! 

7 “All the amen allied with you Will send you forth to the border, And the men at peace with you Will deceive you and overpower you. They who eat your bread Will set an ambush for you. (There is no understanding in him.) 

8 “Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord, “Destroy wise men from Edom And understanding from the mountain of Esau?

9 “Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter. 

10 “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off forever. 

11 “On the day that you stood loof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem— You too were as one of them.

12 “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress. 

13 “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster. 

14 “Do not astand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

"SUPERMEN AND AIRPLANES"

"The pride of your heart has deceived you.- Obadiah 1:3

My daughter travels all over the world as a flight attendant and often comes home with some fascinating tales. One such story is about former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who was seated in an aircraft that was preparing for takeoff. A flight attendant, noticing that he did not have his seatbelt fastened, asked him kindly, "Excuse me, sir, but would you mind fastening your seatbelt?"

As the story goes, Muhammad Ali looked up with that saucy grin of his and said in a slow, gravelly voice, "Superman don't need no seatbelt!" Without missing a beat, the flight attendant packed a punch with this quick reply: "Superman don't need no airplane, so how about fastening up?"

Of course, Ali was only joking. If a person really believed he was Superman, he would be seriously deluded. He would be like the ancient Edomites in today's Scripture who had been self-deceived by their own pride. The truth is, we all have the same tendency.

A. W. Tozer aptly described the kind of Christians the Lord longs for us to be: "Men and women who have stopped being 'fooled' about their own strength and are not afraid of being 'caught' depending on their all-sufficient Lord."-- Joanie E. Yoder (from Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Sift the substance of my life,

Filtering out the sin and strife;

Leave me, Lord, a purer soul,

Cleansed and sanctified and whole.

-- Lemon

To experience God's strength, we must admit our weakness.

---

Obadiah - John Wesley is said to have remarked that he read the newspaper “to see how God was governing His world,” and this is certainly a biblical approach. God rules over kingdoms and nations (2 Chron. 20:6; Dan. 5:21); and as A. T. Pierson used to say, “History is His story.” This doesn’t mean that God is to blame for the foolish or wicked decisions and deeds of government officials, but it does mean that He is on the throne and working out His perfect will.

The eminent British historian Herbert Butterfield said, “Perhaps history is a thing that would stop happening if God held His breath, or could be imagined as turning away to think of something else.” The God who knows the number and the names of the stars (Ps. 147:4) and who sees when the tiniest bird falls dead to the ground (Matt. 10:29) is mindful of the plans and pursuits of the nations and is working out His divine purposes in human history.

Knowing that the Lord reigns over all things ought to encourage the people of God as we watch world events and grieve over the decay of people and nations. The sovereignty of God isn’t an excuse for believers to be indifferent to evil in the world, nor is it an encouragement to slumber carelessly and do nothing. God’s ways are hidden and mysterious, and we sometimes wonder why He permits certain things to happen, but we must still pray “Thy will be done” (Matt. 6:10) and then be available to obey whatever He tells us to do. - Warren Wiersbe

Happy Saturday

Are You a Hurter or a Healer?

by Peter Hoytema 

You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune. Obadiah 1:12 — 

The short book of Obadiah is a prophecy against the nation of Edom. Edom is also called Esau, because the Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s (Israel’s) older brother. The book of Genesis tells us that Jacob and Esau struggled even before they were born. God said that the two boys represented two nations, and throughout history they often fought (Genesis 25:22-26). 

Things were at their worst in Obadiah’s day, when Jerusalem was attacked by the Babylonians and Edom rejoiced over Jacob’s destruction (see 2 Kings 25; Psalm 137:7). Through Obadiah, God told the Edomites that gloating over their brother’s misery would result in their own destruction. 

Sometimes it’s hard not to delight in the misfortunes of others, especially if we think they deserve them. But the season of Lent encourages us to live by a higher standard. Peter reminds us of the example of Jesus. “When they hurled … insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). 

If ever there was someone who had the right to pay back those who hurt him, it was Jesus. But “by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The finished work of Christ breaks the cycle of vengeance, and we show the healing of Jesus by not taking part in hurting others. 

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, only your crucified hands can pry open our clenched fists. Help us to share the power of your healing grace with a hurting world. We pray in your name. Amen.

Have A Blessed Weekend...

Sibling Rivalry

by Pastor Rob Toornstra

And the kingdom will be the Lord’s. Obadiah 21 — 

Israel lived with sibling rivalry. The conflict began in Rebekah’s womb, as her twins, Jacob and Esau, wrestled one another (Genesis 25:22). As the brothers grew, they lived in tension— even hatred—with each other (Genesis 27). 

Each brother fathered a nation. Jacob fathered the Israelites, and Esau the Edomites. The two nations lived as enemies. When Israel suffered, Edom delighted. When Israel was weak, Edom attacked. And when Israel was overtaken by enemy nations, Edom gloated. 

Through the prophet Obadiah the Lord promised that Israel would rise again, and Edom would not claim ultimate victory. In fact, God would punish Edom for their mistreatment of Israel, and he would vindicate Israel. Justice would prevail! 

This promise is realized in Christ. When Jesus was born, King Herod, an Edomite (Idumean), tried to kill Jesus, an Israelite. But God preserved Jesus, and Herod soon died (Matthew 2). Then eventually at the cross, Jesus defeated the powers of sin and death that hold sway over all the kingdoms of this world.

We too live in conflict with the kingdoms of this world. We struggle with sin and its effects, but we know that in Jesus, God has already won the victory! Sin may seem to triumph at times, but sin and darkness will not prevail because “the kingdom will be the Lord’s.” 

Prayer 

All powerful God, comfort us with the assurance of your victory, and keep us strong in the face of adversity. In Jesus, Amen.