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Friday 7/16/21
Pride and Humility

1The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
 2Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.
 3The 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?
 4Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.
 5If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?
 6How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!
 7All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
 8Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
 9And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.
 10For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
 11In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
 12But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.
 13Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;
 14Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.
 15For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
 16For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.
 17But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
 18And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
 19And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
 20And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
 21And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.
Today's Scripture Meaning 

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Obadiah
Date Penned: BC 853-841
Overview: Obadiah shows the Outcome of an Edom/Israel Feud. (c 1)
Theme: Justice and Pride (c 1)
Message: Edom's Destruction (v 1-16) Israel's Restoration (17-21)

Obadiah: Chapter 1 Commentary
   
(1:1) Obadiah was a prophet from Judah who told of God's judgement against the nation of Edom. The Edomites had rejoiced over the misfortunes of both Israel and Judah and yet the Edomites and Jews descended from 2 brothers, Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25) But just as these two brothers were constantly at odds, Israel and Edom were rarely at peace. God pronounced judgement on Edom for their callous and malicious actions toward his people.

(1:3) Edom was Judah's southern neighbor, sharing a common boundary . But neighbors are not always friends, and Edom liked nothing about Judah, Edom's capital city was Petra, a city considered impregnable because it was cut into a solid rock cliff and set in a canyon that could only be entered through a narrow gap. What Edom perceived as a strength ended up being a downfall because of the ability for the enemy to attack from the top of the Canyon. The Edomites felt secure and were proud of their self sufficiency. But they were fooling themselves because there is no lasting security apart from the Lord. Today many put their trust in the items the Lord provides them and not the Lord Himself.

(1:4) The Edomites were proud of their city carved right into the rock. Today it is considered one of the marvels of the ancient world, but only as a tourist attraction. The Bible warns that pride is the surest way to self-destruction (Proverbs 16) Just as Petra and Edom fell, so will prideful people. A humble person is more secure than a proud person because humility gives a more accurate perspective of oneself and the world.

(1:5-9) God did not pronounce these harsh judgements against Edom out of vengeance but in order to bring about justice. God is morally perfect and demands complete justice and fairness. The Edomites were simply getting what they deserved. Because they were murdered, they would be murdered. Because they robbed they would be robbed, and because they took advantage of others , they would be used. Don't be deceived into thinking "no one will know" or "I won't get caught" . God knows all our sins, and he will be just. 

(1:8) Edom was noted for its wise men, There is a difference, however, between man's wisdom and God's wisdom. The Edomites may have been wise in the ways of the world but they were foolish because they ignored and mocked God.

(1:9) Eliphaz, one of Job's three friends (Job 2) was from Teman, five miles east of Petra, Teman was named after Esau's grandson (Genesis 36)

(1-10,11) Instead of helping Israel and Judah when they were in need, Edom let them be destroyed and even plundered what was left behind. Edom therefore, was an enemy and would be punished as anyone who does not help God's people. The Lord made it abundantly clear that you are either for Him or Against Him. Don't refuse to help those in need.

(1:12) Edom was glad to see Judah in trouble. Their hatred made them want the nation destroyed. For this wrong, God obliterated Edom. A valuable lesson is learned here today that we are not to rejoice in others' suffering but our attitude should be one of restoration.

(1:15) Why will God's vengeance fall on the Gentile nations? Edom was not the only nation to rejoice in Judah's fall. All nations and individuals will be judged on how they treat others, God has and will bless nations that honor the Nation of Israel.

(1:17-21) Obadiah brought God's message of Judgement on Edom. The Lord was displeased with both their inward and outward rebellion. People Today are much the same as those in Obadiah being rebellious both inward or outward. Jesus paid the price for your sin and rebellion. If you would surrender and trust Him you would experience true peace and fulfillment in this life and the life to come.

(1:21) Edom is an example to all the nations they are hostile to God, Nothing can break the Lord's promises to protect his people from complete destruction. He is in control 
Today's Scripture Application

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we look at the book of Obadiah with its one Chapter. In our text today we see the Vision of Obadiah of Edom's destruction due to it's pride and Israel's restoration due to it's humility and repentance. In making application we see how the Pride comes before a fall and today many make the same mistake of exalting themselves to find themselves failing. How about you? Is there pride in your life? Let us learn from our text today and the example of Edom and Israel to see that pride comes before a fall and how God gives grace to the humble.
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ο»ΏSincerely,
Dr. Dave Burnette
Director, The United States Bible Society, Inc.
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