“Do Not Gloat Over Their Misery”
Obadiah is one of the prophets of uncertain dates. It could be that it was the very first of the “minor” prophets written, but it also could have been written later during the fall of Jerusalem around the time of Jeremiah. I won’t go into the different theories on the different dates but have personally accepted the earlier date. In this article, I will just give some general context that we can determine from the book and important lessons to learn.
Obadiah prophesied to Edom. The kingdom of Edom were the descendants of Esau – the twin brother of Jacob. So, this is a group of people who are ancestors of Israel. At this point, the kingdom of Edom has settled in the rocky cliffs that are now part of the country of Jordan. You may have seen pictures of the ornate carved cliff dwellings of Petra (or viewed them in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). It is important to understand this context as you read this short book. In verses 3-4 the people of Edom are accused of arrogance based on their homes in the cliffs. However, God declares He can change all of that.
Edom’s close neighbor, Judah, is clearly going through some kind of hard time. Edom’s response was to stand aloof and rejoice in their destruction. Even going so far as to take advantage of them in this situation or turning them over to the enemy (vss. 11-14). God in return tells them that as they have done, so it will be done to them and what they deserve will return to them (vs. 15).
A clear prophesy of complete destruction of Edom is given, going so far as describing how the nation would be completely plundered. But the one bright note at the end details how Zion will be the place of redemption for all of the rescued – those from both Israel and Edom.
You may be thinking – so what? What does this have to do with me? Let me ask – have you ever gloated in an enemy’s downfall? Have you ever mocked the other political party for a mistake or picked apart their errors? Has it ever been tempting to take advantage of another’s mistake? Unfortunately, I can answer yes to all the above questions. Perhaps it was in the name of “patriotism” or possibly even worse, in the name of “Christianity”. My point is – this book has application to me and perhaps it does to you as well. I must be careful, or I will have done to me as I have done, or as Jesus puts it: “You will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others” (Matt. 7:2). You see, as Jesus expounds, too often we have a 2 x 4 in our eye and are gloating over our ability to point out the splinter in someone else’s eye. Obadiah reminds Edom and us that pride is a very real issue that will cause us to gloat over someone else’s misery but will ultimately be the harbinger of our fall. Let us ever be careful in our judgments and remember that those we are tempted to gloat over are made in the image of God as we are and deserve our help rather than our condescension. But the good news is that just as a Messiah came to save a remnant from Edom, He also came to save us as well. We can be redeemed and rescued from our gloating and instead boast only in our Savior!
