DECEPTIVE PRIDE

Passage: Obadiah 1:1-16

Key verse: 3

NIV

Obadiah’s Vision(A)(B)

1 The vision(C) of Obadiah.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom(D)—

We have heard a message from the Lord:
    An envoy(E) was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”(F)—

2 “See, I will make you small(G) among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
3 The pride(H) of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rocks[a](I)
    and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
    ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’(J)
4 Though you soar like the eagle
    and make your nest(K) among the stars,
    from there I will bring you down,”(L)
declares the Lord.(M)
5 “If thieves came to you,
    if robbers in the night—
oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
    would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave a few grapes?(N)
6 But how Esau will be ransacked,
    his hidden treasures pillaged!
7 All your allies(O) will force you to the border;
    your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread(P) will set a trap for you,[b]
    but you will not detect it.

8 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “will I not destroy(Q) the wise men of Edom,
    those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
9 Your warriors, Teman,(R) will be terrified,
    and everyone in Esau’s mountains
    will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence(S) against your brother Jacob,(T)
    you will be covered with shame;
    you will be destroyed forever.(U)
11 On the day you stood aloof
    while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots(V) for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.(W)
12 You should not gloat(X) over your brother
    in the day of his misfortune,(Y)
nor rejoice(Z) over the people of Judah
    in the day of their destruction,(AA)
nor boast(AB) so much
    in the day of their trouble.(AC)
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
    in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over them in their calamity(AD)
    in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
    in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
    to cut down their fugitives,(AE)
nor hand over their survivors
    in the day of their trouble.

15 “The day of the Lord is near(AF)
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds(AG) will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank(AH) on my holy hill,(AI)
    so all the nations will drink(AJ) continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.(AK)

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Footnotes
  1. Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
  2. Obadiah 1:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

1 The vision of Obadiah.

Edom Will Be Humbled

Thus says the Lord God (A)concerning Edom:
(B)We have heard a report from the Lord,
    and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
    you shall be utterly despised.[a]
3 (C)The pride of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rock,[b]
    in your lofty dwelling,
(D)who say in your heart,
    “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
    though your nest is set among the stars,
    from there I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.

5 If (E)thieves came to you,
    if plunderers came by night—
    how you have been destroyed!—
    would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If (F)grape gatherers came to you,
    would they not leave gleanings?
6 (G)How Esau has been pillaged,
    his treasures sought out!
7 All your allies have driven you to your border;
    those at peace with you have deceived you;
they have prevailed against you;
    (H)those who eat your bread[c] have set a trap beneath you—
    (I)you have[d] no understanding.

8 (J)Will I not on that day, declares the Lord,
    destroy the wise men out of Edom,
    and understanding out of (K)Mount Esau?
9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, (L)O Teman,
    so that every man from (M)Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

Edom's Violence Against Jacob

10 (N)Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
    shame shall cover you,
    (O)and you shall be cut off forever.
11 (P)On the day that you stood aloof,
    (Q)on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
    (R)and cast lots for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.
12 (S)But do not gloat over the day of your brother
    in the day of his misfortune;
(T)do not rejoice over the people of Judah
    in the day of their ruin;
(U)do not boast[e]
    in the day of distress.
13 (V)Do not enter the gate of my people
    in the day of their calamity;
(W)do not gloat over his disaster
    in the day of his calamity;
(X)do not loot his wealth
    in the day of his calamity.
14 (Y)Do not stand at the crossroads
    to cut off his fugitives;
do not hand over his survivors
    in the day of distress.

The Day of the Lord Is Near

15 For (Z)the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
(AA)As you have done, it shall be done to you;
    your deeds shall return on your own head.
16 (AB)For as you have drunk on (AC)my holy mountain,
    so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
    and shall be as though they had never been.

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Footnotes
  1. Obadiah 1:2 Or Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are utterly despised
  2. Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
  3. Obadiah 1:7 Hebrew lacks those who eat
  4. Obadiah 1:7 Hebrew he has
  5. Obadiah 1:12 Hebrew do not enlarge your mouth
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

OBADIAH

Obadiah means 'servant of the Lord.' Obadiah was probably a contemporary of Ezekiel (Eze 35) and Jeremiah (Jer 49:7-22). His vision is about the doom of Edom. Edom was a name given to the descendants of Esau.

Jacob and Esau were brothers. The Edomites drove the Horites out of Mount Seir (Ge 14:5-6 Dt 2:12), and their descendants occupied the whole mountain. Edom was a mountainous, but well-watered country, located south of the Dead Sea. Its capital was Petra or Sela, a city carved out of the side of a high cliff overlooking a beautiful valley. It was known as an impregnable mountain fortress.

The Edomites were enemies of God's people from the time of Jacob and Esau. After the Israelites came out of Egypt, traveled through the desert for 4

years, and were ready to enter the promised land, the Edom- ites refused to let them pass through their land. When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (586 BC), they acted like a cheering squad. Psalm 137:7 says, 'Re member, O Lord what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. 'Tear it down,' they cried...' In New Testament times, the Herods were descendants of the Edomites.

The two main themes of this book are the doom of the proud and the deliverance of the humble.

1. Edom's pride (1-9)

The Edomites were confident that their capital city was safe from any invasion. It was a well-protected city, built in the cleft of a rock (3)--like an eagle's nest perched on a high pinnacle (4). Their army could go out on raiding parties, strike, plunder, and escape to the secure refuge of their impregnable fortress. The prophet spoke for God and told them that their pride had deceived them; they would be brought low and destroyed.

2. They rejoiced at Judah's misfortune (1

-16)

When the Babylonians despoiled and sacked Jerusalem in 586-87 BC, the Edomites gloated over Jerusalem's suffering and even helped themselves to some of the spoils. They caught fugitives fleeing the city and handed them over to the enemy. One should not despise his brother in the day of his misfortune. 'As you have done, it will be done to you.' Everyone must give an account of his deeds before the Lord someday.

Prayer: Lord, give me a humble heart that I may weep with those who weep.

One Word: Pride goes before destruction