Obadiah: Pride in High Places
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Prophets Series
Last week in Amos, the Lord judged His own people for injustice within. Now, in Obadiah, the word of the Lord turns outward — to Edom, Israel’s brother nation.
Amos showed us that God judges corruption among His people. Obadiah shows us that He also judges pride and cruelty among the nations.
The Lord sees both.
A Brother Who Stood Aside
Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament — only twenty-one verses — but it is sharp and direct.
Edom was descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. These were not strangers.
They shared blood and history. Yet when Jerusalem fell, Edom did not help.
They stood aside. They watched. They rejoiced.
Worse still, they blocked escape routes and handed fugitives over.
God does not overlook that kind of betrayal.
The Pride of the Cliffs
Edom lived high in the rocky strongholds of Mount Seir.
Their cities were carved into red cliffs.
They believed themselves secure.
Obadiah answers with one sentence:
“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee.”
Their defenses were strong.
Their alliances were clever.
Their position looked unassailable.
But pride built on height is still pride.
The higher the fortress, the harder the fall.
The Day of the Lord
The prophecy widens beyond Edom:
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen.”
What begins as a word against one nation becomes a word for all nations.
History is not random.
God governs it.
Nations answer to Him.
Yet judgment is not the final word.
The book closes with hope:
“But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance…and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.”
Empires rise. Empires fall.
But the kingdom belongs to the Lord.
Why Obadiah Matters
Obadiah speaks plainly to us:
Do not rejoice when another falls.
Do not trust in high places.
Do not mistake security for righteousness.
God measures pride.
God sees indifference.
God defends His purposes.
And in the end, His kingdom stands.
Closing Prayer
Lord, keep us low before You. Guard us from pride and from cold hearts toward our brothers. Let Your kingdom rule in us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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Humble Thyself to Walk with God
If thou wouldst have the dear Savior from heaven
Walk by thy side from the morn till the even,
There is a rule that each day you must follow:
Humble thyself to walk with God.
Refrain:
Humble thyself and the Lord will draw near thee,
Humble thyself and His presence shall cheer thee;
He will not walk with the proud or the scornful,
Humble thyself to walk with God.
Just as the Lord, in the world’s early ages,
Walked and communed with the prophets and sages,
He will come now if you meet the conditions:
Humble thyself to walk with God.
Just as the stream finds a bed that is lowly,
So Jesus walks with the pure and the holy;
Cast out thy pride, and in heartfelt contrition
Humble thyself to walk with God.
Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1856-1922, a New Jersey man
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Matthew 5:3
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