Idolization of Self Brings God's Judgment

Obadiah 3-4:  "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'  Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down."

The book of Obadiah, comprising only one chapter, is a scripted word of judgment by God against the Edomites.  These nomadic people were descendents of Esau, the brother of Jacob; and just like their godless father who was willing to sell his own birthright for a single meal (Genesis 25:27-34; Hebrews 12:16), these people were consumed with self-gratification and self-indulgence . . . even if that meant rebelling against God and attempting to destroy His chosen people.  G. Campbell Morgan has said of the Edomites, "they were the embodiment of practical, defiant godlessness, expressing itself in the deification of self, and the conviction that self was sufficient."  And pastor Lloyd Ogilvie has said of the Edomites, "they were the materialists, whose security is in human power and possessions, acountable to no one but themselves, they perpetrate the cult of humanism . . . . There are no rules except to control others.  Their motto is 'What's good is what makes me feel great.'  Thus, they are the real enemies of God."

Throughout the history of the Edomites, one can find that they were obstructionists, continuously attempting to thwart what God desired to accomplish through the Jewish people.  They attempted to impede the Israelites from entering the Promised Land (Numbers 20:21; Judg. 11:17); they too fought against David and Solomon (2 Sam. 8; I Kings 11).  During the reigns of Jehosophat, Jehoram, Amaziah, and Ahaz, they attempted raids on God's chosen people in order to plunder and destroy them.  Prophets like Jeremiah prophesied ultimate destruction for these enemies of God (Jeremiah 49:7-22).

In the context of Obadiah's written word, the Edomites would be judged for the way that they behaved at the time of Babylon's invasion of Judah.  To be sure, God was judging His own people for their longstanding wickedness; however, the Edomites saw opportunity to exploit the Jews while they were being invaded.  First, they permitted the Babylonians to invade and did nothing to stop them.  The motivation was not so much fear of Babylon as it was the chance to pilfer the Israelites of things that their hearts coveted.  They celebrated the calamity of the Jewish people, and gambled with each other over the possessions that they took (Obad. 12-13).

Ultimately, God would vindicate His people, and He would bring such destruction upon the Edomites that they would be like stubble that is completely destroyed by fire.  God would use the Israelites to be the fire that would bring destruction upon these enemies of God.  And even though the Edomites believed that their homes were impenetrable (they lived in clefts of rocks and upon the heights east of the Jordan River), God would bring them down (Obad. 4).   For those whose legacy had been ransacking and pillaging God's people and impeding them from entering and enjoying the Promised Land, God would hold them to account.  He would bring swift and utter shame and destruction to them (Obad 10).

This is a good word for the people of God (i.e. those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord).  We know that we live in a world where many have not surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Christ; instead, they are self-indulging, self-idolizing people who seek opportunities to exploit and pilfer the people of God.  We may find that life seems to be unfair due to their sinister ways, and we wonder where God is in the midst of these trials.  We must remember that God is not oblivious to these events; much like His observance of the Edomites during the days of Obadiah, so too God is keeping watch over those who perpetrate evil against God's people.  He will not allow the guilty to go unpunished!

The ancient historian, Origen, writes that within five years of the Edomites' exploitation of the Israelites during the Babylonian invasions, they themselves would come under attack in a successive wave of military advances by the Chaldeans, the Greeks under Alexander the Great, the Nabateans, and the Romans.  These attacks were so cumulatively destructive that by the 3rd century AD, the Edomites were no longer recognized as a nation.  Their destruction was swift, and it was complete.

May we who continue to follow the Lord, know that He never is unaware of our circumstances, but He will vindicate us by destroying the enemies that would desire to exploit and destroy us.  So, in God should we place our hope, no matter what trials we are facing.