Daily Devotional Sunday 3rd May 2020

by William Moody

Obadiah 10–16

Edom’s Violence Against Jacob

10   Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
    shame shall cover you,
    and you shall be cut off forever.
11   On the day that you stood aloof,
    on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
  and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.
12   But do not gloat over the day of your brother
    in the day of his misfortune;
  do not rejoice over the people of Judah
    in the day of their ruin;
  do not boast1
    in the day of distress.
13   Do not enter the gate of my people
    in the day of their calamity;
  do not gloat over his disaster
    in the day of his calamity;
  do not loot his wealth
    in the day of his calamity.
14   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 the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations.
  As you have done, it shall be done to you;
    your deeds shall return on your own head.
16   For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
    so all the nations shall drink continually;
  they shall drink and swallow,
    and shall be as though they had never been.

Footnotes

[1] 1:12 Hebrew do not enlarge your mouth

(ESV)

The Edomites would have had many sins, but the particular sin that is singled out as the main reason for destruction is their violent treatment of their relatives the descendants of Jacob (v10).

Their sin wasn’t just what they did but also what they failed to do when their relatives were in trouble (v11). Their failure to help and their gloating over their trials (v12) were abhorrent to God. They joined in the looting of the people of God (v13) and then helped hunt down those of them who escaped (v14). They were merciless.

God’s expectation of His own people is much higher than what we see here. In Deuteronomy 23 v7 the Israelites are told, “Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother.”

How is your treatment of your natural brothers and sisters and your treatment of brothers and sisters in Christ? Is there cruelty, is there a gloating attitude when they fall, is there failure to help and support as you could?

There is a strong warning here that people will reap what they sow (v15-16). This message about how we treat others is no trivial matter. Pray about this.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.