Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
“Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame. You will be destroyed forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune…the pride in your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock 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,” declares the Lord.
– Obadiah 1:10-12, 3-4
Devotion
Obadiah prophesied against Edom, the southern neighbor of Israel. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, the brother and rival of Jacob. The contention between Jacob and Esau played out in the ongoing historical rivalry between the Israelites and Edomites. Obadiah specifically condemns Edom for cruelty toward Israel during times when Israel was being oppressed by foreign powers. Not only did the Edomites gloat over Israel’s misfortune; they also piled on and assisted Israel’s enemies in furthering their pain. Through Obadiah, God points at something much deeper than their sin of cruelty. The Edomites were a very smart and proud people. Pride breaks the heart of God.
The Big Question
The message of Obadiah should make us constantly wary of any roots of pride, arrogance, or gloating over others. God will always bring us down from our self-constructed fortresses of pride. Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you about any roots of pride in your life?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.