Obd 3-4 | KingComments | STEP | What Edom radiates is: ‘I am strong, we are wise. Edom was known for his wise men. The intelligentsia of that region was in Edom ( ). You can still see it today in the rock town of Petra, a whole town carved into the rock. But Obadiah tastes what is behind it. He tastes Edom’s deep desire to make himself totally invulnerable: ‘No one can compete with me anymore; I am sitting here in my ivory tower, and we are safe.’ Arrogance is always misleading. Anyone who is arrogant is counting on being able to handle anything and that nobody is in control of him. In his arrogance, Edom thinks he is safe. In his arrogance, he looks down despicable on his enemies (cf. ). He who looks down on others does not look up, where God dwells. With Edom there is a total lack of knowledge of God and therefore also of himself. Edom thinks he is inviolable. After all, he lives in almost inaccessible rock houses. His haughty question “who will bring me down to earth?” testifies to his arrogant self-confidence (cf. ; ). He does not express his question out loud, but in his heart. He does not count with God, who resists the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble ( ; ; ). Those who think high of themselves believe that others think high of them as well. They are people who “measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves” ( ). They make themselves the center of their thinking and the standard of comparison to which they measure others. Edom boasts of his power and prestige and forgets that he has squandered his birthright and the prestige that goes with it for a dish of lentil. He has absolutely no interest in the things of God. What use is a birthright that you only get when your father dies ( )? You will have to wait for that. You live now and now you want to enjoy it. No nagging about later. Evidently, Scripture expresses his attitude in the words of his ancestor Esau: “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright” ( ). You can see it in front of you: the man of the field, of the hunt, of the hard life, who only wants a full stomach. In order to fill his stomach, he negligently exchanges a blessing from God for the future for an instant satisfaction of his desires. When that satisfaction is fulfilled, he gets up to start the next adventure. Who does what to him? Esau and Edom are clear examples of many who do not care about God’s blessing. The only thing they are interested in is a successful family life, a successful study, a high function in business. As long as it contributes to their prestige, the caress of their ego, making and keeping their status inviolable. Let’s not think that such behavior can only be found in the world. Situations also occur in the midst of Christians, where blessings from God are exchanged for direct satisfaction of needs. The pastor who is seeking prestige from people, will inevitably tell people what they want to hear, and consequently will be “respected”. But he misses the blessing, the approval of God, now and in the future.

‏ Obadiah 3-4

Arrogance

What Edom radiates is: ‘I am strong, we are wise. Edom was known for his wise men. The intelligentsia of that region was in Edom (Oba 1:8). You can still see it today in the rock town of Petra, a whole town carved into the rock. But Obadiah tastes what is behind it. He tastes Edom’s deep desire to make himself totally invulnerable: ‘No one can compete with me anymore; I am sitting here in my ivory tower, and we are safe.’

Arrogance is always misleading. Anyone who is arrogant is counting on being able to handle anything and that nobody is in control of him. In his arrogance, Edom thinks he is safe. In his arrogance, he looks down despicable on his enemies (cf. Psa 10:5b-6). He who looks down on others does not look up, where God dwells. With Edom there is a total lack of knowledge of God and therefore also of himself.

Edom thinks he is inviolable. After all, he lives in almost inaccessible rock houses. His haughty question “who will bring me down to earth?” testifies to his arrogant self-confidence (cf. Isa 14:13; Gen 11:4). He does not express his question out loud, but in his heart. He does not count with God, who resists the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble (Pro 3:34; Jam 4:6; 1Pet 5:5).

Those who think high of themselves believe that others think high of them as well. They are people who “measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves” (2Cor 10:12). They make themselves the center of their thinking and the standard of comparison to which they measure others.

Edom boasts of his power and prestige and forgets that he has squandered his birthright and the prestige that goes with it for a dish of lentil. He has absolutely no interest in the things of God. What use is a birthright that you only get when your father dies (Deu 21:15-17)? You will have to wait for that. You live now and now you want to enjoy it. No nagging about later.

Evidently, Scripture expresses his attitude in the words of his ancestor Esau: “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright” (Gen 25:34). You can see it in front of you: the man of the field, of the hunt, of the hard life, who only wants a full stomach. In order to fill his stomach, he negligently exchanges a blessing from God for the future for an instant satisfaction of his desires. When that satisfaction is fulfilled, he gets up to start the next adventure. Who does what to him?

Esau and Edom are clear examples of many who do not care about God’s blessing. The only thing they are interested in is a successful family life, a successful study, a high function in business. As long as it contributes to their prestige, the caress of their ego, making and keeping their status inviolable.

Let’s not think that such behavior can only be found in the world. Situations also occur in the midst of Christians, where blessings from God are exchanged for direct satisfaction of needs. The pastor who is seeking prestige from people, will inevitably tell people what they want to hear, and consequently will be “respected”. But he misses the blessing, the approval of God, now and in the future.

There Is No Escape From God

In the previous verse we hear Edom boast: ‘Who will bring me …? To that haughty, challenging question suddenly comes the answer of the LORD which he does not suspect: ‘I will bring you …’ Edom imagines himself safe, utterly untouchable, unattainable for any power he can imagine. But he counts outside the LORD.

In Edom we see the short-sightedness of all people with whom there is no thought of God. Such people calculate their chances only in the light of what they perceive of possible dangers. But their calculations of probability always crash on Him, Who they do not involve in their deliberations. It is impossible to escape Him.

Edom may feel safe from people, but God knows where to find him. Whether he is at the highest place on earth or at the highest place in the universe, neither is a problem for God. The higher Edom would rise, the deeper his fall would be. Nowhere in the whole of creation can a place be found which is out of the reach of God, which He would not be able to reach. Nowhere in all of creation is there a place where God cannot enter. Everything is within His reach and accessible. It is man’s wisdom and also his salvation if he acknowledges it before God. David is such a person (Psa 139:7-12; cf. Amos 9:2; Isa 14:12-20; Job 39:27-28).