A Roman poet named Ovid wrote a poem called Metamorphoses, in 8 AD. Eight years after Jesus came to earth. The third book of the poem tells about a handsome young man who spurned the advances of a number of potential lovers. But he rejected the advances of one too many – a nymph named Echo. That nymph was cursed to only repeat (“echo”) the sounds that others made. So, the gods punished that man by making him fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. The man quickly learned that the object of his love in the “mirror” could not love him back so he eventually wilted away and died. That man’s name was Narcissus.
Do you know of anyone who is a narcissist?
The first time the English word “pride” is found in the Bible is in Leviticus 26:19 where God warns Israel, “I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze.” The word does not always mean pride in a negative sense because God is described using the same Hebrew word in the song of Exodus 15 (15:7). But this Hebrew word is found 49 times in the OT.
I would say that the essence of man’s relationship with God is one of humility. This word for pride is found in passages like Proverbs 11:2: “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.” And Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”
Just like there is one book in the Bible about a healthy, proper, married sexual relationship in the Song of Solomon, so there is one book in the Bible about pride. It is the minor prophet Obadiah which also happens to be one of the few books in the OT that is specifically directed at non-Jews. Obadiah is specifically directed at the nation of Edom.
Psalm 137 was written after the Babylonian exile and the author (anonymous) asked God to “remember against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it to its very foundation” (137:7). What has happened then is that when Babylon conquered Jerusalem, Edom was cheering on the Babylonians. Against God’s people!
This brings us to the “vision” of Obadiah which follows the prophecy of Amos…
OBADIAH’S MESSAGE OF JUDGMENT – 1-14:
Obadiah states that God has sent an envoy to go throughout the nations to compel them to rise up against Edom. Why? Verses 2-3 tell us.
Edom lived on a stretch of mountainous terrain, in some places reaching 5,700’ in elevation. Its mountain range was called Seir. Rachel and I were on the highest point in New Hampshire in September 2022 – Mount Washington – which was 6,288’ in elevation. Edom was a territory roughly 100 miles by 20 miles. On its west side was the Palestinian rift through which the Jordan River passed and on its east side was desert. The topography clearly made Edom easy to defend.
Edom’s pride had led her to violence: verse 10. God will cover her with shame and cut her off forever. In fact, Edom as a nation no longer exists today. Edom “stood aloof” from her cousins (Israel) when they were being destroyed (ver. 11). God will punish her for her apathy. God tells Edom that they should not have gloated over his “brother’s” day of calamity and misfortune (ver. 12). “Do not boast,” He says, in Israel’s distress.
THE DAY OF THE LORD – 15-21:
The phrase “day of the Lord” is a popular expression among the prophets. It is found 28 times in the Bible, five are in the NT. It can refer to blessings of God or it can refer to judgments by God. Here, it refers to God’s judgment on Edom.
“As you have done, it will be done for you” (ver. 15). Do we need to point out that the Bible teaches from beginning to end that “whoever sows to the flesh shall reap from the flesh”? God will see to it that every person will reap what he or she has sown.
God expects us to be humble – toward each other and toward Him. God does not expect us to be apathetic when our brothers are hurting. God does not want us to rejoice when others suffer calamity. The kingdom of the Lord (the church of Christ) will out last every nation and kingdom created by man.
Paul Holland
