Well, that was quite a long reading. But if you consider that is actually the whole of Obadiah then it is quite short. Given that we almost never get the chance to hear a whole book of the bible in church I thought I would take the opportunity.
Obadiah is the fourth of the minor prophets and so he is fourth in our series. A reminder that we are doing this series because this is year C in the lectionary and in year C the readings from the Hebrew Scriptures mostly come from the Prophets. However, the lectionary readings are mostly from the major prophets (that is the longer prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekial). There is a spattering from the minor prophets but not enough to really get to know what these prophets and this section of the bible are about and so I decided to do a series on them. One prophet each week for 12 weeks. It’s probably not really enough to fully get to know them either but I am hoping but the end of this series we will all have a much better sense of them and their context and what their role is in our sacred Scriptures and the story of God amongst us.
And so let’s pray, “We thank You, holy God, for Your word which You have revealed to us in creation, through Jesus our saviour and our sacred Scriptures. We pray this morning that you will speak to us afresh through this word and that it may dwell in us and amongst us. Amen.
As said (and as we can see from our table) Obadiah is the fourth of the minor prophets.
While the majority of the prophets are speaking to either Israel or Judah, Obadiah is unique in that he prophecies to Edom, a nation neighbouring Israel on the other side of the Dead Sea. However, there is more going on than just a conflict between neighbouring countries.
The Edomites are the descendants of Esau.
Esau was brother of Jacob. Their story is told in Genesis.
Jacob and Esau were twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. Genesis says, their rivalry began before birth, as they struggled within their mother’s womb.
Esau, the elder twin, was a skilled hunter and Isaac’s favourite, while Jacob was quieter and was Rebekah’s favoured son. One pivotal moment in their story was when Esau, famished after hunting, sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of stew.
Later, as Isaac grew old and blind, he intended to bless Esau formally. However, Rebekah helped Jacob deceive Isaac by disguising him as Esau, and Isaac blessed Jacob with the promises of prosperity and dominance, which were meant for Esau. When Esau discovered the deception, he was angry and vowed revenge, prompting Jacob to flee to his uncle Laban.
Despite many setbacks Jacob prospered. He married Leah and Rachel and they had many children. He also amassed significant wealth.
After many years, Jacob returned home, fearing Esau’s wrath. He sent gifts ahead to Esau and sought his forgiveness. To Jacob’s surprise, Esau did forgive Jacob, and the brothers reconciled.
On his return to his homeland Jacob had a famous dream in which he wrestled with God and God reaffirmed the covenant promises he had made with Jacob’s grandfather and father Abraham and Isaac. He renamed Jacob Israel, and he went on to become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, while Esau’s descendants formed the nation of Edom. While, the narrative closes on a hopeful note of reconciliation and forgiveness between the brothers, their descendants went on to become enemies.
This conflict dates back the Exodus, as the Hebrews wandered throughout the Sinai Desert they had to pass through Edom. But according to the book of Numbers, the Edomites denied the Hebrews passage through their land.
Then later, when King David took the throne of Israel and was looking to expand his territory he conquered the Edomites. The Edomites became the subjects of Israel. After the death of David’s son King Solomon, when Israel divided into two kingdoms, the Edomites revolted.
Some argue that the events described by Obadiah are referring to this revolt that is told in 2 Kings. This revolt took place during the reign of Jehoram which was in the mid 9th century. This would mean that Obadiah would likely have been written in the 9th or 8th century. This timing would make more sense for where the book is placed in the cannon.
Others argue, and I think more convincingly, that the events described in the book are referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE by the Babylonians. When this happened the people of Edom apparently took advantage by plundering Israelite cities, capturing and even killing their captives and so Obadiah must be writing after that in either the 6th or 5th century.
While, the message of Obadiah has this specific audience and context, its message is surprisingly universal. Obadiah’s message to the Edomites rebukes them first and foremost for their pride. It seems he believes that it is pride that is at the root of the problems between them.
Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom,
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down.”
“The pride of your heart has deceived you.” What an accurate description of the work of pride in our life.
Pride is not self-respect, it is not asking and expecting to be treated well and equally, it is not feeling satisfaction at a job well down, it is not celebrating who we are and what we are good at, it is not looking after ourselves and having healthy boundaries. These are good things. These are true things. The bible tells us that we are created in the very image of God, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that we are called to love others as we love ourselves.
Pride rather is deceptive. It is a subtle yet destructive force that convinces us that we are self-sufficient, that we can elevate ourselves above others, and that we are immune to consequences. Pride ultimately separates us from God and from others as it prevents us from acknowledging our dependence on Him and that we are not in fact self-made but that we need each other in a whole lot of ways that we do not want to admit.
Elizabeth Oldfield says, “We often think humility is the opposite of pride, but I’m now wondering if the true opposite is love. Iris Murdoch famously once said that ‘love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real.’ For me, believing I’m the centre of the universe looks like a shameful mix of entitlement, subtle disdain for others and a desire to insulate myself from their suffering, their needs.”
Pride disconnects us, it takes away satisfaction and joy.
As C.S. Lewis put it, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man [sic]. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better looking than others. If everyone becomes equally rich, or clever, or good looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest.
It is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. . . pride always means enmity. And not only between man and man, but enmity to God.
In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that, you do not know God. As long as you are proud you cannot know God at all. A proud man is always looking down on things and people and as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”
In his criticism of pride Obadiah, like Amos and the other prophets, anticipates Jesus message. Over and over Jesus calls his followers away from pride, to serve others not themselves. When James and John ask Jesus if they can sit, one at his right hand and one at his left, he tells the disciples,
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
With his well known parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector he teaches his folllowers that “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
It is not easy to eliminate pride from our lives. It is actually valued in the rest of society and so it quite a counter culture thing to do. It is also often confused with good things like a healthy self esteem. We should not eliminate this. But the Scriptures are pretty clear that pride does not lead anywhere good and that if we are seeking to follow Jesus and be more loving people, there is no place for it. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading scripture, serving others and giving thanks are a great help but being part of a community is possibly the best thing we can do.
Elizabeth Oldfield again, The best container for my quest to become less proud and more loving is community. One place I have found this community is church. Church is messy and sometimes embarrassing, theologically confused and absolutely beautiful.
Being part of a local congregation is my weekly dose of pride prevention medicine. It reminds me that I am interconnected, independent, and that the prize of overcoming my judgey nature is feeling part of this joyful, semi competent, unlikely group of people. It’s rare and strange and fragile and difficult.
Church may not be for everyone, but we all need some way to belong. It requires vulnerability to name this, to go looking for it, and will inevitably involve disappointment. We are formed into good, little consumers and a mental and emotional shift required to commit to something that does not adapt to our preferences is a big one. Community requires something of us, some commitment, and that is annoying. I want the benefits without the cost but I’ve seen enough to know that this kind of healthy community is a pearl of great price and what it asks, for me is more than worth paying.
We have an election coming friends. I do not know who I am going to vote for and it is not my role to tell you who to vote for. Not at all. But I think I can say that when it comes to leadership in politics, in our workplaces and in the church, character matters. We should not be looking for smartest person (although wisdom and experience do really matter), nor the most charismatic person or the most attractive person or the person most like us. Rather we should be looking out for signs of humility. People who genuinely want to serve and to listen and who might be willing to do things for others even if it does not suit their agenda. People who do not just want the prestige of public office but are willing to do the hard work of public service.
Let’s give Paul the last word on this one. I don’t often do this but I think Su Sze’s love of Paul is rubbing off on me. This verse from Philippians 2 is (in my humble opinion) one of the most profound and poetic reflections on this topic,
“3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
