Obadiah 1

Scripture Reading:  Read Obadiah Chapter 1. 

God Hates Your Pride:

Obadiah 1:3 – “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?” (NIV)

I think many would agree with me on this; pride seems like one of those “sins” that isn’t that big of a deal.  I remember hearing a friend confess the sin of pride, and I immediately thought, “Seriously? The biggest sin you can confess is pride?”  Pride, however, is a sin that God says He hates.  It was this sin of pride that filled the nation of Edom. 

The nation of Edom comes from Isaac’s son Esau; he is the one who rejected his birthright for a bowl of soup.  This nation that came from this godless man, Esau, grows into a godless nation that wants nothing to do with the Lord.   They are famous for living in the city named Petra, which was a city built into the cleft of a rock.  They built their lives around living apart from God; they needed nothing from God. 

They are condemned for their pride and for failing to help their brothers, the people of Judah, who came from the line of Esau’s brother, Jacob.  Dr. J Vernon McGee sheds some light for us on the sin of Edom:  

“They rejoiced over the calamity that had come to Judah.  That is always an action of pride.  When you hear someone rejoicing over the trouble that another individual is having, you may be sure that you are listening to someone who is very proud.  Pride is something that God says He hates.”  (McGee, J. Vernon) 

Prayer:  Lord, I pray today that you would search my heart for any traces of pride and root out that sin from my heart.  I pray that you would place within me a humble spirit.