Pride Before Fall
Obadiah 1:1-9
1. Edom had pride in their homeland Security
They had a natural system of defense
They didn’t recognize God as their protector
Does are nation depend on God?
2. Edom had pride in their political alliances
Edom had friends in high places
Do we use God as a last resort?
Only God can be trusted
3. Edom had pride in their wisdom and strength
Education is not the same as wisdom
Physical armor is not the same a spiritual armor
Never before have I heard a sermon on the book of the Bible we’ll be looking at today. In fact a month or two ago I wouldn’t have been able to tell you very much about this book except that its author was one of the minor prophets and it is very short. In fact, it is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Only 21 verses. But it is a great book which I have learned a lot from in these past few weeks while I’ve been studying and then as I began to prepare this sermon. It is the book of Obadiah.
Turn with me please to Obadiah. If you need help finding it, it is on page 1,518 in my Bible! Just kidding…you got Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. So it’s right between Amos and Jonah if that helps. I know it can be tricky finding a 1 page book. I seem to remember Pastor Pockock telling me that some of you recently covered the minor prophets. I don’t know if that was for Sunday School or what, but for these next two Sunday’s we will take a good hard look at Obadiah and see if we can grasp the message God has for us.
Verse 1 of a book is many times, and quite conveniently, an introduction to the whole of a biblical book. Let’s look at verse 1 together so that we can get some background on why God inspired this book and preserved it for us today.
This book is clearly written to assure everyone who reads it that the Edomites were going to soon be judged. God says in verse 2, Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. And then in verse 3-9 we are shown some of the reasons for their coming doom. These reasons all fit under the category of pride. Edom would be judged for their pride! For their feelings of self-sufficiency! And the principle here is that God will judge all pride eventually! Pride really does come before a fall.
In verses 3-9 I see three different types of pride that the Edomites had:
First I see a pride in their homeland security. Let’s read verse 3, The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ The Edomites lived up in the mountains and had quite an impressive system of natural defenses. They had rock walls that sheltered them from their enemies. They were full of pride over their self-sufficiency.
They never reached the point that Moses reached after experiencing years of death in the wilderness. His prayer is recorded in the 90th Psalm which we read earlier this morning. He says Lord, YOU have been our dwelling place in all generations. Moses wasn’t trusting in natural rock formations to protect Him. He wasn’t trusting in man made defense structures. God was His dwelling place. He knew that in God’s hands He was secure. After all, He was God before the mountains were brought forth, verse 2. The mountains that the Edomites were trusting were created by God. But they were putting their trust in the creation instead of the creator. And in the rest of the Psalm Moses goes on to discuss how frail man is and how powerful God is.
Who are we like as a nation? Are we like the Edomites who refused to put their trust in God and instead trusted in rocks to keep them safe? Probably not so much anymore. But before September 11th I’m sure many American’s had that type of pride. The had pride in their self-sufficiency. They had pride in the fact that we are the most powerful nation on earth. And as usual pride came before the fall. God said in verse 4, Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down.Who are we like as individuals? Are we like Moses, wise enough to admit that we are frail and God is forever? God help us to be fear the Lord and have the wisdom to put our trust in the creator and not just in His creation. God help us to be humble because pride comes before a fall.
Our nation is currently seeking ways to vastly improve homeland security and it is a good thing for our nation to improve in this area. But we must never get to the point where we trust in our own agencies and our government to keep us safe. Trusting in man is a form of pride. It is saying that man is qualified to rule by himself. We must trust God. He is our rock. He is our fortress. He is our defender. In him we should trust.
A second type of pride the Edomites had was in their political alliances. They felt they had everything under control because they had powerful friends. They were probably powerful enough on their own, but especially with the right connection Edom was indestructable! But once again, pride comes before a fall. Verse 7 says, All the men in your confedarcy shall force you to the border; The men at peace with you shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you.
Are we ever like that? Do we ever take so much comfort in the fact that we’re in the UN or that we are good friends with The British and other world superpowers that we forget our NEED for God. We start to think we’re not really dependant on Him. Maybe we are still glad he’s on our side, but He is more of a last resort. We don’t need Him because we have other friends in high places. Well, just like Edom was about to find out. Political alliances aren’t as dependable as an ever faithful God. Allies eventually turn into enemies and enemies turn to allies. Just look at who our American allies are right now! We used to be at war with most of them! We need to get back to a place where we know that only God can fully be trusted. We need to rid ourselves of the pride that makes us think He can be replaced by friends in high places.
How about as individuals. Do we feel secure in our job only because we have a good friendship with the boss or do we still thank God for giving us employment? Do we feel safe because we have friends in high places? As a nation and as a people we need to remember that people sometimes break their promises. Bonds come apart. But our God is faithful. He is the true faithful friend. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother.
A third type of pride existed in Edom. They had pride in their own wisdom and strength. This completed the trifecta. They had pride in their neighbors, in their walls, and in themselves. They had all the bases covered. Verse 8-9 reads, Will I not in that day, says the LORD, Even destroy the wise men from Edom? And understanding from the mountains of Esau? Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. Edom had pride in their wise men and in their strong men. Maybe they felt they had the best scientiests, the best doctors, the best inventors. Maybe they thought they had the best athletes, architects, and philosophers.
Sound familiar? Do American’s ever take pride thinking their the best at everything? Do we ever have a boastful spirit about the accomplishments of our people? If so, that pride needs to die. The Edomites soon had it killed for them! They learned the tough way. We shouldn’t make the same mistake. Our wise men should not need to be destroyed. Our strong men should not need to be cut off. We need to repent of our pride as a people and a nation and understand that it is God who grants us such strength.
We need to stop thinking that education will be the answers to our problems. Education is certainly a good thing. But Christians must realize that no matter how much someone knows it’s still in their nature to do the wrong thing! My favorite professor at college told a story once about when he was a teacher in grade school. During a staff meeting a special teacher was brought in to talk to the teachers. He started talking about how if we educate kids about the choices they have to make they will be sure to make the right one every time. It was just a matter of knowing what’s right. This is not the reality of the human condition though.
So many times when we act on our human instinct we end up doing exactly what we know we shouldn’t be doing. That is why Paul says in Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Paul is saying that he knew what the right thing to do was. And he even wanted to do that, but his human nature led him to do the opposite. Education is not the answer. No matter how many wise men we can develop in this nation, we will never be secure without the hand of God protecting us.
What about strength. Can we count on might to be our savior? Might didn’t work for the most powerful nation on earth 11 months ago. Might didn’t work for Goliath, the most powerful man in the world when David’s stone hit him in the forehead. The truth is that no amount of earthly power can protect us from potential disaster. That is why David says in Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. God alone is all wise and God alone is all powerful.
conclusion
Where do you stand today as an individual? Where do we stand as a people? Are we trusting in our national defenses? Will the new homeland security branch put your mind at ease? As individuals do we feel safe because we live in a peaceful area of Western New York? Or do we realize that God alone is our protector. He is our shield.
Do we put our trust in our political alliances? Do we feel that our friends in high places makes us safe? If disaster strikes, we could always ask them for help or know that they would be able to fix the problem. Or do we recognize that God alone is our faithful friend. Do we understand that God alone will never fail us?
Do we find ourselves to be pretty self-sufficient because of our wisdom and our strength. Do we take pride in the fact that we are a world superpower? That our president is most likely the most powerful man in the world? Does that make us feel safe? Or do we understand that God alone is all-wise and that God alone is all-powerful. Man’s wisdom shows to be foolish after a while and man’s strength gives out after a short time. But God’s wisdom and strength are eternal. Where is our faith?
Putting our trust in our walls, friends and our own wisdom and strength is a sin. It is the sin of pride. It is the sin of thinking that we don’t need God. That we can handle life by ourself. The Edomites had this pride and they deceieved themeselves with it. Their sense of self-sufficiency would soon be shown as foolish by God’s just judgment.
And when God’s judgement comes it will be complete in every way. Everything will be taken. Look at verses 5 and 6, If thieves had come to you, If robbers by night – oh how you will be cut off! – Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape gatherers had come to you, would they not have left some gleanings. Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! The Lord is saying that His judgement will be complete. We will have nothing of value left if we are found guilty of these evils.
The problem is that we have all been guilty of these same sins from time to time. We, like Edom, have been prideful. And we too will be judged in like matter at the judgment day unless those sins are forgiven.
God promises that His people, the one’s who repent of their sins and live with humility and are filled with love, will be delivered. Verse 17 and 18 tell us that there will be deliverance for the house of Jacob, but the house of Esau shall be stubble and will be devoured. The end of 18 says And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.
The only good thing we can do with pride is repent of it. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
1. Edom had pride in their homeland Security
They had a natural system of defense
They didn’t recognize God as their protector
Does are nation depend on God?
2. Edom had pride in their political alliances
Edom had friends in high places
Do we use God as a last resort?
Only God can be trusted
3. Edom had pride in their wisdom and strength
Education is not the same as wisdom
Physical armor is not the same a spiritual armor
Never before have I heard a sermon on the book of the Bible we’ll be looking at today. In fact a month or two ago I wouldn’t have been able to tell you very much about this book except that its author was one of the minor prophets and it is very short. In fact, it is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Only 21 verses. But it is a great book which I have learned a lot from in these past few weeks while I’ve been studying and then as I began to prepare this sermon. It is the book of Obadiah.
Turn with me please to Obadiah. If you need help finding it, it is on page 1,518 in my Bible! Just kidding…you got Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. So it’s right between Amos and Jonah if that helps. I know it can be tricky finding a 1 page book. I seem to remember Pastor Pockock telling me that some of you recently covered the minor prophets. I don’t know if that was for Sunday School or what, but for these next two Sunday’s we will take a good hard look at Obadiah and see if we can grasp the message God has for us.
Verse 1 of a book is many times, and quite conveniently, an introduction to the whole of a biblical book. Let’s look at verse 1 together so that we can get some background on why God inspired this book and preserved it for us today.
This book is clearly written to assure everyone who reads it that the Edomites were going to soon be judged. God says in verse 2, Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. And then in verse 3-9 we are shown some of the reasons for their coming doom. These reasons all fit under the category of pride. Edom would be judged for their pride! For their feelings of self-sufficiency! And the principle here is that God will judge all pride eventually! Pride really does come before a fall.
In verses 3-9 I see three different types of pride that the Edomites had:
First I see a pride in their homeland security. Let’s read verse 3, The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ The Edomites lived up in the mountains and had quite an impressive system of natural defenses. They had rock walls that sheltered them from their enemies. They were full of pride over their self-sufficiency.
They never reached the point that Moses reached after experiencing years of death in the wilderness. His prayer is recorded in the 90th Psalm which we read earlier this morning. He says Lord, YOU have been our dwelling place in all generations. Moses wasn’t trusting in natural rock formations to protect Him. He wasn’t trusting in man made defense structures. God was His dwelling place. He knew that in God’s hands He was secure. After all, He was God before the mountains were brought forth, verse 2. The mountains that the Edomites were trusting were created by God. But they were putting their trust in the creation instead of the creator. And in the rest of the Psalm Moses goes on to discuss how frail man is and how powerful God is.
Who are we like as a nation? Are we like the Edomites who refused to put their trust in God and instead trusted in rocks to keep them safe? Probably not so much anymore. But before September 11th I’m sure many American’s had that type of pride. The had pride in their self-sufficiency. They had pride in the fact that we are the most powerful nation on earth. And as usual pride came before the fall. God said in verse 4, Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down.Who are we like as individuals? Are we like Moses, wise enough to admit that we are frail and God is forever? God help us to be fear the Lord and have the wisdom to put our trust in the creator and not just in His creation. God help us to be humble because pride comes before a fall.
Our nation is currently seeking ways to vastly improve homeland security and it is a good thing for our nation to improve in this area. But we must never get to the point where we trust in our own agencies and our government to keep us safe. Trusting in man is a form of pride. It is saying that man is qualified to rule by himself. We must trust God. He is our rock. He is our fortress. He is our defender. In him we should trust.
A second type of pride the Edomites had was in their political alliances. They felt they had everything under control because they had powerful friends. They were probably powerful enough on their own, but especially with the right connection Edom was indestructable! But once again, pride comes before a fall. Verse 7 says, All the men in your confedarcy shall force you to the border; The men at peace with you shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you.
Are we ever like that? Do we ever take so much comfort in the fact that we’re in the UN or that we are good friends with The British and other world superpowers that we forget our NEED for God. We start to think we’re not really dependant on Him. Maybe we are still glad he’s on our side, but He is more of a last resort. We don’t need Him because we have other friends in high places. Well, just like Edom was about to find out. Political alliances aren’t as dependable as an ever faithful God. Allies eventually turn into enemies and enemies turn to allies. Just look at who our American allies are right now! We used to be at war with most of them! We need to get back to a place where we know that only God can fully be trusted. We need to rid ourselves of the pride that makes us think He can be replaced by friends in high places.
How about as individuals. Do we feel secure in our job only because we have a good friendship with the boss or do we still thank God for giving us employment? Do we feel safe because we have friends in high places? As a nation and as a people we need to remember that people sometimes break their promises. Bonds come apart. But our God is faithful. He is the true faithful friend. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother.
A third type of pride existed in Edom. They had pride in their own wisdom and strength. This completed the trifecta. They had pride in their neighbors, in their walls, and in themselves. They had all the bases covered. Verse 8-9 reads, Will I not in that day, says the LORD, Even destroy the wise men from Edom? And understanding from the mountains of Esau? Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. Edom had pride in their wise men and in their strong men. Maybe they felt they had the best scientiests, the best doctors, the best inventors. Maybe they thought they had the best athletes, architects, and philosophers.
Sound familiar? Do American’s ever take pride thinking their the best at everything? Do we ever have a boastful spirit about the accomplishments of our people? If so, that pride needs to die. The Edomites soon had it killed for them! They learned the tough way. We shouldn’t make the same mistake. Our wise men should not need to be destroyed. Our strong men should not need to be cut off. We need to repent of our pride as a people and a nation and understand that it is God who grants us such strength.
We need to stop thinking that education will be the answers to our problems. Education is certainly a good thing. But Christians must realize that no matter how much someone knows it’s still in their nature to do the wrong thing! My favorite professor at college told a story once about when he was a teacher in grade school. During a staff meeting a special teacher was brought in to talk to the teachers. He started talking about how if we educate kids about the choices they have to make they will be sure to make the right one every time. It was just a matter of knowing what’s right. This is not the reality of the human condition though.
So many times when we act on our human instinct we end up doing exactly what we know we shouldn’t be doing. That is why Paul says in Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Paul is saying that he knew what the right thing to do was. And he even wanted to do that, but his human nature led him to do the opposite. Education is not the answer. No matter how many wise men we can develop in this nation, we will never be secure without the hand of God protecting us.
What about strength. Can we count on might to be our savior? Might didn’t work for the most powerful nation on earth 11 months ago. Might didn’t work for Goliath, the most powerful man in the world when David’s stone hit him in the forehead. The truth is that no amount of earthly power can protect us from potential disaster. That is why David says in Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. God alone is all wise and God alone is all powerful.
conclusion
Where do you stand today as an individual? Where do we stand as a people? Are we trusting in our national defenses? Will the new homeland security branch put your mind at ease? As individuals do we feel safe because we live in a peaceful area of Western New York? Or do we realize that God alone is our protector. He is our shield.
Do we put our trust in our political alliances? Do we feel that our friends in high places makes us safe? If disaster strikes, we could always ask them for help or know that they would be able to fix the problem. Or do we recognize that God alone is our faithful friend. Do we understand that God alone will never fail us?
Do we find ourselves to be pretty self-sufficient because of our wisdom and our strength. Do we take pride in the fact that we are a world superpower? That our president is most likely the most powerful man in the world? Does that make us feel safe? Or do we understand that God alone is all-wise and that God alone is all-powerful. Man’s wisdom shows to be foolish after a while and man’s strength gives out after a short time. But God’s wisdom and strength are eternal. Where is our faith?
Putting our trust in our walls, friends and our own wisdom and strength is a sin. It is the sin of pride. It is the sin of thinking that we don’t need God. That we can handle life by ourself. The Edomites had this pride and they deceieved themeselves with it. Their sense of self-sufficiency would soon be shown as foolish by God’s just judgment.
And when God’s judgement comes it will be complete in every way. Everything will be taken. Look at verses 5 and 6, If thieves had come to you, If robbers by night – oh how you will be cut off! – Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape gatherers had come to you, would they not have left some gleanings. Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! The Lord is saying that His judgement will be complete. We will have nothing of value left if we are found guilty of these evils.
The problem is that we have all been guilty of these same sins from time to time. We, like Edom, have been prideful. And we too will be judged in like matter at the judgment day unless those sins are forgiven.
God promises that His people, the one’s who repent of their sins and live with humility and are filled with love, will be delivered. Verse 17 and 18 tell us that there will be deliverance for the house of Jacob, but the house of Esau shall be stubble and will be devoured. The end of 18 says And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.
The only good thing we can do with pride is repent of it. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
posted by matthew at 10:09 AM
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