Obadiah: Pride Goes Before Destruction

Introduction

Context: Today we are studying the Minor Prophet Obadiah. This book is just one chapter in length, twenty-one verses. Interestingly, the prophet Obadiah’s warnings are not to Israel or Judah like most of the prophets. Rather, he wrote about the coming judgment that would befall the nation of Edom. The Edomites are a well known nation in the Old Testament who are often appearing as enemies of Israel. In fact the relationship of the Edomites to Israel was ancient, it went all the way back to two twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. Jacob became the patriarch of Israel, and Esau the patriarch of Edom. But from the very beginning Esau proved his ungodliness, and as the two nations grew, they grew further and further apart.

Big Idea: As Obadiah preaches to Edom, he condemns them and warns them of their coming destruction, but he hones in his critique on one very specific sin, pride. He says in verse 3,

Obadiah 3 “The pride of your heart has deceived you…”

And so what we will do today is take a deep look at the pride of Edom. The main thrust of today’s message can be summed by one of the proverbs in the Bible, “Pride goes before destruction.” And so, if it is true that pride goes before destruction, what ought we do, how ought we respond. I’ll answer that in four ways today.

Meaning & Application

I UNDERSTAND THE FOLLY OF PRIDE

First, if we want to combat pride in our own lives, we must understand the folly of pride. Let’s look together at verse 1,

Obadiah 1–2 “The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.”

“The Lord God”: The text begins by stating that “the Lord God” is making a pronouncement. It is not just, God. Nor is it just the Lord. It is the Lord God. This arrangement of terms gets after a very specific idea about God, his sovereignty. In fact, other English translation, like the NIV and NLT, pick up on this and translate this connection of “Lord-God” as “Sovereign Lord.” In other words, as this short book begins, we are told that it is a message of condemnation, towards Edom, coming from the God who is utterly in control.

Why is that Important: Why is that important. Well consider what pride is. Pride is a self-exultation. Pride is glorying in one’s self, in one’s position, in what one has achieved. Both nations and individuals can be proud. Here, we read of an entire nation of Edom, who had grown proud together, had exulted in their own greatness together. But individuals can fall into that same trap, can they not. And Obadiah begins his entire prophetic message towards Edom by reminding them who is in control, the sovereign-Lord.

Pride is a Deception: This is why Obadiah says in verse 3,

Obadiah 3 “The pride of your heart has deceived you…”

Pride is an illusion. It is vanity. It is a deception.

No matter how wise we think we are, our wisdom is no thing compared to the infinite wisdom of God.

No matter how much power we accumulate, it is nothing compared to the infinite power God has.

No matter how much we think we can control our futures, there is only one in control, God.

No matter how much wealth we accumulate, it is nothing compared to the riches and the glory of our God.

No matter how much security we think we have surrounded ourselves with to protect ourselves in this fallen world, no amount of self-earned security can protect you from the wrath and judgment of God.

Illustration: Body Building: I recall when I was in college, one of my best friends got heavily into body-building. He actually ended up winning Mr. Indiana our Senior Year. And I recall when I went to the tournament, all these body builders come out and are posing with their massive muscles. And there was one young man who had entered the competition who was a little skinny nothing. He had clearly been lifting a little bit, you could see some little muscles forming. And he walked out on that stage in his little speedo, with his little muscles, trying to puff himself up to look like he could compete with the other guys. And it was all we could do to contain our laughter. But this is the folly of pride. We puff ourselves up, and strut around the stage as if we have something to exult in. And God looks down, and sees the folly of it all.

Experiential: Church, pride comes before destruction. Your pride is foolishness. Whenever we sense pride welling up in our heart, or our actions, or our mind, we need to repent of it quickly. And we need to put it in it place by dwelling on the sovereignty and the majesty and the infinite wonder of the Lord-God!

II UNDERSTAND THE SHAPE OF PRIDE

We have considered the folly of pride, now let us consider the shape of pride. What I mean by this is the variety of ways that pride manifests itself in our hearts. In verses 3-9, Obadiah points out at least five ways in which pride had conquered the Edomite Spirit. We’ll first reflect on Edom and their pride, and then reflect on our own.

Pride of location (3): The first shape of pride is the pride of location.

Obadiah 3 “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?””

The Edomites believed they were secure and immune from enemy invaders because of their geographic location. They lived in the “clefts of the rocks” and in “lofty dwellings.” They boasted that nobody could take them from their secure position. As a naation, they were protected.

Personal: The pride of location is common in man today. Quite literally, in Chicago we have 77 neighborhoods. In reality, the life expectancy is much higher in many neighborhoods than in others, due to violence and other risks. There is nothing sinful about desiring to live in a safe community. I have three daughters, and part of my responsibility as a Dad is to make sure that they are protected. And yet, isn’t it easy to read the horrors of the news in Chicago and think, “Not my neighborhood. I’m safe.” That’s what the Edomites said.

Correction: The correction here is that we need to find our ultimate security in God, in his provision, his protection, and not in our location. But pride is always chipping away at us, convincing us we don’t need God for security.

Pride of Wealth (5-6): The second shape pride takes, is the pride of wealth.

Obadiah 5–6 “If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!”

In verses 5-6 we see Obadiah condemn them for their pride of wealth. Edom controlled the great trade route known as the King’s Higway. They had ownersehip of mines that gave them incredible wealth. Obadiah uses sarcasms to reveal their heart. They had become so wealthy, that they felt that even if thieves came and stole their wealth, they would still have enough left over.

Personal: It is an interesting fact of Church history, that very often the deepest and most profound faith, the place where radical expressions of faith are witnessed, is among the poor. I’ve seen this with my own eyes. Wealth and money are not a sin in and of themselves. But wealth does something to you. It changes your heart. It can very easily make you less dependent on God for provision. In today’s day and age of investment, many of the investments are hedged and insured. We say to ourselves, “Even if we head into a recession or a depression, I’ll be fine.” It’s the same thing the Edomites said. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” But the wealthy forget that they need to pray that prayer as well, because God provides it all.

Correction: The correction is that we need to beat into our hearts and minds the reality that our wealth, our money, our accumulations are in fact a hindrance to us, if they are causing us to become less dependent on God for everything.

Pride in Alliances (7): Third, in verse 7 we see a pride of alliances. They had a deceived view of their own strength because of their alliances

Obadiah 7 “All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you— you have no understanding.”

The Edomites had become proud because they believed they great allies in the world. They had made the right connections. They had played their cards right. And, in a worst case scenario, they knew they could fall back on those relationships that they had formed. But Obadiah says that all those alliances are a false security, because they will not help when the Lord moves his hand in judgment against your pride.

Personal: Are alliances sinful? No! Strong friendships and relationships are a central thread in life. We have friends that have entrusted us with their children should anything happen to them. Those are alliances you want to form in this life. Those are the kinds friendships we ought to form in this church. But look at the temptation. The temptation is that we get a deceived vision of ourselves because of our friendships. We might say to ourselves, “Well I’ve surrounded myself with godly people, so I must be doing okay spiritually.”

Correction: No, we must search ourselves regularly. Are we right with God? On our judgment day, the question will not be whether our friends had faith, or our mother or father had faith in Christ. The question will be whether we have repented of sin and trusted in Jesus Christ.

Pride of Wisdom (8): Fourth, in verse 8, we see they had a pride of widom.

Obadiah 8 “Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?”

Their wise men believed they had figured it out. They knew how to run countries, how to operate in this world. Obadiah says their wisdom was fleeting, and would be destroyed.

Personal: I cannot think of a particular shape of pride more intoxicating in our culture that we are living in right now, than this one. There is a wisdom of the world, a wisdom that is detached from God’s Word, that is pervasive in our culture. And it is nothing but pride. Men, scheming plans of how to fix the world without the knowledge of God. This is not just foolishness, it is pride. All true wisdom comes from God’s Word. Without God’s Word, we cannot have wisdom.

Correction: If we want to eliminate this kind of pride from our hearts, we must refuse to accept the wisdom of the world that is detached from God’s Word. We must unashamedly, and confidently draw our wisdom from God.

Pride of Armies (9): Fifth and finally, Edom had a pride in their strength.

Obadiah 9 “And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.”

Edom had “mighty men” who they believed would protect them from any invaders into their land. Their military was strong, and they felt safe. And God says, “Your mightiest men will do nothing for you, when I decide to move against you.”

Personal: This one pervades so much of life, especially when you are young and healthy. We forget how frail we are, how short life is, how long eternity is.

Correction: We must develop a healthy prayer life of daily coming before the Lord and expressing an utter dependence on him for everything. Rejecting our own strength, our own abilities. God, you give me life, you give me breath, you sustain me.

Closing: Here, in this second point we have considered five different shapes of pride. And I’ve tried to show you how pervasive pride can be. How it sneaks into the corners of our life.

III UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF PRIDE

Now, I want us to look at the effects of pride. Within Obadiah’s prophetic words to Edom, there are two very clear effects of pride. The first, is that pride leads to other sins. The second, is that pride accrues the judgment of God. Let’s consider both.

Causes other sins: First, pride leads to other sins. Obadiah spells out some of the sins that Edom was guilty of.

Obadiah 10–11 “Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.”

Explain the Situation: Remember, Edom and Israel should have had a very supportive and loving relationship. They were originally two brothers, Jacob and Esau. But over the years Edom had grown violent towards Israel. The text says, “on the day that you stood aloof.” What happened that Israel was attacked and conquered. And Edom stood by, proudly, and did nothing to help them. Verses 11-14 go on to say they gloated over Israel as they were defeated. They rejoiced that Israel’s wealth was being plundered. Verse 14 goes so far as to say that when some poor family managed to escape destruction and make their way to the border, the Edomites caught them and handed them over to the enemy. Other places in scripture recall the sin of Edom at that moment. Psalm 137 says.

Psalm 137:7 “Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!””

First Commandment: A heart that is full of pride, will always be led to more sin. Why? It distorts our thinking and makes us trust our own instincts, and our own wisdom more than God. The soul that is proud will not submit to God’s Word, indeed it cannot. Pride is nothing more than breaking the first commandment to have no other God but God. The person struggling with pride is struggling with idolatry of self, they believe—perhaps without saying these words—that they are God, that they know best, that they are capable. A beloved professor of mine wrote these words about pride,

“Most sins turn us away from God, but pride directly attacks God. It lifts us above and against God, seeking to dethrone Him by enthroning ourselves.”

Other Biblical Stories: Consider many of sins and crimes throughout the Bible, how they had their root in pride. I’ll share a few, and if you don’t know these stories, that’s okay, but you’ll get a sense for how pride is woven so deeply into the human heart.

Pride led Cain to jealousy which ultimately led him to murder his brother Abel.

Pride led Joseph’s brothers to be so enraged that Joseph would dare suggest that one day he would rule over them, that they sold their own brother into slavery.

Pride led Pharaoh to refuse to let Israel leave Egypt despite God’s judgment destroying his land.

Pride led David to take a census of his nation in order to see all that he had accomplished, causing the wrath of God to come down on the land.

Pride led Herod to murder ever child in Bethlehem when he heard from the wise men that a rival king had been born

Pride led Pharisees to refuse to acknolwedge Christ their savior when he was in their midst.

And pride has led me to so many foolish mistakes in my life. The belief that I could do things better, I know better, if people would just think like me.

Causes judgment from God: But there is another effect of pride. Pride does not only lead to other sins. Pride brings about the judgment of God. Look again at verse 10.

Obadiah 10 “Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.”

This entire book of Obadiah was a warning to Edom that their days were numbered. While they sat back comfortably in their high places, God was storing up judgment for Edom. God ultimately wiped them off the face of the planet. Nobody goes out for dinner at an Edomite restaurant. We eat at Greek food. We eat Israeli food. We eat Egyptian food. Why? Because once the Lord declares that he is bringing utter destruction, there is nothing that can stop it. Truly, pride comes before destruction.

Judgment for Sin: Look at verse 15 with me,

Obadiah 15 “For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.”

Unbeliever: Friends if you are in this room, and you are not a follower of Christ, I want to suggest to you today, that your heart is full of pride. You have convinced yourself that you are smarter and better than God himself. God will not be mocked. You will carry that sin with you into your grave, and carry it for all eternity as you suffer in hell for your idolatry. Repent. Judgment is coming, and it will be thorough.

Believer: To the believer it this room, you are not off the hook. Though you are forgiven in Christ, and though you have a new heart, we are not yet glorified and we too struggle often with pride. As a believer, God never sends his wrath upon us, his wrath is reserved for the unbeliever. But, as a believer, God lovingly disciplines us for our sin. His disciplines are corrective, they are meant to bring reform in our life. If you are in here and you are thinking to yourself, “I have a lot of pride in me, as a believer.” Do not wait until the Lord disciplines you to repent and allow God to change your heart. This brings me to my final point.

IV KNOW THE CURE FOR PRIDE

Lastly, we must understand the only cure for pride. Every person in this room struggles with pride. And the question every faithful Chrisitan should ask, is how to root this rot out of me. How can the Gospel set me free from such sickening pride as we have discussed today.

Kingdom of Christ: Well Obadiah hints at this in the last section. In the midst of Obadiah’s statement that the Day of the Lord is approaching, he says this in verse 17.

Obadiah 17 “But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.”

Here, the prophet says that a steady stream of desparate people would escape the devastating consequences of God’s judgment on sin, by seeking refuge on Mt. Zion. And that that mountain would be a holy place unto the Lord. This verse, through to the very end of this book where we read that “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” is a prophetic foretelling of the Kingdom of Christ. It’s saying that God was not done with Israel. That he would save a remnant, a desparate remnant who cast themselves in their desparation upon God for forgiveness, and God would not only forgive them, but would establish them as a holy people unto God, would endow with strength from on high. This is pointing us to Christ and the Kingdom of God. So what Obadiah is doing here, is he bringing judgment on Edom’s pride, and at the same time juxtaposing the Kingdom of Christ which would come, a place where pride like that would be eliminated.

Mistaken Gospel: If you truly want to root out pride from your life, you must understand what happened when Christ saved you. Many Christians mistakenly believe that they had something to contribute to their own salvation. Sure, Christ went to the cross for them, but they figured it out, they activated their own faith, and they believed in Christ out of their will. And all the roots of pride are running rampant in that view. Because we could muster the will and fortitude to pull ourselves out of the depths of sin and follow Jesus, well then we can muster the will and the fortitude to manage all kinds of circumstances in life apart from God. Pride!

Illustration: Childbirth: Being born again is like childbirth. When a child is born, that child doesn’t get to take credit for anything yet. The child didn’t create itself. The child didn’t support itself for those last nine months. The child doesn’t get to come out of the womb and say, “Did you see what I just did, that was amazing!” No, the mother who birthed the child gets to say, “Did you see what I just did, that was amazing!”

God Gets All the Glory: In the same way, those who are born again children of God are fools to take any credit for their own salvation.

God sent Christ to take our place underneath God’s wrath

Jesus died and poured his blood.

Jesus raised himself from the dead, defeating sin and death.

God arranged the circumstances that led us to Christ

God arranged the people that would share Christ with us.

God overruled our stubborn proud wills and applied the healing balm of Christ into our hearts.

God removed our heart of stone that was hostile to God, and gave us a heart of flesh.

God implanted the Holy Spirit inside of us that sustains us and leads us into righteousness

God gets all the credit. God didn’t work with us to earn our salvation. God placed on Mt. Zion

Summary: What is the cure for pride? It is understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ properly, precisely what Obadiah points us to at the end of this book. It is beholding Christ in all of his glory over and over and over again, and the reality of grace upon grace. Wake up every day and tell yourself the same gospel truth. He, in all of his infinite goodness and mercy, has forgiven you, and adopted you into his family. He saved you, when you couldn’t save yourself. He is sustaining you, when you couldn’t sustain yourself. This is the gospel!

Closing

Today we have considered how pride goes before destruction. We have considered the folly of pride in the face of our Lord-God, our sovereign God. We have considered the shape of pride and all its evil faces. We have considred the effects of pride, how it leads to other sins, and brings on the judgment of God. And we have seen the cure for pride. Church, do not let pride be the ruin of you. Remember Christ’s words.

Matthew 5:3 ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”