Obadiah has
had much to say about the spiritual shortcomings of the ungodly nation of Edom.
Jacob’s brother nation was so filled with pride that it consumed his every
thought and action. His pride was the seed at the heart of each sin Edom was
guilty of committing. Ultimately it caused him to disregard God altogether. In
this article we will examine two more sources of his pride.
“Will I not on that day, declares the Lord,
destroy the wise men of out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau? And
your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau
will be cut off by slaughter” (Obadiah 8-9).
As one
considers the testimony of Scripture, it is clear that Edom had gained the
reputation for great wisdom and understanding. In Jeremiah 49:7 we read, “Concerning Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has council perished from the prudent? Has their
wisdom vanished?” Many suggest that Teman may have been the capital city of
Edom. If it was not the capital it was at least a very influential and
reputable city. Both Obadiah and Jeremiah specifically connect wisdom and might
with Teman, indicating that it was a city noted for prudence, council, and
military might. You may recall that Eliphaz, one of Job’s “comforters”, was a
Temanite (Job 2:11).
Keep in the
mind that Obadiah shows us God removing every source of Edom’s pride. Clearly
he gloried in his own wisdom, confident that nothing could possibly arise that
he could not overcome through his own council and planning. Scripture informs
us that there are only two types of wisdom. There is heavenly wisdom (wisdom
from above), and there is demonic wisdom (wisdom from below). Considering the
vileness of Edom, it is clear which brand of wisdom he possessed (James
3:13-18).
As we’ve
hinted at already, Edom had gained quite a fearsome reputation in battle. Obadiah
connects “mighty men” to Teman just as Jeremiah had connected wisdom. There is
no question that Edom presented a very formidable, intimidating adversary to
anyone brave enough to take him on. Remember that something as fundamental as simply
reaching him was very difficult
because of his mountain stronghold (Obadiah 2-4). Should an adversary manage to
reach his cities they would need to contend with Edom’s allies coming to aid
him. If his allies were not enough Edom could easily dip into his wealth to
hire mercenaries to fight on his side (Obadiah 5-7). Add to all of this his
own wisdom and warriors (Obadiah 8-9). Edom was truly a nation to reckon
with.
Unfortunately
for him, Jehovah was doing the reckoning! His foolish trust in himself caused
Edom to forget that the mightiest of men stand helpless before the Lord God
Almighty (2 Kings 6:15-18). Edom could gather all of his military men and wise
councilors against God and not even begin to frustrate His purposes or overcome
His strength (Psalm 68:1-3). Truly it was his trust in his own might and wisdom
that helped doom him to an eventual final destruction.
It is
imperative that we understand that everything about man, every source of his pride, is incredibly tenuous at best. We
sometimes boast in things like our wealth, our health, our possessions, our
strength, and our wisdom. Edom possessed each of these in spades. However,
there came a time when God simply had enough of his proud arrogance and acted
against him. What good did Edom’s wealth, health, possessions, strength, or wisdom
do him then? If there is one lesson we must take from Edom it is that placing
our complete trust in anything but God
is the height of foolishness. Wealth, possessions, health, strength, and the
mind all eventually fail. God does not.
A favorite
passage of mine is Isaiah 49:14-15. “But
Zion says, ‘The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a woman
forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her
womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” The bond between a
mother and her brand new nursing infant is so strong! Having witnessed it for
myself three times now I cannot but marvel at the beauty and devotion of a
mothers love for her baby. God’s love for His people far excels even that. Let
us never forget the Father up above looking down in tender love. Let us make Him our boast and nothing else.
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