Theological Commentary: Click Here
Obadiah is a
small book. The focus of Obadiah is
Edom, which is the nation of people that grew out of Esau. The rift between Edom and the Hebrew people
runs the whole way back to the twin sons of Isaac: Jacob and Esau. Jacob stole Esau’s birth right, therefore
Esau has no issue trying to steal it back.
The problem
is that the people are doing it without asking God’s blessing – not that He
would have given it anyway. The people
are seeking after the desires of their own heart. The people are proud. They will seek their own way. They will do things according to their own
understanding.
God hates it
when we bring violence to other people. The
violence, though, is not the biggest issue.
The issue is where the violence comes from. The violence stems from the pride of the
people. The violence stems from their
humanity and their desire to be the top dog.
God has an issue with the sin in their heart, which leads them to the
violence.
This is why
Jesus teaches the Pharisees in the New Testament that it is not what we put
into our mouth that defiles us but what comes out. God is offended by the things we do to others
and the things we say to others. He
knows, though, that the outward offenses have a deeper core. Our outward offenses are evidence of an
inward problem. When we fix our heart,
the fruit of our heart will be fixed as well.
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