The End of the Proud
3/9/26 Bible Thought (Obadiah)
Main Idea: One day, the Lord will cut down the proud, and the Kingdom will be His.
A Brief Backdrop:
The prophet Obadiah stepped into a time in history when Judah was suffering, and the nation of Edom rebelled against their rule.
However, because Obadiah doesn’t link his prophecy to any specific king’s reign, it can be difficult for scholars to date his ministry with certainty. Generally, it is believed that he either ministered during the reign of King Jehoram of Judah in the ninth century BC or after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.[1] Both times saw significant upheaval in Judah with an uprising from the Edomites.
A Look at the Text:
Regardless of the specific setting, the teaching of Obadiah is clear: God will bring about judgment upon Edom for their pride and restore the fortunes of His people.
Israel was chosen to be God’s covenant people to the neglect of Edom (see Gen. 25:23; Mal. 1:2-4). As a result, the present circumstances would not be the end of the story.
God was going to make Edom small and despised amongst the nations (Obad. 2). In their pride, the Edomites thought they were beyond being cut down (Obad. 3), but Yahweh made it clear that He would soon humble the proud.
The Day of the Lord was coming.
Just as Edom had boasted over the fall of Israel, so one day Edom would fall (Obad. 15). There was coming a day when Israel would again possess the land of Edom and of Canaan (Obad. 19-20). The kingdom was going to be the Lord’s (Obad. 21), and there was nothing that anyone could do about it.
Bringing it Home:
God hates pride. In the famous list of six things the Lord hates, the first is “haughty eyes” (Pro. 6:16). God is able to humble the proud, but to the humble there is the promise of exaltation from the Lord.
As the apostle Peter once concluded:
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you (1 Pet. 5:5b-6).
The end of the story matters a whole lot more than the present. The proud will not remain proud forever. Those who stand against God and His people might have their day of prosperity, but it will certainly come to an end.
Ultimately, the Kingdom of Heaven will prevail and consume all earthly kingdoms. One day it will be said, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).
In that future day we can hope. At present, we remain humble, faithful, and devoted to His purpose and Kingdom rather than our own. For He will have no rivals.
Challenge:
Do I trust God’s future promise of blessing to the humble when it oftentimes seems backwards in the present?
[1] Gregory W. Parsons, “Obadiah,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1394.
It is not easy to trust when you see others prosper who are not following Him closely. But in those moments I try to rest my mind, remember His faithfulness and be thankful for His daily blessings.
I also set my mind on what is to come in Heaven some day.