the shorter fall from humble

Ever found yourself delighted
in strange satisfaction
when someone forever bragging,
finally isn't having that fabulous day?

I know that is a horrible admission
of a prideful heart.

It's more of a middle school mentality,
but still there's that twinge
that springs up in the heart
when that one person
won't ever stop telling me
about everything fabulous
in their life...
and all the fantastic
friends they find,
forever fulfilling and fruitful.

Blech!!
It makes me want to flog them.
(sorry, had to use an f-word to keep the flow)

But it's just that pride in us
that get's tired of hearing
all the "great,"
when our's is just ordinary.

And when they are down...
Shoot!
I should have compassion.
But sadly, I typically
climb up on my highest horse
and ride around them in circles.

I don't say anything...
uh... that would be rude.
But man would I like to.

Nope, I just secretly gloat in the fact
that they are not fabulous,
fantastic, forever fulfilled
or fruitful that day.
And. I. am. horrible!

So, just in time...
I need a spoonful of
Obadiah!

Say what?

Yep, a spoonful of Obadiah.
He's one of the minor prophets
in the Bible.
Hang with me here a bit...
I have a point.

Obadiah doesn't seem to
get much popular mention,
nor are his verses commonly "tweetable"
like the Psalms or the
sayings of Jesus.

Nevertheless, as part of
the word of God,
value can always be found
even in a single-chaptered book
such as this.

And for certain, I DID find
a spoonful of what I needed
in my predicament,
here in this very tiny book.

But we need a brief history lesson
or it won't make much sense.

Obadiah was a prophet sent by God
with a message for the people of Edom.
This was land inhabited by
descendants of Esau,
the brother of Jacob,

Now, in case you don't remember,
Jacob and Esau were twins.
Esau came out first,
with Jacob grabbing his heel
on the way out.

Since Esau was "first born,"
he had the rights to the biggest blessing
from his father Isaac.

Back then...
this was a BIG deal.
The first-born got a larger inheritance.

If there were only two sons...
2/3 went to the first born, and
only 1/3 to the second born.

But Jacob was a bit of a trickster
and he not only traded Esau
for his birthright at a vulnerable time,
but he also schemed to steal
the blessing from their father.

So Jacob, instead of Esau,
went on to became
one of the patriarchs of the Bible.
You know, like we hear of...
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

And later, God re-named him Israel.
That's where the land settled called
the Promised Land got it's name,
and his descendants became the Israelites.

But this land which Esau settled,
called Edom, was not one
which followed the ways of God.

You see, Esau watched his brother
Jacob get the first-born blessing...
the first of this, and the first of that.

And as their father, Isaac
spoke over him,
he very clearly,
sent him away...
to take himself a wife...
and as he blessed him,
gave him a charge, saying,
“You shall not take a wife from
the daughters of Canaan,”
Genesis 28:6

Right then, Esau realized
how to please his father...
and how NOT to please him.

And since Esau was bitter
that his blessing of the firstborn
was taken and given to Jacob...
and that Jacob had obeyed
his father and his mother...
Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan
did not please his father Isaac.

So Esau went to Ishmael and took
Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael...
Genesis 28:7-9

Esau married the very women
his father advised against.

Now, just to be clear,
it wasn't that Isaac's prejudice or
stubborn heart for these people
made up this rule.
He was being obedient to God
since the Canaanites were known
idol worshippers.

And these women and their families
had been forbidden by God to marry,
as they would cause divided hearts.

So Esau settled the land of Edom
which became a pagan nation
that worshiped idols
rather than worshipping God
as the Israelites did.

I should note that the two brothers
did make amends after many years
even though they settled
in different lands.
(read more in Genesis 33)

But the Bible will still reference
their nations, using their individual names...
Israel is Jacob,
Edom is Esau.

And their nations remained enemies...
often at war, for centuries.

And Israel might have been,
to Edom, this "favorite," of God
that wouldn't ever stop telling
about everything fabulous
in their life...
and all the fantastic
friends they find,
forever fulfilling and fruitful.

But maybe Edom got tired
of always hearing about it
over, and over, and over again.

And it's not that Israel
was always staying faithful to God.
Because they too started up
with idol worship,
building altars,
and wandering far from God.

Until finally,
the walls began to crumble
and their forever bragging fell flat.

And so sat Edom gloating over Israel...
that they were not fabulous,
fantastic, forever fulfilled
or fruitful that day.

In fact they didn't even
contemplate compassion.
But eagerly climbed upon
their highest horses, and
rode around them in circles.
Eagerly watching God execute punishment
for their idolatry and pagan ways
as He carried Judah away captive.

This, now Obadiah's assignment.
Tell big brother,
he doesn't get to gloat
now that little brother
is no longer succeeding.

Evidently they had taken much pleasure
in watching Judah's demise,
and destruction, as Babylon took siege.

So Obadiah says...
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?’

Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.
Obadiah 1:3-4 NKJV

And as they sat high and watched
the smoldering embers
of Jerusalem fade...
God wanted to let them know
that they should not gloat
or be so pleased, for they just may be
next.

How cautious we must be...
I must be, to take this spoonful of advice
willingly and without undue pride.
​
Word of God
train me, today...
To be careful how I watch others demise,
for all too soon, it could be me as well.

To avoid the high perch from which to watch,
for it only leads to a farther fall.