BEN F. VICK, JR.
Pride would be the downfall of Edom. Obadiah wrote, "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.” (Obad. 3-4.)
Pride is deceptive. It causes one to exalt himself, to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. Paul commanded, "Be not wise in your own conceits.” (Rom. 12:3, 16.) The Wise Man wrote, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18.) God hates a proud look (Prov. 6: 16ff). To fear the Lord means one will hate pride and arrogancy and the froward mouth." (Prov. 8:13.) Jeremiah warned: "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." (Jer. 9:23-24.)
What is it that keeps an individual from obeying the gospel? I am sure there are many factors, but one that prevents some from becoming Christians is pride. They may be more concerned with their reputation or what others will say rather than doing the will of God. The wayward child of God may be of the same mindset. He may not want to confess his wrong. When all appear before the judgment bar of God on the last day, pride will bow the knee and confess Christ; however, it will be too late to change one's destiny.
The Edomites thought they were impregnable and unbeatable because of the territory where they lived. Nelson explains about Edom or "SEIR…The mountainous country stretching from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, east of the gorge called the Arabah” (Gen 14:6). The elevations of Seir range from 183 meters (600 feet) to 1,830 meters (6,000 feet). Two of Seir's outstanding features are Mount Hor, where Aaron died (Num 20:27-28), and the ancient city of rock, Petra or Sela (Isa 16:1). The region was named after a Horite (Hurrian) patriarch whose descendants settled in this area. I visited Petra in 1978, and it is understandable why the Edomites thought they were untouchable. To get to the center of the rock or Sela (Petra), one must travel on horseback for about 30 minutes through a narrow gorge in which one can only see the sun if it is high noon. A small garrison could hold off an army in that kind of terrain. However, though the Edomites thought they could not be brought down, God would show them otherwise. And though robbers might leave some things and grape gatherers might leave a few grapes, God promised to leave nothing.
The Apostle Paul warned, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. 10:12.) Pride causes one to be delusional about his ability and his greatness. God has a way of bringing man to his knees, if not in this life, certainly at the last great day. A wise man said, "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: But with the lowly is wisdom." (Prov. 11:2) Again, from the book of wise sayings: "Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18.) Jesus said, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." (Matt. 23:12.)
The greatness, majesty, glory, wisdom, power, and love of God should cause us to bow before his throne, realizing how small we are. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:3)
Let us learn one of the lessons from the little book of Obadiah: Pride will bring us down.