Wednesday 31, July 2013
TEXT: OBADIAH 1-9
KEY VERSE: “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” (Obadiah 3,4).
Pride is often defined as an exaggerated sense of self-worth; a supremacist and negative viewpoint that deceives a person into believing that he/she is superior to others. The proud is always a victim of a perverted mindset which fails to accept the fact that one’s life is not determined by self-worth. It is instead governed by the networth which is essentially determined from above.
Our text today reveals the misery and reproach that came upon the nation of Edom, the descendant of Esau as a result of pride and the mischievous activities that they were involved in. Edom was Judah’s southern neighbour with whom she shared a common boundary. As close as the inhabitants were to Judah, they nonetheless had great bitterness against Judah. Edom prided herself in the safety of their city which was cut into a solid rock cliff, the feeling of their sufficiency, their wealth, their wisdom and their allies. Obadiah declared that their sense of self-sufficiency and pride will be judged by God. He further affirmed that God will humiliate and bring them to reproach.
The Bible warns that pride is the surest route to destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Just as Edom fell, so will the proud people fall. A humble person is more secure than the proud. A proud person portends a bloated view of himself and exposes himself to unnecessary attack and confrontation. The humble however remains lowly no matter who he is. In this state of lowliness, he receives grace to make more progress in life because he daily depends on God.
A believer who is a product of grace can never permit a strand of pride in his or her life, lest he/she loses his peace and attachment to God. If there is a semblance of pride in you, spare no effort in getting rid of it, for you run the grave risk of incurring the ire which God reserves for the proud.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:The way up is down.
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