MWTM: Obadiah Part 1 – The Edom Complex

If you want a quick read in the Bible, Obadiah is your man.

It’s not necessarily an easy read, though. It shouldn’t be considered as that simple a read either. For the intended audience of the vision that God revealed to Obadiah it was clear enough.

That intended audience is fascinating for the primary audience of the prophetic vision was the people of Edom. Understanding Edom requires an understanding of a sibling rivalry that went back generations. As the nation of Israel descended from Isaac’s second son, so Edom descended from Isaac’s first son. Bearing in mind these two were twins you couldn’t get a closer sibling connection.

The story of what happened to this set of twins had ramifications that lasted all the way down to this scenario that requires prophetic intervention. At the heart of the rivalry of the brothers and their nations was pride. Herein is the Edom Complex.

You have been deceived by your own pride
    because you live in a rock fortress
    and make your home high in the mountains.
‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’
    you ask boastfully. (Obadiah NLT)

You can imagine the thoughts of those from Edom: My strategic and material position can allow me to have thoughts of grandeur. I am higher than everyone else, I’m safer than everyone else, I’m better than everyone else.

Those thought processes are not exclusive to those from Edom. Consider nationalistic excesses where any little matter of identity and position is used as a means to establish the people above others. We’re great because we’re British. We’re awesome because we’re Americans. We rule because we’re Chinese. We are immense because we’re from Brazil. Cooking, technology, sport, economy and other things are used to mount a campaign of pride that leads you to think you are up high and from that position you don’t look across at others, you look down.

From that self-inflated position of pride the people of Edom were quick to take advantage of the setback of their neighbours – essentially their family.

When they were invaded,
    you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth
    and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem,
    but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies. (Obadiah NLT)

The picture painted of the people of Edom is as though they were predators. Their neighbours are getting beaten and ransacked? Well they might as well make the most of it and help themselves to whatever there is. Israel’s enemies knocking them down? Well they might as well kick them while they’re down so everyone can see who the real masters are and who the losers are.

That degree of malicious intent from a place of pride is not something God will tolerate.

Of course we can read this and tut-tut safe in our own belief that we would not behave like that at all. We wouldn’t belittle and demean our neighbours. We wouldn’t take advantage of anything bad happening to them. Perish the thought. That’s just not what we do, is it? Is it?

Someone we don’t much care for at work gets in trouble, we don’t gloat in their misfortune do we? Do we?

People from different places looking for help because of various troubles going on, we don’t turn them away because we’re too busy looking after our own issues, do we? Do we?

The light of the vision to the people of Edom is meant to also indicate aspects of our own character and our own capacity to allow pride to inflate our self-worth at the expense of others. It doesn’t need to be as blatant and brutal as the treatment of Edom. It just has to be there and as long as it is there and manifests itself in subtle ways we treat others, then this word from God to the people of Edom should be a sobering moment for us.

As God’s resolution to the Edom Complex would be final, so there is a day coming when He will sort that issue with all humanity.

(Photo by James Fitzgerald on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden