Obadiah 3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee
Are you an independent person? Is that good? As an American, I look at independence as almost a complete good in every context. We think of the Declaration of Independence. Some people aren’t just Baptist, they are Independent Baptist. I think about beautiful facilities that are called places of independent living. A lot of people just automatically assume that if it is independent, it is good.
We talk about self-made people or people who don’t use God as a crutch. They say, “I’ve done this myself.” The one damning sin is independence from God, the idea that we don’t need God or His Son to get to heaven. So, whether we say, “Look at me” or “I don’t care what people think,” they are both sides of the same coin, pride. What is pride? Pride is independence from God.
The descendants of Esau, the Edomites, were a mighty people. They lived in fortressed cities and did not think they needed God. They looked down their noses at others. Long ago an amazing city called Petra was built. It was constructed in what is now Jordan and exists to this very day. It is carved right out of the rock of the towering cliffs on multiple sides. It is perhaps a half-mile wide and several miles long. This is one of the cities in which the descendants of Esau dwelt. God judges them in the book of Obadiah.
In Obadiah is the vision of Obadiah concerning Edom, the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Verse 3 says, “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?” That is independence, “No one put me here and no one can take me down.” Verse 4 says, “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.” The question is asked, “Who can bring me down?” God can bring them down. They thought they had put themselves in that position, but it was really God that allowed it. God put them there.
Pride in all its forms is essentially an independence from God. I think there are several indications that give away what is actually going on. First, there is ignorance of God. Who shall bring me down? God’s answer is, “I will bring thee down.” In verses 7-9 the Bible says they had been deceived by their own pride. Verse 8 says, “Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom.” Edom was known for her wise men, but they were not enough. Verse 9 says, “And the mighty men, O Temen, shall be dismayed.” It doesn’t matter how mighty your defenses, how wise your men, or how mighty your defenders, there is a God in heaven. Pride is independence from God, ignorance of God.
Second, pride is an ambition of self. Obadiah 4 says, “Though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down.” They had set themselves high. They had ambitions. I don’t believe that ambition is always wrong, but it becomes evil when you detach that from God. Isaiah 14:12 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.”
It sounds a little bit like the Edomites. They have their habitation. They have nested up in the stars. That is what Lucifer said. I am never more like the devil than when I am full of myself. That is my natural tendency, to be full of myself, my life, my needs. So, pride is independence from God; an ambition of self.
Finally, pride disdains others. In verse 10 God says, “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee.” It is not glory but shame, not pride but being brought down because of violence against a brother. Jacob and Esau were the fathers of these two nations. Jacob, later Israel, became the nation of Israel and Esau became Edom. When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, Edom rejoiced over the children of Judah. They spoke proudly in that day of distress. Pride is essentially competitive, thinking, “I’m better than they are.”
Lewis said that pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next fellow. For instance, I’m not proud because I’m rich, but because I am richer than you. I’m not proud because I’m strong, but because I am stronger than you. It is a relative thing. I am comparing myself to another. Take away comparison and you take away so much of pride. Also, this disdain takes away your acknowledgement of God and your dependence on God. All this leaves you in trouble. So, pride is independence from God that disdains others.
The bottom line is that though Petra still exists today and is as solid as the rock it is built into, it is completely empty because Esau and the Edomites are gone. Why are these people gone? It is because pride is independence from God that ignores God, has an ambition of self, and disdains others. The cure for pride is an acknowledgement of God and a dependence upon Him.