Obadiah 1 Devotional

Gloating Over a Brother

“But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress.”Obadiah 1:12 (BSB)

Obadiah's vision is aimed at Edom, whose pride has deceived it. Secure in its rocky heights, Edom is sure that no one can bring it down (1:3). God answers that even if they soar like the eagle and nest among the stars, he will bring them down (1:4).

The charge is violence against their brother Jacob (1:10), and the chapter traces how it grew. On the day strangers carried off Jerusalem's wealth, Edom stood aloof and became like one of them (1:11). Then they gloated, rejoiced, and boasted over Judah's distress, looted, and cut off those who escaped (1:12-14). Watching turned to cheering, and cheering turned to joining in. God sees not only the blow but the bystander's delight, and what they have done will return on their own heads (1:15). Proverbs warns against rejoicing when an enemy stumbles (Proverbs 24:17). The book ends with deliverance on Mount Zion and the kingdom belonging to the LORD (1:17, 1:21). Because the kingdom is his, you can grieve with those who fall rather than gloat.

To think about: Is there someone whose trouble you have secretly enjoyed, and what would it look like to pray for them instead?