“The pride of your heart has deceived you… Though you soar aloft like the eagle… from there I will bring you down” (Obadiah 1:3-4). If you ever want a crash course in humility, meet the Edomites. These folks were so sure of themselves they basically built their homes in the sky and said, “Who’s gonna bring us down?” God’s answer was blunt: “I am.” Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament, packs a mighty punch about pride and self-deception. They thought security was measured in stone walls and mountain heights, not in obedience and mercy. The Edomites felt invincible in their mountain stronghold of Petra, that rose-colored city carved into stone, but even walls of rock cannot protect a heart lifted up in pride from inevitable divine judgment. When their neighbors in Judah were attacked, Edom didn’t lend a hand. Instead, they pulled up a chair to watch the show. Thus God declares destructive judgment upon them because not only did they fail to render aid to brethren in distress, but they also kicked them while they were down. Pride had turned them cruel.

Pride still does that. It blinds us, convinces us we’re doing great, and then quietly hardens our hearts until compassion withers. God’s verdict on pride hasn’t changed: “God opposes the proud.” But here’s the good news: He still “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

Obadiah’s lesson is simple… don’t build your house on the high cliffs of ego. Build it on the solid ground of Christ, the humble King. Pride crashes hard, but God always lifts the humble back up.

I am preaching through the Minor Prophets, those short books most folks skip over because they talk a lot about judgment. But here’s the surprise… behind every warning is a divine message about mercy and hope. God still invites His people back even when they have lost their way. Come join us Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at the Northside Church of Christ in Temple, Texas, as we dust off the words of these ancient prophets and discover how much they still have to say to us today.

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