What We Sow, We Reap
As you have done, it shall be done to you. (Obadiah 15)
Obad. 15; Dt. 7:9-10; II Sam. 12:1-15; Esth. 7:10; Prov. 22:28; Matt. 7:12; Gal. 6:7-8
What Is God Saying?
Obadiah's prophecy is against Edom. The Edomites descended from Isaac through Esau, and the Israelites descended from Isaac through Jacob. These cousins carried on an ancient grudge, and they carried it well.
The central city of the Edomites was Sela. It was on a plateau at the top of a rocky cliff, only accessible through a narrow gorge. They were virtually unassailable. They made quick sorties to invade Judah. Having done their damage, they hurried home and took pride not only in the harm they inflicted but also in the invincible nature of their home territory. The unkindest cut came when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 587 B.C. While Judah focused on the Babylonian attack, the Edomites plundered them.
Obadiah denounced Edom for its pride, and destruction did come to their invincible strongholds, first by the Arabs and then by the Nabateans, who built the rock city of Petra, "The rose-red city half as old as time." Herod the Great was an Edomite. Obadiah said, "You have been priding yourself on bullying others when they are down, but for all your defenses, your time is coming. " It did.
"You should not have" is a phrase that is repeated eight times in three verses (vs. 12-14). But they did, and now they had to pay for it. "For the violence done to your brother Jacob, you shall be cut off forever" (vs. 10). "The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Esau stubble" (vs. 12-14).
How Does This Apply To Us?
Paul, in Galatians, reminds us that "God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them" (Mt. 7:12). It is one coin with two sides. On the one hand, a warning, "You can't get away with it. The evil you bring or allow to come into the life of another will return to haunt you." On the other hand, an encouragement: "You can't bring good into the life of another without being blessed."
Moved and encouraged, we are more ready to pray and, through prayer, to bless and be blessed.
Pray With Me
In these words, O Lord, I hear the sound of distant trumpets. I am nearer to Your words. They gleam like gold in the greyness of a world so lacking love. Those who show mercy will obtain mercy. Esau stood off and watched foreigners casting lots for Jerusalem. He was sowing the seed of his destruction. Esau rejoiced when his brother fell, but his laughter was to echo back as weeping along empty streets and in the desolate homes of his land: "As you have done, it shall be done to you."
Lord, help me remember this warning to be truthful with You and honest with myself and others. If I practice deceit, the foundation on which I stand has rotting timbers, and the ground on which I walk is sinking sand. If I spend myself for the good of others and seek to bless more than to be blessed, to serve more than to be served, I shall learn the mystery You have tried so patiently to reveal: "Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over."
Let this bright glimpse of Your way increase in me until it shall be the light that shines across my whole horizon. Let flickering insight become a steady habit. Let struggling faith become triumphant assurance. Let my every thought and desire be controlled by Your changeless decree, "As you have done, it shall be done to you."
In the name of Him who was crowned with glory when He endured the shame of the Cross. Amen.
Moving On In The Life Of Prayer
As we pray for the welfare of others, we are opening the door through which the Lord can come into our lives, laden with blessings. "Give and it will be given to you." Pray for others and see how God sends you the same or greater blessing. Prayer taps a vast reserve of grace. We can't open the floodgates of God's mercy on behalf of another without getting splashed or drenched ourselves. That's the ultimate discovery of prayer—blessing others, and we are blessed.
