Five Signs of Pride
Wed night October 7th 2009
Obadiah 1:10-14
Introduction
What is pride? It is above all an attitude, but it never stops with an attitude. It never stops in the mind or in the heart of a person or a people. James 1:14-15 “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Notice the progression there.
The attitude of pride is no different – once pride exists then you will either deal with it or it will flesh itself out in your life or it will show itself in your life. That’s the law of the harvest that you find in Galatians 5. Whatever you sow you will reap. That’s how it worked in Edom. Look with me at Obadiah 10-14 and I want you to notice how Edom’s pride was fleshed out, or showed through, and then notice five things the Edomites did to Israel as the result of their pride showing itself.
Read Scriptures: Obadiah 1:10-14
The Lord sums up all their actions in verse 10 by saying,
Vs. 10 “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever.”
Now they were violent against their brother Jacob, or Israel, and that violence was the expression of their pride. But how was their violence expressed? And how does pride show itself in our lives?
I. Pride shows itself, when I can stand by and watch a brother stumble.
Vs. 11 “On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.”
Nebuchadnezzar brought his armies against the city of Jerusalem, Judah stood alone. Where was Edom then? Did they rally around to help fight a common enemy? Of course not! They acted just like the priest and the Levite in the story of the good Samaritan, when they saw their brother in need, they refused to lend a hand.
Now, you might be thinking, these nations were enemies, but that was never God’s desire. Deuteronomy 23:7 the Lord had told Israel. “Thou shalt not abhor and Edomite; for he is thy brother…”
This should have worked both ways. God’s desire for the Israelites to treat Edom with brotherly love was just as much his desire for Edom to treat Israel in the same manner.
Instead of attempting to befriend and help the people of Israel, to whom they were related by blood, they went over to the side of the brutal enemy which had invaded the land and did nothing to help.
Do you stand aloof when a brother stumbles? That’s what the people of Edom did. When enemies threatened Jerusalem, the people of Edom said, “This is no business of ours. We’re not their keepers. Whatever happens happens; if they fall, it’s only what serves them right. We’re going to mind our own business.”
How often does a brother or sister in Christ stumble and the rest of us stand off and just watch? We choose not to get involved or come to their aid. Do we think we are superior to them? Are we afraid of something? We’re told in the Scriptures to “bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We’re told to be like that good Samaritan, who at his own personal cost went the extra mile to care for a man who was in great need.”
Listen, you and I have a responsibility to other men and women and a special responsibility to those within our immediate family and the family of God. God holds us accountable! Where you can help, you must help. Where you can encourage, you must encourage. Where you can defend, you must defend. When pride shows through in our lives we can just stand back a watch as a brother stumbles.
II. Pride shows itself, when I can look down on a fallen brother.
Vs. 12a “You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune,
The phrase “looked down on” carries the idea of showing a special curiosity. It means that while the Edomites stood by during the defeat of Judah, they could have been at home in their own nation, but they chose instead to come out and watch. They progressed from standing by to an improper curiosity about their brother’s tragedy.
Do you look down on your brothers when they fall? Some professing Christians are like the Edomites. Instead of helping a brother when he falls, they delight in digging out the details and spreading the news. Feeling like it is their duty, they do not hesitate to add an extra kick or two to a man who is down. Obadiah warned against such wicked behavior.
When pride shows itself in our lives we will look down on a fallen brother.
III. Pride shows itself, when I can rejoice in the defeat of a brother.
Vs. 12b “nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble.”
As they watched Israel fall to the Babylonians, the Edomites rejoiced over the trouble that had come to Judah. For centuries God had given Israel the upper hand. Jacob prevailed and prospered while Esau took the back seat. When Israel marched up to the Promised Land and was denied passage time and time again, God made sure they got where He wanted them. When previous enemies came against them, they gained the victory. Now here they were, God’s chosen people falling to an enemy they could not handle, and Edom thought it a great thing.
Do you rejoice when a brother falls? That is always an action of pride. When you hear someone rejoicing over the trouble that another individual is having, you may be sure that you are listening to someone who is very proud. Pride is something that God says He hates.
It is a shame that Christian people can talk about other Christians, and can even be happy that the other has fallen or sinned. Somehow it makes them feel better about themselves. How repulsive that must seem to God! If we saw ourselves the way God sees us, there wouldn’t be any room for boasting or rejoicing when others fall.
IV. Pride shows itself, when I take advantage of a brother after they’ve been weakened by a fall.
Vs. 13 “You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster.”
Edom’s violence against their brother only grew worse. Not only did they join with the enemy against Israel, but they actually moved into loot and plunder after the enemy had taken Israel away into captivity. How sorry can you get?
They didn’t fight Israel for the goods. They didn’t help Babylon for a part in the spoils. They only stood back like hungry vultures coming in after the kill.
Do you take advantage of brothers who fall? Do we prey on them with our works and behavior? Do we move in and gather the spoils? When a brother is a financial bind, do we offer to buy their possessions for a mere fraction of its worth. And then stand back like we’ve done them a favor. That is taking advantage of a brother after he’s fallen.
V. Pride shows itself, when I help the enemy go after a fallen brother.
Vs. 14 “You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.”
You can picture what has happened. As Edom moved in to plunder the city, they encountered stragglers, men and women, or lone women with their children, perhaps whole families who had fled the city to escape the destruction and certain death or captivity.
If they could only take refuge in the rugged country south of the Dead Sea – but on their way they met up with these Edomite brothers who had no sympathy for their plight – the Bible says that they turned them over to the Babylonians, gave them up to their enemies for who knows what future.
Did they care? Certainly not, for they were the lowest sort of people, thriving on the defeats of others, even their own kinsmen.
Do you stand in the way of brothers who are hurting? Now figuratively speaking, God’s people can be guilty of this very think. They serve Satan, our enemy by treating Christians who have sinned or erred with an unbrotherly love. Some Christians spend more time delivering fellow believers into the hands of unbelievers than they do serving God. Our duty is to build up, to edify our brothers and restore them, not to turn them over to the enemy every time they fall.
Conclusion
I suppose that if you or I knew a people like the Edomites, a people so violent toward their kinsmen that they would do these things we might shun them. But listen, all too often it is we, believers in Jesus Christ who behave like the Edomites. We can behave very hurtful, we say things we ought not say, we do things we ought not do, and sometimes, perhaps more often than not, we refuse to get involved when we should.
There is a Bible verse that says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” We have such a friend in Jesus.
When we had fallen to sin and death, Jesus didn’t just stand by. He didn’t look on with contempt or with indifference. When we were helpless and hopeless, Jesus didn’t rejoice or boast of His own perfection, though He was. He didn’t move in and exploit us, nor did He turn us over to the enemy – He didn’t do any of these things. Because He loved us, He chose to get involved and do something about it – His love drove Him to the cross, and because He was lifted up, we too can be lifted up.
