Recently, I spent some time in the book of Obadiah. It's one of the shorter books in the Bible, which is why I chose it. In my mind, I would have a better understanding of a book that I could read and study all the way through in one sitting. So, Obadiah it was.
I must admit, I honestly didn't think I would learn much. HA! Little did I know. I can now appreciate the verse that says,
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
All Scripture.
Not just some of it, all of it, praise God! Even Obadiah.
Obadiah was sent to tell the people of Edom (also known as Esau's descendants) that they messed up. Big time. When the descendants of Jacob needed help most, the Edomites stood by and watched the destruction happen. Scripture says "Edom was like one of the invaders". The stood and watched from a distance, offering no help whatsoever. To make it even worse afterward, they laughed and gloated over the misfortune of Jacob's house. As men, women, and children were slaughtered mercilessly, Edom laughed.
Because of their unspeakable sin, the Lord declared that they themselves would be destroyed. And no one would come to help. "There shall be no survivor for the house of Esau" (v. 18).
Serious stuff there.
You can look today, but you will not find anyone who can truthfully claim to be a descendant of Esau or Edom. They simply don't exist. All because they stood by and didn't offer assistance in a time of need.
I was pretty surprised to find their sin to be such a "trivial one". We don't think much about doing nothing as sinning. Maybe they couldn't have gotten there in time or maybe they didn't have enough men to make a difference in the fight. Perhaps it would have endangered their homes and families to do so. We tend to be forgiving to people who don't go out of their way to make a difference. But should we be?
God obviously sees the sin as something intense, so why do we shrug it off so easily? The answer: We do not have the heart of God. We don't see things the way He does if we are not studying the Scriptures that He left for us to learn from! In order to change the way we see sins like this one, we must study, study, study to see them how God does.
I live in a place where it is very easy to help those in need. We have big shelters for the homeless, at least one prominent abortion prevention clinic, many goodwill stores, and dozens of churches discipling and teaching Christians. It's easy for me to get involved somewhere doing something for someone. And yet, I still prefer to sit at home and do nothing. It's more comfortable and more convenient.
I sit and wallow in sin, knowing how much God hates it. I am a sinner. I am wretched.
But, I can change. God led me to Obadiah for a reason, and He will change me to be more like Him if I ask and obey. Many times we ask for God's help, but do not obey Him when He asks us to change. So, this week, I'm finding something that I need to change.
I will not participate in the sin of nothing if it is within my power to do something.
I must admit, I honestly didn't think I would learn much. HA! Little did I know. I can now appreciate the verse that says,
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
All Scripture.
Not just some of it, all of it, praise God! Even Obadiah.
Obadiah was sent to tell the people of Edom (also known as Esau's descendants) that they messed up. Big time. When the descendants of Jacob needed help most, the Edomites stood by and watched the destruction happen. Scripture says "Edom was like one of the invaders". The stood and watched from a distance, offering no help whatsoever. To make it even worse afterward, they laughed and gloated over the misfortune of Jacob's house. As men, women, and children were slaughtered mercilessly, Edom laughed.
Because of their unspeakable sin, the Lord declared that they themselves would be destroyed. And no one would come to help. "There shall be no survivor for the house of Esau" (v. 18).
Serious stuff there.
You can look today, but you will not find anyone who can truthfully claim to be a descendant of Esau or Edom. They simply don't exist. All because they stood by and didn't offer assistance in a time of need.
I was pretty surprised to find their sin to be such a "trivial one". We don't think much about doing nothing as sinning. Maybe they couldn't have gotten there in time or maybe they didn't have enough men to make a difference in the fight. Perhaps it would have endangered their homes and families to do so. We tend to be forgiving to people who don't go out of their way to make a difference. But should we be?
God obviously sees the sin as something intense, so why do we shrug it off so easily? The answer: We do not have the heart of God. We don't see things the way He does if we are not studying the Scriptures that He left for us to learn from! In order to change the way we see sins like this one, we must study, study, study to see them how God does.
I live in a place where it is very easy to help those in need. We have big shelters for the homeless, at least one prominent abortion prevention clinic, many goodwill stores, and dozens of churches discipling and teaching Christians. It's easy for me to get involved somewhere doing something for someone. And yet, I still prefer to sit at home and do nothing. It's more comfortable and more convenient.
I sit and wallow in sin, knowing how much God hates it. I am a sinner. I am wretched.
But, I can change. God led me to Obadiah for a reason, and He will change me to be more like Him if I ask and obey. Many times we ask for God's help, but do not obey Him when He asks us to change. So, this week, I'm finding something that I need to change.
I will not participate in the sin of nothing if it is within my power to do something.
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