Obadiah

My daily reading yesterday in the Bible was Obadiah.

It is one chapter and short on words as well as succinct on message.

It is not difficult to understand generally although there are plenty of problems in details as is pretty common.

There are two things that just really stood out for me as I read.

The stronger was the idea that failure to act was as bad as contributing to the act itself:

On that day you stood there and didn't do anything.
Strangers took your brother's army into exile.

Godless foreigners invaded and pillaged Jerusalem.
You stood there and watched.

You were as bad as they were.

You shouldn't have gloated over your brother
when he was down-and-out.

You shouldn't have laughed and joked at Judah's sons
when they were facedown in the mud.

You shouldn't have talked so big
when everything was so bad.

You shouldn't have taken advantage of my people
when their lives had fallen apart.

You of all people should not have been amused
by their troubles, their wrecked nation.

You shouldn't have taken the shirt off their back
when they were knocked flat, defenseless.

And you shouldn't have stood waiting at the outskirts
and cut off refugees,

And traitorously turned in helpless survivors
who had lost everything.

I found that passage rather appropriate to our modern world.

The second thing that jumped out at me was the idea that perceived security is not real security:

You thought you were so great,
perched high among the rocks, king of the mountain,
Thinking to yourself,
'Nobody can get to me! Nobody can touch me!'

Think again. Even if, like an eagle,
you hang out on a high cliff-face,
Even if you build your nest in the stars,
I'll bring you down to earth."

Something we should all remember.