The pride of your heart has deceived you. (Obad. 3)
In the game of life, the world regularly takes time to celebrate an individual’s or team’s accomplishments. Award ceremonies are commonplace, and often we recognize not just winners or the best, but participants who successfully finished the race. Society then continues to celebrate one’s accomplishment by assigning new titles to one’s job, hanging awards on the walls, and posting accomplishments on social media.
While the awards and celebration of accomplishments are not in and of themselves sinful, they can lead to pride. Obadiah 3 reminds the reader that pride in earthly things provides a false sense of security for humanity. Accomplishments in life can be great, but the accomplishments in and of themselves do not reflect one’s relationship with God or whether one is living in the center of God’s will. The apostle Paul testified to the same biblical truth when he said, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).
Let us learn from the Edomites that we should not place our security on things of this world. For the things of the world are temporary, not eternal. Instead, our hope and security should rest in our relationship with a loving and merciful God. From where does your identity come? From pride in things of this world or from a relationship with God?
Rid yourself from pride of worldly things.
Brian T. Bernius is an ordained minister and professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Studies at Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
