The biblical book Obadiah is one chapter long, and yet it can still leave an impact on those who sit with it and study its words. The main theme can be summarized this way: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Unfortunately, the original audience of the book, the nation of Edom was only going to learn the first half of that theme, and it would happen the hard way. 

The peoples of Edom and Israel were distant family. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother, while the Israelites were Jacob’s successors. Furthermore, they also shared a border, but they weren’t always the best of neighbors. When Judah was being invaded by Babylon around 586 BC, rather than help their distant cousins, the Edomites helped their enemies instead! Despite the ties of kin, Edom had kicked Judah while they were down, but what Edom had not counted on was that God would be faithful to His people. In other words, when one nation messed with Israel, they messed with God himself. Edom was arrogant and proud, and it would bring about their downfall. 

If we take a snapshot of Israel’s struggles with Edom and then zoom out, we can see a panoramic view throughout history of God opposing the proud but giving grace to the humble. Even His own people, Israel when they became too haughty and began to forsake the Lord and mistreat the poor and needy, God would humble them by sending judgment against them. Yet, He never stopped loving them, and even after they were taken over by a foreign power and sent into exile, not only did he promise to be with them, but He would judge the very nation that He had sent to judge them, Babylon. One important lesson in the Old Testament that we must remember as we face uncertain times and clashing of nations is that no matter what, God is in control of the events of history. It is He who raises up nations or brings them down. This truth can bring us great comfort as individuals as a church especially when we hear of the chaotic situations involving countries the world over. 

Obadiah also gives us a glimpse into the gospel story. Like the nation of Israel, Jesus the “new Israel” was mistreated and misunderstood by his own family and people. John’s gospel says that “he came to his own but his own did not receive him” (1:11). His family was confused by him, his nation as a whole rejected Him, and even His disciples eventually fled from Him. Yet, He entrusted himself to God his Father’s justice and his vindication was proven when He was raised from the dead. Now, “to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave them the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13). Now, all nations and all people in all nations stand where Edom once stood and as such we all have to make that choice. Do we oppose God and reject His Son, mocking His offer of salvation and hardening our hearts? Or do we fall to our knees in humble adoration, accepting and welcoming this Son into our hearts, rejoicing in His salvation and using our “hearts of flesh” that He has given us? In turn, do we share this with others so that they too may avoid the coming wrath? We the church stands in the place that Obediah once stood, and rather than simply proclaim God’s message to one nation, we are called to go to all places, all people and proclaim the gospel so that they would turn from sin and be saved. 

Obadiah may seem ancient to us, but it also gives us a warning today. Christians are not immune to pride, to thinking that in every area of life it must be “my way or the highway”. Pride has a way of hardening us, making us immune to God’s beckoning to follow Him and find life. When we crucify our pride, we put ourselves in a position to grow in Christlikeness, to continually be renewed by God’s love and grace toward us. Edom thought they could reject God and not suffer the consequences of scorning His divine love. May we never be found guilty of such an offense, but instead take the love He has shown to us in Jesus Christ and offer it to everyone, everywhere though our actions, our words, and our lives. Remember, He really does oppose the proud and gives grace to the humble. 

Your Brother, 

Craig

The biblical book of Amos is believed to be the first book of the written prophets. Tucked in our Bibles between some of the more well-known prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah on one side and the New Testament on the other, this small book is a forerunner to what Jesus Christ had similarly preached in His day: warnings against hypocrisy and making sure that those who believe in God not simply act like it “during the worship services” but also in daily life, for the transformation the Holy Spirit does in the life of a Christian affects every part of our lives. 

From my personal Bible, “Amos’ central message is that the Lord is the righteous and just Creator who upholds right order (righteousness and justice) in creation. This is God’s love in action. His creatures are charged with imitating His love by acting with these same two motivations. As prophets and priests rehearsed the story of how God redeemed Israel, this poor, oppressed, alien people from Egyptian slavery and gave them a land, the Israelites were instilled with the knowledge of the loving works of God. This was celebrated in the major worship festivals, when the people had an opportunity to express gratitude for God’s redemption by sharing sacrificial meals with the less fortunate (Deut. 14:22-29; 15:7-11). Instead, prosperous worshipers indulged themselves and excluded the needy. In their daily business they mistreated and enslaved the poor and weak, behaving like the Egyptian oppressors of old. In Amos’ day God heard the groans of the oppressed (as with Israel in Egypt, Exodus 2:23-24), and the Lord promised to vindicate such people (Ex. 22:21-24; Deut 24:14-15). 

There is much in Amos for which we as Christians can profit by reading (and it isn’t even that long of a book!) One of the most ironic moments in Amos is when he begins by pronouncing judgement on Israel’s neighbors for their wicked ways. I can only picture the listening crowd giving their cheers and approval of God judging others, but then Amos delivers the unexpected combo: God’s judgment is also coming upon them! Simply because Israel was God’s covenant nation did not make them exempt from divine judgment for sin (if anything it made them more accountable for they ought to have known better). This is a sobering message for believers today. It is so much easier and more convenient to point out the sins in others, and sometimes we do this to make ourselves feel better. Rather, the approach should be the exact opposite: We should approach God humbly, and ask Him to shape us and mold us (which is not always easy), while at the same time being gentle and patient with others, praying for them and constantly witnessing to them by our words and our very lives. 

Additionally, when it comes to our celebrations at church, we may often ask, “Why do we continue to do this?” The answer is the same one found above for Amos and his people: it reminds us of God’s gracious actions towards us when we did not deserve such kindness, it forms our identity as believers by reminding us that we are surrounded with a “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) as a church, and it is a process of growing in our individual faith. For some, the words “church” and “celebration” do not fit in the same sentence, and yet, for the Christian who has experienced God’s love, every day can be a celebration of it! To celebrate the Lord’s goodness not only gives us a sense of joy, but encourages us to match our actions with our words, to leave church each week carrying the presence of Jesus with us into our everyday lives. When we gather, He is with us in our midst (Matt. 18:20). When we depart, each of us take Him with us by the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, and this is why the Bible calls Christians “temples of God”. Be both encouraged and challenged by this thought: many people have walked away from God or never given Him a chance simply because they never met a Christian who “practiced what they preached”. One does not need to be a good speaker or a perfect person to show God’s love to others. All it takes is someone drawing near to Him through Jesus Christ and then showing that transformed life to others. This year, let us all commit afresh to doing just that!

Your Brother,

Craig

Joel may be a strange book to discuss. For starters, it is one of the “minor prophets” that we read in our last article. Second, it spoke mostly to Israel in the Old Testament so you may be wondering what relevance it has for our lives today. Third, its vibrant imagery can leave us confused sometimes. Yet, every part of God’s word can speak to us as Christians today if we take the time to listen and approach humbly, and Joel is no different as it gives us truth that we can use to nourish our souls. 

Joel takes place during a natural disaster that happened in the land of Israel as a locust plague has destroyed both wine and grain, which means the people cannot bring these offerings to God in the Temple. Joel used this to point to the “Day of the Lord” in which God’s judgment would arrive and impact all. At first, when the people heard this they were relieved because, in their arrogance, they thought that God would judge their enemies and leave them alone no matter how corrupt they lived. However, Joel was giving a warning that while judgment was indeed coming for the other nations, it was going to hit Israel too! Therefore, Joel pronounces divine judgment against human sin and a future restoration of God’s people. However, Joel also calls the people to take responsibility and act, proclaiming that fasting and repentance was needed and that the people must return to the Lord. God would surely have mercy upon them as always and would show that powerfully one day by sending His Spirit, pouring it out upon His people so that his activity will be seen in a powerful way. This should be familiar to us because it points forward to Pentecost. Then on that final day, all will face the judgment of God and only one question has ever mattered to determine life or death: “What have you done with Him?”

It is here where Joel can speak to us today. The “Day of the Lord” basically meant that the consequences of sin would be felt by those who reject Him. If God is the source of all life, then to turn away from Him leads only to death. This happened to Israel, but on a larger scale it is the story of humanity as a whole. Yet, the gospel is the truth that God did not leave us to die in our sin and exile, but rather came Himself, “took on flesh and dwelt among us” and was born as a helpless baby, not in wealth nor prestige but in poverty and obscurity. This Chosen One would grow, preach, love, endure hardship, suffer on a cross, die, and be raised to life again. 

The Apostle Peter says that Jesus’ death on the cross was the Christians’ “Day of the Lord,” when the judgement for our disobedience was experienced on our behalf by our sinless representative. Jesus experienced dire consequences so that those with faith in Him would not. He took our judgment and has given us a foretaste of the restoration of all things when He returns. For the Christian, the celebration starts when Jesus was born and we can hear in His baby cries the proclamation resounding throughout the heavens that the day of redemption is near! In Jesus Christ, God is outstretching His merciful hand to a lost, dying humanity and saying, “grasp and find life in Me!” 

It was this same Peter, along with the other Apostles, who were the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that one day God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, would be poured out upon all people. We cannot overlook the importance and joy that this brings. God’s Spirit lives within us and within every person that accepts His offer of grace and forgiveness of sin. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives the Christian the power to live a life of sharing the gospel, of holiness, and of joy. 

God does not change. The future “Day of the Lord” is going to come. The only difference is are we fearful or hopeful? If we learn from Joel, realizing our sins, repenting of them and turning to God for forgiveness, and then committing to live the Christian life through the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of Christ, then the “Day of the Lord” will be met by us not by gasps of fear, but with one mighty singing voice shouting “Hallelujah!”

Your Brother,

Craig