The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Obadiah 1:11-15, “On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem– You too were as one of them.
12 “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, the day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress.
13 “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster.
14 “Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress.
15 “For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.”

Sometimes rifts in families run deep; and like running streams, they seem to flow on forever. Such was true of the descendants of Esau in their relationship with the Israelites. The sin of Jacob against his father, Isaac, and his scheme against his brother Esau, fully deprived the Edomites of their birthright. From that time onward, the Edomites did everything in their power to hinder the prosperity of Jacob’s descendants.

Funny, how we can read and note these rivalries in the Bible, but never give thought to how they might (and do!) apply to us today. We smile and even laugh at the Hatfields v. the McCoys, but ignore such factors as applying equally and realistically to us today. Clearly, the Scripture says otherwise.

The LORD expressly forbids the Edomites’ “gloating” over Israel’s destruction and “boasting” over her misfortune. He forbids “entering Israel’s gates,” presumbly to demonstrate any “smugness” with regard to their adversity. Without equivocation, the Scriptures indicate in the verses above that “As you have done (to others), it will be done to you.”

Not only does this Old Testament book speak to our needs today; it gives promise that the LORD is ever and always awake to our motives, as well as our actions. Simply put, we cannot do wrong and get by. It is to our advantage to hear and heed the Word of the LORD regarding forgiveness.
Failure to do so only leads to disaster, as is clearly noted in these and other Scriptures.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom