How often do we pass judgment on others? In our hearts, do we talk about the direction they are heading in as being “not our way” ? Do we rail on others, only to leave ourselves feeling like we are riding the moral high road?
In the family of God, do we criticize the faults of someone and pass it off as being “watchmen” of the flock?
Are you guilty of sharing a post on facebook which participates in the slander of a Christian ministry, saying “they are going down the wrong path”?
Would you enjoy watching a mega ministry who has millions of dollars at their disposal fall and get the “judgment” coming to them?
If you are guilty of those things, then the book of Obadiah is a must read for you.
In this book, it shows that God doesn’t put up with these mean-spirited motivations, and that if we are guilty of acting this way, we could be facing judgment ourselves.
When it comes to the family of God, or our family and friends in general, we should be wanting them to succeed, wanting them to come into God’s perfect alignment for their lives.
God wants every one of us reach up to attain those high goals He has planned for us. God says in Jeremiah, that He has great plans for every one of us, not just a handful of people in the world. Everyone is special to Him, and even those who are unsaved and don’t know Him yet are extremely precious to Him. It says in God’s word that He is not a respecter of persons, meaning He doesn’t regard some people as His favorites.
While we may witness someone going along the wrong path, there is a difference of warning them in the spirit of love, and helping them succeed, than speaking badly of them endlessly, and not reaching out our hand to help. This short book is a must read for all of us.
On another note, this book also talks about major prophecy that will come to pass in our time. The people referred to the Edomites corresponds to the Palestinians today. These people are currently living in the west bank, which was territory that belonged to Ephraim. The book of Obadiah, talks about their destruction, and later talks about how the Northern Kingdom will come back and occupy those lands once again.
Could we be seeing this come to pass soon?