Judah’s Neighbors

Judah’s Neighbors

Q: The Edomites were proud because they

• a. lived in a rock fortress high on the mountain.
• b. had superior technology.
• c. were scholars.

Edom was Judah’s neighbor to the south. But the people of Edom and Judah weren’t friendly with each other. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, and the Jews were descendants of his trickster brother, Jacob. Just as those brothers didn’t always get along (see Genesis 27), neither did the Edomites and the Jews.

When the Babylonians came to attack Judah (the southern kingdom), the Edomites stood by and watched without helping. Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament, is God’s message to the Edomites because they didn’t help the Jews—in fact, they gloated when Judah was taken captive, and they looted Judah’s goods.

The Edomites felt safe from harm because they lived in the mountains where they thought no one could attack them in their rock fortress with cities cut into rock cliffs. They were proud and overly confident, but God humbled them and wiped out their nation.

The Edomites trusted in their surroundings to keep them safe. They were also fierce warriors and didn’t think they’d ever be defeated. But trusting in power or location isn’t wise.

People today trust in the wrong things too—popularity, money, intelligence, and position. It’s okay to be proud of the talents and abilities God gave you, but don’t trust in them. Trust in God alone.

For You

God gave you talents and abilities in order to complete the work he has for you. Don’t put your trust in your own talents or possessions, but put your trust in the one who gave them to you.

Answer: a

You have been deceived by your own pride because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. “Who can ever reach us way up here?” you ask boastfully.   Obadiah 1:3

(The Whole Story: Obadiah 1)