Puma or Adidas?

Which name brand do you wear? Puma or Adidas? Over 65 years ago there were two brothers named Adolf and Rudolf. They were in business together making light weight athletic shoes. During WWII they were members of the Nazi party and one of them in the dreaded SS. During a raid by the Royal Air Force Adolf said to his family 'here come those pigs again' but Rudolf thought he was referring to his family. Rudolf deserted the army and was jailed by the Gestapo. He believed that his brother turned him in. From that day the brothers lived on separate sides of the river that ran through their town forming two companies at rivals with each other: Puma and Adidas. Because they are still the main employers of that town most of the people in the town work for one or the other but have over the years formed separate schools, banks, groceries and other stores. If you work for Puma you don't cross the river to talk with the employees of Adidas. The feuding between two name brands has policy where Puma cannot be next to Adidas.

Obadiah

This is the little red book of the Minor Prophets just one chapter long with 21 verses. But it has a great deal to say about a family feud between two brothers namely Jacob who became Israel and Esau who became the Edomites. The difficulty with Obadiah is twofold:

" It is difficult to place historically. Isaiah tells us 'in the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord' so we can place it historically. Obadiah is dealing with an invasion of Jerusalem - but there were many invasions. Most agree it was during the invasion of King Nebuchadnezzar because it was so terrible.
" It is also difficult because it does not speak directly to Israel but to the Edomites. With the exception of Jonah who spoke to Nineveh, Obadiah speaks to the descendents of Esau - the Edomites.

In the beginning….

Over 1000 years before the book of Obadiah there was Jacob and Esau. These twins even fought in their mother's womb. They grew in a dangerous environment of favoritism and deception fostered by their own parents. Esau was the skillful hunter and a man of the wild. Jacob was a quiet man who hungered for power. Jacob tricked Esau into selling him his inheritance for a bowl of soup like a scene from a fairy tail by the brothers Grimm. Assisted by his own mother he tricked his father into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. The anger of Esau boiled over. (Genesis 27:41) "He said to himself, 'The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." But Jacob fled for his life to the tents of Laban his father-in-law for 20 years.

Process of reconciliation

" Starting the journey is always traumatic. Jacob had to pull away from Laban his father-in-law who was a controlling man. There was a heated exchange but Laban made an agreement and let Jacob go.
" If starting is traumatic then continuing is horrific. Jacob heard that Esau was coming out to meet him with 400 men. He sent his possessions and family ahead of him with gifts to sweeten his brother leaving himself behind alone with his own thoughts.
" If starting was traumatic and continuing was horrific then finishing the process of reconciliation was overwhelming. It is here that Jacob meets and contends with God. He cries out 'I will not go unless you bless me' because he had finally come to the place of realizing all that he was and had meant nothing. He wanted real blessing. Jacob was blessed with a new name Israel.

o New attitude about him (Genesis 33:5) "The Esau looked up and saw the women and children. 'Who are these with you?' he asked. Jacob answered, 'They are the children God has graciously given your servant."
o New kindness about him (Genesis 33:10) "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God…"
o New dependence on God (Genesis 33:15) "Esau said, 'Let me leave some of my men with you.' 'But why do that?' Jacob asked, 'Just let me find favor in the eyes of my Lord."

Confusing question?

This scene looks like the end of a movie 'happy ever after.' So why do we find Obadiah speaking judgment over the Edomites the descendents of Esau? He was generous, forging and accepting of his brother Jacob. But he had not been changed like his brother who met with God. (Hebrews 12:17) "He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with many tears." When you try to receive what God has given by any other way than the cross it will leave you desperate. (Hebrews 12:15) "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Esau did all the right things but missed the grace of God. Jacob became the nation of 12 tribes called Israel and Esau became the Edomite people. Over 1000 years later the vantage of Edom was ringside seats at the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar on Jerusalem. They should have helped their brother but refused. Phil Collins sang Another Day in Paradise: 'She called out to the man in the street, 'Sir can you help me? It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep. Is there somewhere, you can tell me?' He walks on, doesn't look back. He pretends he can't hear her. He starts to whistle as he crosses the street, seems embarrassed to be there.'

Progression of a family feud

There is a progression of pride Obadiah exposes in Edom. The Hebrew language for pride is twofold both positive and negative. To be a true patriot and say 'I am proud to be an American' or a father to his son at graduation 'I am proud of you son' is all positive. But in Obadiah it is always negative. It is the Trojan where Achilles thought nothing could touch him. He boasted before Troy's army. Then Prince Paris shot him with the fatal arrow. Pride is the cultural cure for insecurity. It is the treatment for endless social problems attempting to reprogram the mind with counselors, therapists, psychologists and hypnotists raising our self esteem. Obadiah shows us five stages of pride in the negative:

" Pride leads to deceit: (v3) "The pride of your heart has deceived you…" It is not that you are deceiving me but you are deceiving yourself. This is what happens when you believe your own press. It is Mohammad Ali saying 'I am the greatest.' Along comes Joe Frazer who has the boxing skills of a 2x4 'hit me, hit me again, and hit me once more, now I'm going to knock you out.' Pride tells you that you cannot be defeated.
" Deceit leads to false confidence: (v3) "…you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down?" Even when presented with the facts you still believe you will make it. In the 12th round with an unrecognizable face beaten to pulp the trainer wants to throw in the white towel but you are convinced you will still knock out your opponent. Edom's self confidence blinded them to what was happening around them and the growing power of the Arab world that would also turn on them.
" False confidence leads to arrogance: (v4) "Though you soar like the eagle and make your nests among the stars, from there I will bring you down…" The Edomites lived in the mountains cutting into the rock an entire city. It was sophisticated and beautiful so Obadiah likens them to a regal bird of prey with keen sight and power. They thought their position was impregnable with ringside seats to see what was happening in Jerusalem.
" Arrogance leads to gloating: (v11) "On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and strangers entered his gates…you were like one of them." When churches and pastor's fail they have to listen to the gloating of those who say 'I told you so.' The same can be said for a divorce or someone losing their home.
" Gloating leads to profiteering: (v13) "You should not march through the gates of my people…nor seize their wealth in the day of disaster." Once you see the personal profit that can be made from someone in trouble you end up working a situation for your own gain.

" Pride leads to deceit: 'Am I my brother's keeper?'
" Deceit leads to false confidence: 'I am glad that my family is better than they are.'
" False confidence leads to arrogance: 'We will never be in the situation of that family as long as I live.'
" Arrogance leads to gloating: 'If they lose their home I'll go the auction and bid on it.'
" Gloating leads to profiteering: Perhaps that family piece their lives back together and start to get ahead. Profiteering is to start a rumor that the husband had an affair during their struggles which will finish the family and get you that house at auction. You have gone from passive indifference to active hatred. You did not point the gun and you certainly did not load it but you are nevertheless part of it. Edmund Burke: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,'

How to stop the pride

You can try the way of Esau. He was generous, forgiving, loving and accepting and yet misses the grace of God. You will bring about no change of your own mind. A root of bitterness will grow in you. Obadiah gives us the answer that kills all negative pride. GET INVOLVED IN THE BUSINESS OF REDEMPTION. Obadiah is saying that all the disaster that has come on you - God will send salvation. He has done that in Christ. (v17) "But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will posses its inheritance." But then he takes it further to say that you who have received this salvation are to go to your brother who has hated you and tell them about what God has done for you. (v21) "Deliverers will go up from Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord's." The word 'deliverers' is also 'saviors' not in the sense of 'the' Savior but as a man who throws a line to a drowning man. You are saving him from death.

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Conclusion Have you been trying to reconcile with someone without success? God can bring a change of heart to you and to the person you are trying to reconcile with.

If you would like to see previous transcripts you can find them here: Teaching Series