Going through the short book of Obadiah in the Bible, the punishment prophesied for Edom would mirror what that nation’s people had done to God’s people. The evil deeds they had done to their distant cousins would be returned to them. This was justice, and it seems like a fair punishment: “an eye for an eye”, we might say.
“The day of the LORD is near for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head.
Just as you drank on my holy hill,
so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
and be as if they had never been.Obadiah 1:15-16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/oba.1.15-16.NIV
However, we need to be careful to not gloat over Edom’s punishment ourselves, any more than they were justified in gloating over Israel’s conquest. Jesus offered us an even more refined way of looking at our decisions in Luke 6:31, in what we call the “golden rule”.
Rather than bragging about how they were still around when Jerusalem was destroyed, the Edomites should have been compassionate in this situation. Rather than coveting the land to their north and supporting the Babylonians who drove out its people (perhaps so that they could move in!), the Edomites should have been considerate of those who remained.
Rather than killing or selling out their neighbors, the Edomites should have considered what it meant to love their neighbors, perhaps even helping them escape from a foreign nation who was trying to destroy them. We might think about those who sheltered Jewish people in World War II. Most probably didn’t have the same religious beliefs, but they chose to protect their neighbors. It would have been easy enough to turn them over to the Nazis, and might have even garnered them a reward. Today, though, we appreciate those who stood up to an evil regime – at their own risk – to show love, mercy, grace, and compassion to a fellow human being. To me, that sure sounds like “loving our neighbor”.
While God’s prophecy (through Obadiah) about the nation of Edom here was fulfilled, as all of God’s promises are, perhaps today is not the time to wish (or pray) for punishment upon those who sin against us. Perhaps our lesson for today is not even about justice or vengeance upon those who have taken advantage of us. (Those principles still exist in the world, but the latter is generally for God to exercise, and not us, per Romans 12:17-21.)
Instead, let us consider today what brought about Edom’s punishment in the first place: exploiting their neighbors instead of helping them in their time of distress…even though Jerusalem’s punishment was based on just consequences from God for their actions. May we show compassion and grace even to those who are suffering for their sins, and lead them to the gracious salvation that Jesus Christ brought to all of us who deserve much worse.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for August 3, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Minor Prophets Volume 1 (Hosea-Micah), by Harold Shank. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 