The short book of Obadiah is a stinging rebuke to the nation of Edom, not for what they overtly did, but for what they did indirectly: for a failure to act, for smug attitudes, and for capitalizing on the wrong actions of others.
Even though they did not directly do wrong, the outcome is quite clear: “As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”
A few centuries later, Paul teaches the same lesson: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
Hosea phrases this in the positive: “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love”
However, Jesus said it best: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you…For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
More succinctly, in what we call the Golden Rule, Jesus also said: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.”
Yes, good words to live by.
[See Obadiah 1:11-15, Galatians 6:7, Hosea 10:12, Luke 6:37-39, and Matthew 7:12.]
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
