Devotion based on Week 4 of “The Prophets” – Obadiah (WATCH HERE)
“Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord,
“destroy the wise men out of Edom,
and understanding out of Mount Esau?
Your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,
so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.
Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
shame shall cover you,
and you shall be cut off forever.”
— Obadiah 8–10 (ESV)
As we have seen this week, the short book of Obadiah is a sobering warning against pride. Today are verses that show us how pride can disguise itself as wisdom. In verses 8–10, God confronts Edom—a nation descended from Esau—for its arrogance, violence, and misplaced trust in its own wisdom and strength.
Edom was known for its strategic cities, rocky fortresses, and alliances. They believed themselves untouchable, clever, and self-sufficient. Their pride blinded them to betray their “brother Jacob”—Israel—when Israel was under attack. Rather than offering help, Edom stood aloof. Worse, they joined in the violence, taking advantage of their brother’s vulnerability.
This passage shows us the dangerous chain reaction of pride: it starts with self-assured wisdom, progresses to indifference, and eventually results in injustice. God does not overlook this.
The Lord calls out the wise men of Edom. This is not because being wise is evil, but because the Edomites had begun to idolize their own understanding. They trusted in their ability to interpret the world, to make deals, and to navigate threats, all without God. Their wisdom became self-contained and cut them off from humility and compassion.
In a culture that prizes opinion, knowledge, and being “right,” it’s easy to begin thinking we are the ultimate arbiters of truth. Pride masquerades as insight. We forget that God alone is the source of true wisdom—and that His wisdom is often upside-down from the world’s. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Once Edom exalted its own wisdom, its perspective warped. Instead of seeing Israel as family, as their “brother,” they saw an opportunity. Instead of empathy, they chose advantage. This is what pride does: it isolates us in a world where we are always right, always the most important, and always justified in our apathy.
When we think we see clearly without God’s light, we end up blind to understanding the pain of others. We no longer feel the urgency to help, to advocate, or to step into someone else’s suffering. Like Edom, we can find ourselves standing by while others hurt.
True wisdom begins with a fear of the Lord and acknowledgement that all wisdom comes from him. God’s wisdom begins with humility. James 3:17 says, “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits.” That kind of wisdom isn’t focused on being right or powerful—it’s marked by compassion and perspective.
The tragedy of Edom was that they forgot their story. They forgot their connection to Jacob, their shared heritage, and the covenant God made with both nations. When we walk in pride, we forget our own need for grace. And when we forget our need, we withhold it from others.
Obadiah reminds us that wisdom without humility is no wisdom at all. Pride in our own intellect or insight leads us to isolation, cruelty, and ultimately destruction. But when we submit our minds and hearts to the Lord, He reshapes our perspective—restoring empathy, renewing compassion, and calling us back to love.
Apply: Consider today where you have set your wisdom up before the Lord’s wisdom. Does your “know it all” spirit get in the way of caring for others.
Prayer: Lord, strip away any pride that blinds us. May we walk not in the arrogance of our own understanding, but in the humble, others-focused wisdom that comes from above.AMEN