Obadiah 3-4 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? (4) Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.
Edom had carved themselves out a good fortress, a great hiding place in the rocks (think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). And looking at a military perspective, it seemed as safe and had proved itself so. They had become prideful in what THEY had done. Edom had carved the homes in the rock, and become very proud about their accomplishments, very proud about their hiding place.
Jacob's fortress was not Jerusalem, it was God. Over and again God shows Himself as Israel's protector, their sword and shield. God was Jacob's hiding place. In Zion their will be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions (verse 17).
Jacob was guilty, sinful and God justly sent Babylon in to punish Judah as he detailed in Habakkuk, there there was hope for Jacob in Christ. Edom was lifted up in pride in their own might, their own ability to carve a hiding place, their own deliverance, and God had brought them low. Jacob was brought low by their own pride, yet God is going to raise them up. Why? GRACE. It was Zion, it was not the works of Jacob but the love of God that will provide deliverance.
In our works, there is death and sin. In Christ there is deliverance and holiness; salvation and justification. It is not what we do for God, but what God does for us. It was not Jacob has been the best, but God said "Jacob have I loved."
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Douglas Newell IV
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