Drawing Enemy Lines
you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever Obadiah 10 NASB
Shame – The Hebrew word bushah is used only four times in the Old Testament. It describes King David’s personal shame and distress and it describes the shame associated with the destruction under God’s judgment. In Obadiah, the nation of Edom is completely destroyed because these people rejoiced at the plight and calamity of another nation. God speaks through Obadiah to pronounce a terrible judgment on them brought about because of their lack of compassion.
There are two important thoughts involved in this judgment. The first is the idea of identity. When we begin to think that we are different (better?) than our enemies, we make the terrible mistake of ignoring our common identity under God. We are all the same. We are all sinners, all dependent, all mortal, all vulnerable, all hurting, all in need of mercy. As soon as we begin to act as though the world is full of “us” and “them,” we step away from the common bond God created and the unity God desires. The common purpose of being human is to join together in worship of the Lord as the one family of God.
The second idea is that God is the only real judge of life and the only real prosecutor of circumstances. He controls history. When we gloat or rejoice over the calamity of those “other” people, we forget that God’s hand is also on us. We are not exempt from His judgment either. In fact, just a bit of self-analysis will probably reveal that we share all of the same potential rebellious acts as the ones we quickly condemn. The only difference between saint and sinner is the handiwork of God, not a hierarchy of moral superiority.
Obadiah forces us to ask, “Who is my enemy?” If I take Yeshua at His word, I will see that the greatest enemy of all is me. I am the one who tries to play God. Yeshua tells me to pray for those who mistreat me and to love them with self-sacrificing actions. Yeshua points toward my commonality with my enemy, not my separation.
Obadiah would tell us to weep for those under God’s judgment. He would tell us to plead for God’s mercy in their lives. God’s word to Obadiah is a reminder that shame follows gleeful exuberance over the plight of my enemies. The man next door, the people in that other neighborhood, the evil ethnic group around the world are only reminders of the truth, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
Topical Index: shame, bushah, enemy, Obadiah 10, judgment
I have a question. I just read a ministry site that was asking the people to pray for G-d’s protection in Israel for all people involved. I cannot pray for the protection of a group of people who have no regard for life and can dance in the streets after murdering pregnant women and children…I have problems with this…please help….I cannot pray for G-d’s protection on Israel’s enemies…I don’t remember King David praying for the Philistines or Goliath before he wiped them out. If someone is breaking into my home, and threatening my life or my family, I probably would not ask G-d to save their souls before I kill them. I would protect my family first. Is there a thin-line between the definition of “enemy” ? Help me to understand this please.
Maybe it’s more important to change MY attitude than those people? Remember the profet, who brought the Syrian enemy into town. When the king asked: Shall we slay them? he said: feed them and send them home! They don’t know God. How can they ever, when we don’t show them His love?
A very good question, framed correctly. How can Yeshua ask us to pray for our enemies? How can the Torah instruct us to care for them (food and water)? It doesn’t make any sense. So we must look deeper. If I pray for my enemies, that doesn’t not mean they cease being enemies. It doesn’t mean they stop dancing over death. It doesn’t mean I endorse what they do or why. It means that I exhibit my complete trust in the sovereignty of God. It means that I demonstrate utter confidence that somehow (and I don’t know how) He is working out His purposes. It means that I put my faith in His reliability. It does NOT mean that I do not protect life, that I lay myself down to passive non-resistance. I must still uphold Torah and Torah teaches LIFE is the most important factor. But it means that I turn over my total astonishment at the victory dance over death to the God who is the author of life. I can still pray, “Lord, Your will be done. I don’t know how You can work anything good from this, but I know You can. When Yeshua hung on the cross, I am sure they all felt it was beyond imagining any good could come from it. That’s where I am Lord. I just can’t see anything good here. I see atrocity. I see complete disregard for Your Torah. I see wickedness. But I so desire these very men to see You, Father. I pray that they will see You, that somehow even this can be used to glorify You. And so, Lord, I am content to wait for Your glory to be revealed. I will not stop fighting for righteousness while I wait, but I trust that You are sovereign. I pray only that these men discover Your grace repent of their wickedness so that I may pray for them as brothers, not enemies.”
Hi Robin,
I don’t think we want to end up like King David 🙂
Now King David was old, and stricken in years,…. Was seventy years of age; for he was thirty years of age when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years, 2 Samuel 5:4; this was just the age of man, Psalm 90:10;
and they covered him with clothes; not wearing apparel, but bed clothes; he seems to have been bedridden and paralytic:
but he got no heat; by them; having no natural heat in him, clothes could not communicate any to him, only keep the cold from him,
see Haggai 1:6; there are many persons at the age he was, that are lively, healthful, and robust, comparatively speaking at least; but David’s strength was impaired, and his natural force abated by his many wars, fatigues by night and day in campaigns, and the many sorrows and afflictions he met with from his family and his friends, as well as enemies;
which exhausted his natural moisture, weakened his nerves, and drank up his spirits, and brought upon him the infirmities of a decrepit old age very soon.
Startling how quick God responds to my bad thoughts. I was watching the new yesterday and found myself thinking this way: “OK, Israel, throw these bombs on Gaza, they just don’t deseve any better!”
This is exactly what God wants corrected today……
Thanks, Skip!
Hi Kees,
Here is a quote to your point:
When the rich wage war,
it’s the poor who die.
Jean-Paul Sartre
God always speaks to a human heart, through a human heart. People, Moses was a man. So was David, so was Paul and so IS Jesus (who is the) Christ, the resurrected-anointed-Living ONE.
What do the scriptures say? which of nicety or necessity? should be our “daily bread.” The battle (and don’t be deluded into thinking “all is well”), not while one “outsider” remains. ~ For God was in Christ, in THE MESSIAH, in the Savior, reconciling the world unto Himself.” The world. Not the Jew, not the Christian, not the white or black or gray, the world. Salvation IS inclusive- for (again, according to the scriptures..) ~ whosoever will may come ~.
The veil of the Temple has been torn in two from top to the bottom and this (in case we have forgotten, which at this point is highly likely) this Curtain was the symbol and sign of the torn veil of His flesh. Once again, ~ God (Himself) was in Christ reconciling the world (all political parties included) to Himself ~
I may I then be reconciled unto God and also to my neighbor (the one who is nearest to me?). Far too simple, isn’t it? One Way. (and only one Way)- through the Doorway of the cross. In the end as in the beginning, – *in Christ.* I’m sure none have ever heard these words before, but let’s try it again, just in case- “any man” has ears to hear: * For if “any man” be in Christ.. Would this include a sinner such as I? May I? Blessed-blessed-blessed assurance, YES!!
I (too) shall forever lift my eyes to Calvary, to view the cross where my Jesus, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Deliver, my Rock, my Fortress, my Comfort, my Hope- died for me. This is a faithful saying and worthy of ALL acceptation.. ( May I have permission to accept this also?) ~ Christ Jesus is come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief ~ The way up- is down. ~ Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD ~
Father, “I” have sinned and am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Who has prayed this prayer? The erring son only? It is the Father who is prodigal (lavish, for those who don’t know what prodigal is.) This story is not about the son who strayed, it is the story of a Father (our Father) who RAN to meet him. And do you know (I wonder) the “rest of the story?”, and the gifts the Father did give! lol!- More than a story, but a glorious reality, ~ for He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him, but delivered Him, but delivered Him- (talk about the Gift that keeps on giving!!) He delivered Him, the Sacrificial Lamb, up for us ALL, (All y’all) and as the gospel (the good news) is a never-ending story, don’t be thinking it’s all about pie-in-the-sky-when-I-die-by-and-by, for He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (a great question) Do you KNOW the answer? He shall NOT. One thing God will NOT do and that is abandon those who are His own. For He shall freely give unto us (those who belong to the Shepherd/King) “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”
We are (again, according to the unfailing everlasting words of God) ~ more than conquerors through Him that loved us. ~ So tell me, please..- when did God “stop” loving us? Inquiring minds, like me, would love to know..
Uh, ~ what shall separate us from the love of God? Blow the dust off your Bible, and place your nose in front of Romans chapter 8 and re-read the entire thing. Re-aquaint yourselves with this ancient God-breathed Book and let me know if these (His) words are not true and faithful. And Who was it who said, ~ I will honor my Word above my Name? ~ I’ll take Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus (who is the) Christ, for today and for eternity, Alex.
All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well,
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
(Sovereignty of God, anyone?)
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the li
Living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me;
Oh, the fullness of His grace!
Perfect Rest to me is promised
In my Father’s blest embrace.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.
This from one who was blind, but who sees far better than the ones who are now traveling the broad road leading to destruction. Peter took his eyes off the Savior, and placed them upon his situation and circumstance, and how did that work out for him?
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “ADONAI, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” (Faith pleases God!) And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Is He worthy? Is He (still) able to speak to the storm? To divide the sea? To cast out demons? To give life to those who are dead? to move mountains? Is it written, (“hath God said?,” he inquired) ~ with God, all things are possible? ~ and if (since) God is for us, “who” can be against us? ~
and the answer is?…. (Are ten times ten thousand “hallelujahs” sufficient?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2GbNnjgPgA
“During the battle itself one must fight bravely with no mercy for the cruel, because those who are merciful to the cruel are ultimately cruel to the merciful.”. Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu
Read this in an article this morning on Arutz Sheva concerning the unrest in Israel right now.
“It does NOT mean that I do not protect life, that I lay myself down to passive non-resistance. I must still uphold Torah and Torah teaches LIFE is the most important factor”
Thank you Skip! L’Chaim! Yes, that is what Torah is about..so much so, that one of the 10 Commandments “Thou Shalt Not Lie” actually is NOT a sin, if it is to save a life! What frustrates me is the Christian community seems to take the “passive non-resistant attitude” without using common sense. Because we do not know Torah as we should.
Skip, I just received this email…I’m sorry for posting this , but I feel the urgency to ask that we all recite these Psalms for the sake of Israel (it also goes along with the subject matter in TW)
URGENT REQUEST TO RECITE TEHILLIM
There has been an escalation of rocket-fire from Gaza into southern andd parts of central Israel over recent days. Dozens of rockets exploded in Beersheba, Ashdod, Hof Ashkelon, Ashkelon, Shear Hanegev, Ofakim, Sderot, Eshkol and Kiryat Malachi where three people were killed. Thursday night and Friday, long-range Fajr rockets exploded in Greater Tel Aviv region, two landing near Bat Yam and two between Rishon Lezion and Palmachim. The Prime Minister and Defense Minister issued a call up of 30,000 reservists who are now reporting at schools throughout Israel which have been converted to registration stations. All public gatherings within 40km range of Gaza are prohibited. Bomb shelters in Tel Aviv have been opened. Many international flights to Israel have been cancelled. There has been violent activity in the north as well, as Syrian mortar shells have landed near Israeli army posts. This is a critical time for everyone in Israel. We appeal to Jews throughout the world to pray and beseech Hashem to undermine the evil designs of those who relish the spilling of Jewish blood. At this time, we urge our followers to recite Tehillim, in particular perakim 83, 130, and 142.
Prayer to Frustrate Conspiracy Against Israel
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
83 Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!
2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them as with Midian,
As with Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor,
Who became as refuse on the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,
Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
Like the chaff before the wind!
14 As the fire burns the woods,
And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be confounded and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord,
Are the Most High over all the earth.