Boiled Eggs
“The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in the loftiness of your dwelling place, who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to earth?’” Obadiah 3
Arrogance of your heart – What is arrogance? Most of us have some cognitive picture about this word. We think of unwarranted pride, an exaggerated self-image, or boastful self-importance. The English term comes from Latin where it means to take claim of something without justification. There’s one other important element in this word—contempt. Arrogance is self-importance combined with contempt for others.
But the Hebrew zêdôn libbeka’ adds a bit more. In Hebrew, zêdôn libbeka’ includes deliberate rebelliousness:
zîd is frequently used to refer to three specific aspects of pride. One is presumption. Because a person is proud he presumes too much in his favor, especially in the sense of authority. For instance, the false prophet was one who presumed to speak in the name of God, assuming authority to do so, without having been called.
The second aspect is rebellion or disobedience. Because the person is proud he asserts his own will to the point of rebelling against one in authority over him.
The third, closely related to the second, carries the additional element of willful decision.[1]
Why are these elements important? Consider David’s response to zêdôn libbeka’:
This seems to explain David’s distinction between “hidden” (KJV “secret”) and “presumptuous” sins (Ps 19:12–13 [H 13–14]). He prays that he may be cleansed from the “hidden,” thus admitting his guilt in that respect; but asks that he may be kept from the “presumptuous.”[2]
Interestingly, a derivative of zîd is a word that describes boiled food. The next time you boil an egg, you might remember that the emotional equivalent of that bubbling water is a boiling attitude toward God. That’s the way Obadiah uses the term. Edom has boiled against God. It has asserted an unjustified claim and, at the same time, shown contempt for its own related family, Israel. Furthermore, its boiling attitude sent hot pursuit against its neighbors in opposition to God’s will. Edom declared itself independent of YHVH. It was a tragic mistake.
In this regard, Obadiah’s declaration includes the arrogance of the nations—namely, us! As a culture, we have exiled God from His creation. We have replaced Him with government and religion. Institutions that claim what is not rightfully theirs—worship! Phrases like “the almighty dollar” and “Hail, Mary, full of grace” should make us cringe. Economics and spirituality forced into service for Man. No wonder Obadiah’s vision strikes like incendiary lightning. How can we expect to survive when God has been so insulted?
zêdôn libbeka’. Boiled eggs. If you want to know how God reacts to arrogance, put your hand in the pot and see what happens.
Topical Index: arrogance of the heart, zêdôn libbeka’, Obadiah 3
[1] Wood, L. J. (1999). 547 זִיד. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 239). Chicago: Moody Press.
KJV King James Version of the Bible
[2] Ibid.
APOLOGY: Yesterday’s TW included a link to a video of The Eagles playing Desperado. It was available when I wrote this, but has now been removed. Maybe it was (somehow) too political. Anyway, I am sure you know the song.
Okay, now one other thing. I think it is necessary to read something I wrote seven years ago about the inevitable outcome of abandoning the Torah. I believe we are living in a time of the consequences of the Church’s anti-Semitic failure to understand the true design of Torah. Read THIS, and see for yourself.
