August 28
Lamentations 5:1-22; Obadiah 1:1-21; 2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:7-41:18
When was Obadiah written? No one knows for sure. But within the pages of this prophet what is depicted is a destruction of worldliness and a lifting up of what is holy. The specific nations mentioned are Edom and Judah, but what must be realized is what is holy will stand and what is unholy will one day fall, no matter what those nations might be. To be holy means to be set apart unto God. This is in opposition to trying to fit in, to blend in to a world that stands apart from God. The two stances are mutually exclusive. With that in mind, please name the nation which is holy at this present time? There is none. Our world as we know it continues to move further and further away from God. What is apart from God and His standards as clearly written in His word, the Bible, is no longer lifted up anywhere. There are pockets or remnants which seek holiness. Please, it is time to stop running with the majority, and seek out the holy. Align each cause that you stand for with how God would weigh in on it. If you find yourself standing in opposition to God in anything, pray about it, and change.
We read how Edom saw itself in Obadiah 1:3-4, "The pride of your heart has deceived you,...You who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?' Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down," says the Lord." We read further that the Edomites who were the cousins of the Jewish people (descendants of brothers Jacob and Esau), not only didn't help Judah when they were being attacked, but they were hostile, gloated over their downfall, and then plundered them when they were down. We read a bit further in 1:17, "But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions." Holiness will always prevail in the end. Worldliness may have its day, but its day will not last. To get a better glimpse of this we are permitted a glimpse into God's throne room in Revelation 4, in which we see a wonderful worship scene as those before the throne, "do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" A bit further we see those assembled saying, "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." We must not forget this.
We spend way too much time immersed in the horizontal, the common, the worldly and not enough time seeking the vertical, the holy. We read in Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe." The two positions simply cannot be merged. If we seek the world, to satisfy our flesh, to be liked by the world, it will often lead to compromise in our walk with God. Something has to give. Which will it be with you, holiness or worldliness? A choice must be made.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: