Fooling Ourselves

Almost 30 years ago, according to a magazine story, an unusual work of modern art was put on display, a chair attached to a shotgun. It was to be interacted with by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gun barrel. The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment sometime in the next hundred years. Amazingly, people lined up so they could stare right into the shell's path! They all knew the gun could go off at any moment, but each one took the chance that the fatal blast wouldn't happen during his or her minute in the chair.

Yes, it was foolhardy. Yet many people who wouldn't dream of sitting in that chair live a lifetime gambling that they can get away with sin. The book of Obadiah brings this foolhardiness to the fore.

In chapter 1, we read that the Lord sent a messenger among the nations to stir them up to war against Edom (v.1). The people of the nation of Edom thought they were indomitable. In order, to attack them, foes had to enter through a narrow rocky passage. So even if you had a million-man army, you could still only enter one soldier at a time.

God was against Edom for her pride and her sin against Judah, His people. And He had spoken, so destruction was certain. It was to be so thorough that nothing of value would be left (vv.5-6) Sure enough, in 553 BC the king of Babylon burned down the cities of Edom. And between 600 to 400 BC, the nation was infiltrated and displaced by Arab tribes. In the end, Edom symbolizes people who know that their sin is against God, yet who still try to get away with it. God has one word for them: Fools (Proverbs 1:32). , Poh Fang Chia, Our Daily Journey

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