As believers, we have the incredible opportunity, privilege, and responsibility of joining God in pursuing justice in our communities, cities, and country. Often, the greatest obstacles to our engagement are our own indifference and passivity.
In the Book of Obadiah, God used the prophet to speak clearly, harshly, and powerfully to the nation of Edom about their indifference, passivity, and self-seeking mindset. And I think you might be surprised to find how incredibly relevant the prophet’s words are for us today! Join me with a tender heart as we dive into some hard topics in this study with the hope of loving Jesus more because of it.
Question 1:
Who are some heroes we admire because of their stand for justice?
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Dr. King responded with his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. He boldly challenged the passivity, indifference, and self-preservation of church leaders. He reminded them that no one lives in a bubble: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”1
These issues are not new; these sins have plagued humans for centuries. In fact, these were the central topics the prophet Obadiah addressed in his message to the nation of Edom. Obadiah’s message is painful, but it has incredible application for us today.
THE POINT
Join God in pursuing justice in the face of indifference and oppression.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Obadiah 1-4
1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—We have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, let us go against her for battle”—2 “See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ 4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
To set the stage for this study, we need to go back to Genesis, to the relationship between the twin brothers: Jacob and Esau. Their relationship always seemed to be contentious. We see that conflict when Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup (Gen 25:27-34). Years later, the brothers seemed to reconcile (33:1-20), but they clearly didn’t like each other, and neither ever proactively fought for the good of the other. Clashes continued between their families.
Jacob’s descendants later became the nation of Israel (which split into two kingdoms: Israel and Judah). Esau’s descendants became the nation of Edom. Throughout the history of the nations of Judah and Edom, they each struggled to gain and maintain power. They were neighboring countries who needed each other, but mostly hated one another.
In the sixth century BC, after Judah had been invaded by another enemy nation, the prophet Obadiah came on the scene, writing to declare divine judgment against Edom.
One of the key components that led to Edom’s downfall was their arrogance. The Edomites thought they were safe. They thought they were protected. But God declared He was going to make them insignificant because their arrogant hearts had deceived them. They were up in the hills seemingly away from all the dangers around them.
Question 2:
What types of injustice are largely ignored in our culture?
Their arrogance had led them toward a sinful self-preservation that God condemned.
Don’t get confused here. The issue wasn’t what Edom possessed. The issue was their stewardship. We all have things we haven’t earned or deserved. The sin in how we steward what we’ve been given can fall into three categories: sins of omission, sins of commission, and sins of self-preservation.
Edom was condemned particularly for its passive disobedience and self-preservation. We see how their passiveness led them to arrogance, which blinded them from seeing themselves and others as God saw them. It blinded them to the injustices around them. It blinded them to the holiness of God and kept them from fearing the Lord.
Any blessings or good things we experience can have the same impact. They can lead us to think we are stronger, smarter, or more deserving of good gifts than those around us. That arrogance can blind us from seeing the people around us as God sees them.
Obadiah 10-14
10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. 11 On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. 13 You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. 14 You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.
In addition to the sin of arrogance, Edom faced a second indictment: they had betrayed Judah. This accusation may come as a surprise because theirs was a passive betrayal—yet Obadiah described it as violence. What did Edom do? The people just stood by. Edom may not have been the ones invading Judah, but they took advantage of what was happening to Judah and profited from it. Their indifference was described as violence. Violence!
This issue of indifference toward injustice that God condemned in Judah was the same issue Dr. King wrote about in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”2
Violent indifference and passive disobedience have particularly plagued American Christians when it comes to issues of race. Too often, Christians have acted more like Edom instead of like Christ. Sins of omission are not better or less damaging than sins of commission. Passive disobedience is active rebellion. Indifference is violence. Edom’s passivity and indifference in Judah’s defeat was condemned as if they had been the very ones breaking down the gates and slaughtering the people inside.
God didn’t destroy Edom because they invaded Israel or stole land. God destroyed Edom because they did nothing to stop it. Because they didn’t care. God’s judgment has not changed. I feel deep concern for our churches today. How often do we sit passively by while our neighbors suffer? How often do we choose indifference to avoid the inconvenience of dealing with the injustice around us? How often do we make decisions based on self-preservation instead of kingdom growth? These sins are weighty. They cost the lives of our neighbors. They cost our own relationship with God and with others. And they lead to destruction.
Question 3:
What are some obstacles to overcoming injustice in our culture?
Obadiah 15-17
15 “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. 16 Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been. 17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance.”
Obadiah pronounced that God’s judgment was coming to Edom. But we also see a shift in verb tense here, an indicator that Edom’s downfall was being used as an image of the fall of all nations that act in this way. “The day of the Lord is near,” and the Lord will judge “all nations” that act like Edom. And not only will God bring judgment on Edom, but He also will restore Judah.
God’s justice is holistic and perfect. It’s not like a set of scales as those of us in the West have been taught. Biblical justice is about right relationships; it’s about holistic restoration. As God’s children, we are called to lives of reconciliation; we are “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). We are to fight the indifference that comes from preserving our own comfort, or from using the benefits we obtain in society when we maintain the status quo. Instead, we are to actively advocate for our neighbors, including the unborn. Fighting the indifference that comes from preserving our comfort and status impacts the way we advocate for our neighbors.
Question 4:
When have you seen God work His justice on behalf of the oppressed?
Yes, God will fight for the oppressed. He will bring perfect justice to all. But you and I also have a part to play. We are ambassadors of the kingdom of God. It is our duty, our responsibility, and our highest privilege to proclaim the kingdom of God here on earth. God’s kingdom will not grow through passivity. God’s kingdom will not expand through indifference. We will not push back the darkness and right the injustices in our communities by letting time pass idly by while we enjoy our privileges. We must use what we’ve been given for the sake of the kingdom. We must extend love holistically to our neighbors from the womb to the tomb.
Question 5:
What are some ways our group can work to overcome injustice in our community?
DON’T HOARD YOUR BLESSINGS
Circle the words below that describe ways you are particularly blessed right now.
Then answer the question.
Free Time Money Social Network Food
Clothing Business Creative Talents Housing
Family Church Other: _______________
What are some ways you could use the blessings you circled to help the oppressed in your community?
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
PROVERBS 31:8-9
LIVE IT OUT
Join God in pursuing justice in the face of indifference and oppression. Choose one of the following applications:
- Move from self-preservation to sacrifice. Identify one area in your life where you are operating out of self-preservation instead of seeking the kingdom first. Assess how you spend your time, your talent, and your treasure and choose one area to implement a change so that you are seeking God’s kingdom first and living sacrificially.
- Move from indifference to empathy. Take some time to journal and write out responses to the following questions. How do I struggle with indifference? How have I been passively disobedient? In what areas of my life do I live out of self-preservation instead of sacrificial service?
- Move from passivity to action. Somewhere in your community there is disparity. Identify one tangible area of injustice and bring two others alongside you to formulate a plan to fight for justice in that area. Make sure to bring others along who are different from you and can offer other perspectives on how to engage.
Many of us may have taken for granted the blessings we have been given, while ignoring the plight of those around us. Let’s take the challenge to bring justice to areas where it is lacking!
