Tag: soar

12.h. “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

Habakkuk 2:9  “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house  by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.

Deuteronomy 7:25-26    The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.  And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.

Job 20: 19-20     For he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build.  “Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.

Obadiah 1:4    Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD.

Proverbs 18:11-12    A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.  Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

Psalms 52:7     “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life are the entangling snares of men. When our hearts are given over to these lusts it is taken captive by a very jealous and powerful master.  These lusts are a thick dark staining clay.  Those who think they can handle it are easily dirtied and soiled with a stain that is very hard to wash from the heart. They will find not find happiness and satisfaction in this clay no matter how they mold it. Seeking after an abundance of wealth is the ruin of many. And what fools are those that burden themselves with continual care about it; with a great deal of guilt in getting, saving, and spending it, and with a heavy account which they must give another day! They overload themselves with this thick staining clay, and soon do not even notice how badly their soul is stained.  They live in fear of not having enough and run blindly through life on a path that leads straight to hell. When we give in to covetousness and lust of the eye and allow it to take root in our hearts it will bring along with it troubles, confusion, fear, loneliness, and dissatisfaction, and brings darkness so dark that only the Word of God can shine through.   If we think for one moment that we can manage these lusts of staining clay and not be stained by them we are certainly void of the wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word.  There are no greater slaves in the world than those who are slaves to worldly pursuits and lusts. And what comes of it? They will find life very disappointing and without lasting purpose. There is nothing in worldly lusts that honors and glorifies God.

10. h. “The people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’”

Obadiah 1:1  Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.

Proverbs 16:18    Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23    One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Jeremiah 48:29-30    We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.  I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.

Malachi 1:4    If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’”

Obadiah wrote this shortest book of the Old Testament probably soon after the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem (586 b.c.). During this conquest, the people of Edom helped capture fleeing Israelites and turn them over to the Babylonians. They even took up residence in some Judean villages. This angered the Lord, for the Edomites, as descendants of Esau, were related to the Israelites (Gen. 25:21-26, 30) and therefore should have helped them. Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be repaid for mistreating God’s people. Obadiah also asserted that God is sovereign over the nations and that the house of Jacob would be restored because of God’s covenant love for his people.

The spirit of pride is a parasite upon the souls of men. It never forgives. Nor will it receive forgiveness. So the human hearts over which it rules remain “unforgiven”. The Edomite nurses his anger; he “keeps his wrath forever”. And he never surrenders to God. He remains “unforgiven”. He never finds peace with God, peace with his fellow man, or peace with himself. Unless he repents, he cannot be saved from the wrath to come.  He goes to the judgment shaking his fist at God. And descends into the fires of hell in a torment that will last forever.