Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

The Wrong Kind of Rejoicing

This entry was posted on 05-17-2007 and is filed under Devotional.

"You should not look down on 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" (Obadiah 12 NIV).

Through the faithful prophet Obadiah God indicts the nation of Edom (descendants of Esau) who rejoiced when calamity fell on their brother Israel. Why do some people rejoice at the misfortune of others? Why do we sense an evil spirit of glee when we hear that some brother or sister has had trouble come their way? Surely this is the spirit of Edom that needs to be purged from our hearts!

The apostle Paul rebuked those in the church in Rome for looking down on others (Romans 14:13). Why do we do it? We are to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice, not rejoice at those who weep! Some day the shoe may well be on the other foot. God told Edom, "As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon you own head" (v. 15). What goes around, comes around. Remember that the next time you are tempted to gloat over someone's misfortune!

Prayer: Dear God, give us more of Your grace that we might be more gracious to others. And forgive us when we have manifested the spirit of Edom in our hearts toward the misfortunes of others. Through Christ we pray.