Read the Bible in a Year 
This morning read the Book of Obadiah 


Do Not Rejoice When Your Brother Falls 


Solomon warned, 

	Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
	And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 	
	Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
	And He turn away His wrath from him. 
	(Pro. 24:17, 18, NKJV)

Similarly, we should not rejoice when our brother falls, 

	�But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother
	In the day of his captivity;
	Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
	In the day of their destruction;
	Nor should you have spoken proudly
	In the day of distress. 
	(Oba. 1:12, NKJV)

Solomon's warning states that God will turn His wrath away from our enemy, if we rejoice at his fall. The Book of Obadiah shows it happening. Esau was the brother of Jacob. When God punished Judah, one of the tribes of Jacob, Edom, which was the nation that Esau eventually became, Edom joined in the "fun" of Judah's punishment. However, Edom was not without sin. Therefore, God punished Edom and so severely, that no one escaped (v. 18), and now no Edomite is alive on the earth. 

When we rejoice at the fall of our enemy or our brother, God sees us and sees that we have sin also. Therefore, He will punish such arrogance in us also. Why should He punish the other guy for his sin, but not us? Therefore, let us repent of our sin and be saddened that our enemy or brother did not repent.