Obadiah: Pride of the Heart Deceives

Pride in the heart is worse than pride in the mind. Heart pride may even appear meek and lowly but the superiority complex is there deep within. Pride in the mind may be noisy and talkative, but it's often shallow and reversible. 

Heart pride is deadly. It is deep seated. It's a stubborn stumbling block. It's something like a pastor who is all-out for his church denomination, vowing to die for it. Does this sound familiar? "I will die a ________ (name of denomination). These are hopeless conservative and dogmatic ideologues. No different or better from rabid communists or capitalists. They're intellectually unhealthy to be with.


Well, it's different if you're unwaveringly proud of Jesus Christ, His Kingdom, and His Word. In this case, you should be rabid to the extreme, though people of man's mind will fear and avoid you.


And they are among people most deceived. "Your heart pride has deceived you, you who live in caves on high mountains,  telling yourself, 'Who can bring me down?' " [Obadiah v.3]. 

Proud but deceived people love occupying positions-high positions. They feel they're going to be there forever. No matter how small they really are, they feel big up there. I mean, we're all small in God's eyes. This truth should keep us meek, patient, and understanding most times. This should make us open and transparent, able to divulge anything in public. Pride hides a lot of things in the heart. 

I've seen titled and degreed church people act like flies on top of a horse. Just because they stand on a horse, they think they're also horses. Have you seen a fly gallop? 

And have you heard them pray? Proud but deceived people pray to themselves. They talk to themselves and praise themselves. "Who can bring me down?" asked proud Edomites to themselves. They were too confident about their position. 

Blessed by God!

It's like the "I" man in Luke 12. The rich man produced crops. You see, proud but deceived fellows are richly blessed by God, like Edom was in Obadiah's time. They plundered their brothers the Israelites while the latter suffered greatly against their enemies. 

The "I" rich man of Luke 12 talked to himself. Having much wealth, he prayed to himself and worshiped himself. He talked about nothing but his accomplishments, his money, his success--and how he can be wealthier and more successful. You hear nothing but "I" from him. 

Proud but deceived church leaders talk to themselves or among themselves, too, and you hear nothing from them but their denominations. Just as Esau or Edom had nothing to do with his brother Jacob but ill will, so do these denominations have nothing to do with other Christian denominations except how to get each other's members--and be the mega-est church of all. 

The pride of the heart deceives--big time!

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