The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-09-04

1o ~ dN LlCuS &Ii1I- -
dren kick and scream when their
mother is trying to do them good.
Consider the cases Of Oba diah and
Jonah Obadiah is little 2-page
book mostly about the sins of
Edomites. who were enemies Of
Gods people to start with Jonah
is all about the sins Of Jonah, one
of Gods prophets, The curious fact
is that both the Edon2ites and
Jonah we're guilty Of the same
kinds Of sins. Both worked against
God.
Pride
The Edomites az a nation. at the
time Of Obadiah were proud
people. They had wealth. they had
power, they occupied A territory
where an invading army had
scarcely a chance Being proud,
they could not believe that any
evil would ever touch them. They
were immune. serene. never to be
conquered. They had defied men:
they were prepared to defy God.
Jonah the prophet also was
proud. He was 50 proud. 50 sure
he knew what to do and when to do
it, that when God told him to 90
preach to Nineveh, he not only did
not 90 but he paid the fare for a
long sea voyage in the exactly
opposite direction. to Tarshish The
peak and center and symptom of
the sin OF pride is this conviction
God doesn't know best; | do,
NsIssee
The prophet Obadiah condemns
Edom. in the name of God. for their
violence in war against their
brother Jacob" meaning Israel.
We All object loudly to violence IN
war when somebody else is doing
it. From the days of Grant and
Sherman. whose ma mes are not yet
revered in the land that sorely felt
their violence, to these per!lous
times when we can't say enough
against the Russian rocketeers,
the victims Of violence don't like ".
The thing the Japanese did to US
at Pearl Harbor we did to them.
only more 20. We didn't like i
when they did It; they didn't like
it when we did it
But it is not only goddess" ma
tions that love violence. God-fear-
ing individuals may be found
shrieking Kill him. Jonah the
prophet ito get into next week :
story littlel was not content
with preaching as the Lord com
manded He wanted to see Nineveh
burn. and was bitterly disappoint-
ed when the fireworks did not go
off
"ves Stood Aloof"
A careful study OF Obadiah IL
IA shows that what Edom did to
Israel was not so much actual at
tack. AS it was just standing by
and doing nothing. or cheering on
the armies which did the fighting.
The Edomites were the looters, the
camp-followers Of the main enemy.
They did comparatively little act
ual damage themselves but they
were pleased to see it done.
Jonah likewise kept himself aloof
from Nineveh and Ninevites. He
did not encourage their repentance,
he did not like il. He evidently
thought the only good Ninevite
was a dead one, not a repentant
one. He could not put himself in
their place. He could sympathize
with Gods anger, but not with his
mercy. The 12O, 900 babies Of Nine
veh meant something to God;
nothing to Jonah.
As You Have Done
God plays no favorites. Going
against him is complete folly, it Is
absolute sin. If God had no use fol
violence, pride and selfish aloof-
| ness in the time Of the prophets
has he changed today? Is America
such a favorite nation with Goo
that all our own pride and violence
can 70 mnoticed by the Almighty
"As you have done, it shall be done
to you" echoes down the ages a:
a warning to all. Wind is Ahe seek
! OF whiriwind.
tRased IN outlines copyrighted b.
the Division Of Christian Education
National Council Of the Churches !"
ChrisS in the U. s. A. Released b.
Community Press Servtoeo