In what ways can we avoid Edom's mistakes in our relationships today?

Obadiah 1:10 in Focus

“Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever.” (Obadiah 1:10)

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Edom’s Core Failures

• Violent hostility toward family

• Gloating over a brother’s downfall (vv. 12–13)

• Exploiting vulnerability for personal gain (v. 13)

• Blocking escape routes and handing survivors over to enemies (v. 14)

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Modern Parallels

• Harboring grudges against relatives, church members, or coworkers

• Celebrating when someone who once hurt us meets hardship

• Taking advantage of another’s crisis—spreading gossip, seeking promotion, or claiming credit

• Withholding help because of past offenses

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Practical Ways to Avoid Edom’s Mistakes

1. Pursue reconciliation quickly

– Matthew 5:23–24 urges restoring fellowship before worship.

2. Guard the heart against schadenfreude

– Proverbs 24:17: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls.”

3. Protect the vulnerable instead of exploiting them

– Proverbs 31:8–9: “Defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

4. Offer tangible aid when others stumble

– Galatians 6:1–2: “Carry one another’s burdens.”

5. Speak life, not gossip

– Ephesians 4:29: only words that “build up.”

6. Remember shared identity in Christ

– Romans 12:5: “We who are many are one body in Christ.”

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Scripture’s Positive Countermoves

• Romans 12:15 – “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”

• 1 Peter 3:8 – “Be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”

• Hebrews 13:1 – “Let brotherly love continue.”

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Heart Posture Check

• Ask: Would my action move a brother closer to restoration or deeper into ruin?

• Replace bitterness with blessing (Romans 12:14).

• Keep eternity in view: God judges pride but rewards mercy (James 2:13).

By choosing forgiveness, compassion, and protective love, we step off Edom’s path and walk the better way God lays out for His people.