“You (Edom) should not have gazed on the day of your brother (Israel) in the day of his captivity; nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction.” (v.12)
Nobody likes a sore loser, but a gloating winner is just as bad. Edom had watched with glee as Jerusalem was sacked by its enemies, and the Edomites had done nothing to help their relatives in Israel. In God’s eyes their refusal to interfere was itself an act of aggression. Although the relationship between the two nations had never been good, the Edomites did share a blood tie with the people of Judah, as the Edomites were the descendants of Esau, while the Israelites were the descendants of Jacob.
Because of the family ties, Edom’s actions were like betraying a brother (v.10; Ps. 137:7). Instead of honoring kinship bonds or even extending common cultural hospitality, they had broken and dishonored the relationship and treated Jacob like a total stranger, as they stood by and did nothing when Judah was being conquered (v. 11). They actually rejoiced in their brother’s downfall (v. 12).
And later, out of opportunism and pride, they participated in the sacking of Jerusalem, taking advantage of the moment to “seize their wealth in the day of their disaster” (v. 13). Worst of all, they set up roadblocks to catch escaping refugees, no doubt hoping to curry favor with the Babylonians by turning these prisoners over to them (v. 14). Like battlefield scavengers, they helped themselves to the spoils of the Babylonian conquest.
This leads to the question, "What should they have done?" Well, they should have spoken up in support of their brother. They should have helped rather than rejoicing in Judah’s troubles. They should have acted in humility, not pride. And they should have had mercy on the Israelite refugees rather than turning them away.
The destruction of Jerusalem was a matter of divine discipline. They deserved the punishment that they received. But Edom’s gleeful response made them liable as well. Obadiah warned that God had seen this sinful attitude and would turn His wrath from Jerusalem to Edom, which He did.
May we learn from Obidiah not to gloat at the misfortunes of others, for "pride comes before a fall."
The Truth: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” (Proverbs 24:17-18)
